Post 50: Shows, Interviews, Creativity Challenge, and More Shows! 👩🎤
Also please vote so I can maybe get some sleep this Fall (even if you're inclined to think voting is pointless... It's not!) Democracy requires robust participation in order to work.
Introducing Creative Living Coaching… Not too late to join the Seed to Sprout Challenge!
Hello, Dear Friends!
I hope this newsletter finds you well! For those of you who discovered this Substack through my recent video post about the Olmstead Memo, thank you for the follows and the shares, and a hearty hello to you! I hope your August is feeling bountiful. 🌻
I have a bunch of fun book events coming up this month (including an online book talk with Emily Ladau this Sunday that will be delightful!), and then my husband Paul and I hit the road in October for a stretch of shows with my pals, Wheelchair Sports Camp. So this is gonna be a good old-fashioned artist newsletter: show dates, ticket links, interviews, and a pitch to join my new (EXTREMELY HEARTWARMING, if I dare say so myself) online community, Creative Living Coaching. We just started a one-month Creativity Challenge called Seed to Sprout, and there’s still time to join us here!
BEFORE THE SOUNDCHECKS, A REALITY CHECK ⬇️
There are so many cool events coming together in my little corner of the world this Fall, but meanwhile, so much is threatening to fall apart when it comes to disability programs, specifically Medicaid. If you haven’t been following the news, I would urge you to take just a few minutes to read these two articles, both by the disabled actor Steve Way: The Contradiction at the Heart of Disability in America and Prove It.
Both of Steve’s FABULOUS articles sum up perfectly what is so true for all disabled people I know in the arts right now. Things might seem like they are moving in a positive direction culturally, but the Medicaid rule changes mean we’re 100% all on the chopping block. And I mean that more or less literally. People like me — people who can’t get out of bed, get dressed, or use the bathroom independently — can’t be touring musicians unless they have the help they need from personal care attendants!
After all, personal care attendants (which are only covered by Medicaid, by the way — not any private insurance) are the way that most of us manage to live independently. It’s not realistic for family to fill in 24 hours a day. It’s that simple. If you support any disabled artists on this platform, then I urge you to call your representatives. If you love any disabled person who requires any personal care (or just Medicaid!) to thrive, I would urge you to call your representatives. If you feel like supporting disabled people to live independent lives is just the right thing to do, then I would urge you to call your representatives. And for Goodness sake with a capital G, please please please please please vote… It is so extremely important that we make our voices heard in elections!
WHY IS VOTING SO IMPORTANT?
Look, I truly understand that our political landscape is a lot right now — it’s not just disabled people who are threatened by this Administration, not even close! Some days, it feels like everything is breaking all at once. So it’s important to ask ourselves: what does this moment require of us, as citizens? Some people channel their energy and time into activism and awareness-building, both of which are incredibly helpful right now. But not everyone feels led (or has the time and energy) to partake in activism.
So what then? It’s easy to fall into consumption mode, where politics becomes a sort of a spectator sport. (“Have you heard what so-and-so did last night?”) On the other hand, we might go into overwhelm mode and just tune it all out because it feels too big and too painful to process. (“I just can’t read the news anymore.”) But there is another way!
I believe that voting is the best use of our energy as citizens, per calorie. When we take the time to vote, we are addressing multiple issues at once. The leaders we elect will be making choices on everything — healthcare, immigration, environment — and if you take a few hours to research and then go mark your choices on the ballot, you are increasing the odds that the issues you care about will be handled the way you want. As I’ve often been told by my elders, “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.” I know many of us are feeling cornered right now, but we can’t surrender our voting power.
If voting in the general election is a good use of political calories, then voting in the primaries is a SUPERFOOD! Typically far less people vote in primaries, so your vote statistically has a lot more weight in a primary then at any other time. So don’t let the primaries pass you by without weighing in at the ballot box. There’s too much at stake!
I’m not saying that we should be complicit or ignore our urge to contribute in other ways. But voting is hands down the absolute bare minimum for civic engagement. Please hold yourself to that standard — vote in the primary and general elections!
Feel like you can contribute a little extra time and energy to help ensure free and fair elections this Fall? Get involved with Get Out The Vote efforts in your communities!
