Post #8: Update by Numbers: 3-4-2-1 🧮
3 Upcoming Events, 4 Fun Interviews, 2 Humble Requests & 1 Zoom Link for this Sunday's Book Club!
Hello, Friends!
I hope this month's newsletter finds you safe, happy and well. It is gorgeous weather in Duluth today (60 whole degrees!) and sunny. The blizzard that occurred here two weeks ago already feels like a distant memory. I am currently writing this note out on my deck of our studio apartment, staring at the beautiful Lake Superior (my muse).
Anyway, this email is short and sweet! Not too much to report here except:
1) I just hit the 50% mark of my memoir rough draft! In terms of life timeline, this means Paul and I are officially dating and I just started playing with my friend Andy in my first band, "Gabel & Gaelynn". I will be sending you another writing excerpt soon, but I just wanted to allow myself a moment to rejoice about this milestone!
2) I stopped drinking (alcohol, that is) 12 days ago - and I don't plan to start again! That being said, I am not making any formal declarations because I don't want to throw on the baggage of shame if I ever change my mind. But I am really liking it so far. I have found many delightful alcohol-free beverage options that are tasty and feel just as luxurious as a glass of Prosecco (yes, I definitely bought into the idea that ingesting a toxic substance was somehow fancy / glamorous). I am not going to become an AF (alcohol-free) evangelist, BUT if you are also sober-curious, I'd highly recommend checking out TheAlcoholExperiment.com. Needless to say, it's been pretty life-changing, and it's been less than two weeks!
I wasn't feeling miserable, but I could tell that drinking was affecting my creative energy on too many "next days" — I really want to bring my best self to my book and my other (top-secret theater!) project. As I studied my behavior, it was clear that getting alcohol out of the picture was an important step. So, I tell you this for two reasons: 1) It's been a big deal in my life this month! and 2) In case you feel alone in questioning your drinking, know you're definitely not alone. Question, learn, observe, get support, and — if you decide to try it — take the plunge! I’ll be cheering for you.
THREE UPCOMING EVENTS:
As this year is dedicated to writing my memoir, I essentially took a machete to my gig calendar. I barely have anything lined up until Kevin Kling and I reprise Invisible Fences at Zeitgeist Theater in Duluth, MN this November!
But April is a bit of an exception. In the next couple weeks I have the following events on my calendar... I'd love to see you there!
Sunday, April 14th at 2pm Central Time: Creative Living Book Club / Substack Zoom for Paid Subscribers (Virtual): I will be interviewing Ashley Shew, who is the author of the fabulous book, Against Technoableism. Then we'll be opening it up to a group Q&A / discussion. You don't have to read the book in advance to attend, though it's highly recommended! It’s short but so insightful. To get the link, become a paid subscriber - you'll find it at the bottom of this email.
Saturday, April 20th at 6:30pm Eastern Time: Gaelynn Lea Performs with the Music Inclusion Ensemble at Berklee School of Music (David Friend Recital Hall / Boston / FREE). On Monday, Paul and I are flying out to Boston to take part in a mini-residency at Berklee School of Music, organized by the wonderful violinist, music professor and fellow RAMPD member, Adrian Anantawan. He formed an integrated music ensemble of students with and without disabilities, and their debut concert will feature the disabled musicians Molly Joyce, Adrian, and Yours Truly as guest artists. For my section, we will be performing "Body of Work", a 5-song suite of my original music, originally arranged for the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra by the late composer, Brad Bombardier. I am grateful I get to perform this beautiful arrangement again; I only wish that Brad was here to see it.
Saturday, April 27th at 1pm Central Time: Disability Visibility Fair in Duluth, MN (hybrid event / Duluth Public Library / FREE). I am so excited that Duluth chose Alice Wong's seminal anthology, Disability Visibility as this year's "One Book Northland". On Saturday, April 27th they're hosting a full afternoon of events relating to the theme Disability Visibility. At 1pm I will be giving a talk with my reflections on her book, as well as my own experiences around disability activism. The talk will be followed by a Q&A. You can tune in on Zoom - find info here. Folks are invited to stick around afterwards for the rest of the day's events!
FOUR FUN INTERVIEWS:
Although my wonderful assistant Carrie always shares recent interview links on my social media, I am sure the algorithm sometimes buries them deep in your Newsfeed. So here are four interviews I enjoyed, just in case you feel like taking a deep dive:
Songs That Shaped Me: As funny as it sounds, I don't always get to talk about music during interviews (rather it's often about activism). This chat had a unique slant because I was asked to choose three songs that shaped me (plus one I love now, by Wheelchair Sports Camp); we got into the nitty-gritty of each choice. Listen here!
GloryIsNoiseTV: One very unexpected twist after winning the Tiny Desk Contest was getting to join the industrial rock supergroup, Pigface, for their 25th Anniversary Reunion concert in Chicago. I met the lovely drummer, Joel Gausten, backstage during this memorable Pigface show and we've kept in touch ever since. He also has CP, so in this interview we talk about Pigface (of course), disability, as well as the importance of checking in on mental health. Watch here!
For the Love of Duluth: Podcasts come from everywhere these days, even your local CPAP dealer! I thought it was pretty great that Lake Superior Medical Equipment decided to start this passion project (in addition to supplying the Northland with medical gear) to help spread the word of Duluth's awesomeness. The hosts, Tom & Yvonne, were quite charming and asked me a lot of hyper-local, deep-dive background questions that aren't typical in an interview. Listen here!
The Heart Gallery: I loved chatting with the host of this podcast, Rebekah Ryvola de Kremer — she's a visual artist who is passionate about connecting with other creatives. In this podcast, we discussed Invisible Fences (the play I co-wrote with Kevin Kling), the meaning behind Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun, keeping hope alive, and what inspires each of us in our creative work. In fact, I enjoyed talking with her so much that we ended up exchanging holiday cards later! Listen here!
TWO HUMBLE REQUESTS:
As you may know, I used to have a Patreon Team, around 200 folks who pledged a small (or large, it was up to them) monthly contribution to help support my work as an independent artist. Well, starting in 2024, I closed down Patreon to move the whole operation to Substack. The platform is easier to navigate than either Patreon or my old newsletter platform, and people have been more engaged with these newsletters.
However, I did lose a significant stream of monthly income when I closed down my Patreon. I am slowly building up the number of paid subscribers here (thank you to the early adopters!) but I just wanted to let you know that when you become a paid subscriber, not only do you receive bonus content, but it literally helps to pay my bills. Especially now, as I am home writing my memoir (and thus not gigging as much), I could really use your support. So, with a humble heart, I submit these two requests:
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber if you are able to afford it! Don’t feel any pressure whatsoever if it’s out of your budget, but if you can subscribe, know that it will really help to support me financially as I finish the memoir! Subscribe here.
Please forward this email to someone else who may be interested in my essays! Word of mouth is hugely important to building up a Substack subscription base (paid or free!) and it will help raise more awareness about my book when it does eventually come out (fingers crossed, Fall 2025???). So please hit “Forward!” and send it to a friend if something resonates with you! You can see all my previous essays here.
ONE (SECRET) ZOOM LINK (FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS):
As promised, the link for this Sunday’s Zoom Book Club is below, visible to all paid subscribers! I’d love hope to see you at the discussion — Ashley is wonderful, and her book Against Technoableism will definitely generate lots of fruitful discussion!
Take care this weekend, and I hope to connect with you soon, one way or another!
Truly,
Gaelynn Lea