P.S. If you shudder to read more news, please at least subscribe to Andrew Pulrang’s newsletter to get the gist of what’s coming down the pipe. I totally understand news burnout... I am burned out too. But we can’t afford to pretend this isn’t happening!
UPCOMING EVENTS - ONLINE AND IN-PERSON!
OKAY, PHEW, YOU MADE IT! No more politics (for today)... Moving on to shows!
August 6 at 2:30pm CT: Gaelynn Lea In-Person Book Reading for indiGo’s ADA Celebration at Superior High School in Superior, WI- FREE - Details Here!
August 9 at 2pm CT: FREE Virtual Book Talk and Q&A with Acclaimed Author and Disability Activist Emily Ladau, Live on Zoom - FREE - Register Here!
August 18 at 5pm CT: Gaelynn Lea Book Talk + Music at Two Harbors Public Library in Two Harbors, MN w/ Above & Beyond with U - FREE - Details Here!
August 21 at 1pm CT: Gaelynn Lea Book Talk + Music at Silver Bay Public Library in Silver Bay, MN with Above & Beyond with U - FREE - Details Here!
August 23 at 1pm PT / 3pm CT: Geek Tea Time — Hanging Out with Gaelynn Lea, hosted by Greg at The Time Scales on YouTube - Watch Live Here!
September 11 at 5:30pm CT: Book Talk at Cloquet Public Library in Cloquet, MN with Zenith Bookstore - FREE - Get More Info Here!
October 5-7 at TBA: Music and Talk at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA with Wheelchair Sports Camp - FREE - Get More Info Here!
October 8 at TBA: Concert at Davidson College in Davidson, NC with Wheelchair Sports Camp - FREE- Get More Info Here!
October 9 at 6pm ET: Concert in the Blue Ridge Room at UNC Asheville in Asheville, NC with Wheelchair Sports Camp - FREE - Get More Info Here!
October 10 at 8:30pm ET: Concert at Eyedrum Gallery in Atlanta, GA with Wheelchair Sports Camp - $15 ADV / $20 Doors - Get Tickets Here!
October 11 at 7pm CT: Concert at The Basement in Nashville, TN with Wheelchair Sports Camp - $15 ADV / $20 Doors - Get Tickets Here!
October 13 at 7pm ET: Concert at Olin Theater at Roanoke College in Salem, VA with Wheelchair Sports Camp - FREE - Get More Info Here!
October 14 at 7pm ET: Concert at the Tew Recital Hall at UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, NC with Wheelchair Sports Camp - FREE - Get More Info Here!
October 18 at TBA: Concert at U Mich in Ann Arbor, MI with Wheelchair Sports Camp - More Details Coming Soon!
October 22 - 24: Gaelynn Lea Keynote Speech and Workshop in Minneapolis, MN at FARM Folk Gathering + Presenter Summit - Get More Info Here!
RECENT PODCAST EPISODES!
I have really been enjoying promoting my book since its release (in case you missed it, my memoir came out in April!) and I wanted to highlight a couple of fun interviews:
Babes in Bookland - Alex Frnka’s podcast covers memoirs by women exclusively! She loves to uplift women’s voices and to unpack themes like identity, resilience, heartbreak, healing, growth — and the many messy, magical moments in between.
Unapologetically Black Unicorns - I met the host of this podcast at my book launch event in San Francisco. Keris Jän Myrick loves to chat about all things mental health, racial justice, and anything cool to enhance human existence.
Maiasa Talks - I met the host of this podcast on TikTok. See? The world is full of surprises! Santiago Hudson lives in Mexico, and he is using the power of stories to connect people and build a more human, diverse, and inclusive representation.
Constant Wonder Podcast - Host Marcus Smith loves conversations that invite you to discover, explore, and reengage with the wonders of the world around you.
City Cast Twin Cities - This fun podcast hosted by Minnesota radio legend Sean McPherson and is centered on news about the Twin Cities (Minneapolis / St. Paul)
LESS DOOMSCROLLING, MORE BLOOMSCROLLING, DULUTH EDITION:
Okay, so that’s it for the moment, Friends… Thank you so much for your support, and I hope to see you at a show online or in-person soon! Until then, take care and I hope you find little pockets of open time to enjoy this last full month of summer sunshine!
With Love,
Gaelynn Lea