Post #24: Today's Newsletter Brought to You by the Letter "D" 🐶
Dogs, Democracy, Disability, (Concert) Dates, and Doctor Who!
Hello, Friends!
I hope you’re hanging in there. I am not gonna lie, my anxiety has been through the roof ever since Inauguration Day. Everything about the current political landscape feels devastating to minorities and the climate and to democracy as a whole. And because of my own disability, I feel like I am preparing to witness a slow-motion car crash. I fear that literally every advancement disabled people have made since the 1970’s is going to be gutted or destroyed or reversed unless some very brave people get very loud, very quickly. I have never felt so uncertain about the future of humanity.
What a way to open a newsletter, eh?! To be honest, that’s why I haven’t written more lately. Aside from editing my memoir (which should be fully edited and submitted to the publishers a couple of months!), my main barrier to writing more on Substack has been my sheer volume of feelings. Too big, too many, too scary to share with others. I want to be helpful to you, not a depressed blob on the floor or an anxious ball of dread.
D is for Democracy
A very good friend told me recently to just do a little bit each day. Another friend reminded me that calls and in-person visits are the two most effective ways to reach your representatives (because emails, mail, and petitions often go unread). So I have started calling both my Senators and my Representative daily, to voice my concerns about disability simply being swept under the rug during talks of budget cuts. A third friend recommended the 5 Calls App as a way to track which issues need attention.
So here’s YOUR reminder - get some sleep, take your vitamins, and CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! Even if that’s all you manage to do, it’s better than nothing!
D is for Disability
The news is coming at us in such a tsunami style that I don’t want to add too much to your plate — but if you are at all interested in learning how to help disabled people fight massively damaging cuts to our healthcare, legal protections, and education, then I’d recommend following Disability Thinking Weekday by Andrew Pulrang, it’s short, digestible and very useful! Every Monday through Friday it highlights just three news stories and gives one or two calls to action (usually, calling your representatives). It’s my current go-to to keep on top of disability news, as the stories often get buried.
Another (fun!) podcast I just discovered is called the Disability Daily Podcast by Katie Healey, PhD. I was actually featured on her show back on January 21st — my birthday! (Sadly, I missed it when it came out). But every single day of the year, Katie features a different disabled public figure, artist, activist or important moment in history. Stuff we all should have learned in elementary school, but didn’t. It’s never too late to start!
Of course there are a TON of other blogs you can look to get a wider perspective. But since I personally feel like I’m drowning in a sea of (worthy!) email newsletters, I’ll just leave it those two recommendations for now. And you can always consult my earlier Substack post: Gaelynn Lea’s (Woefully Incomplete) Guide to Disability Culture.
D is for Dates (Concert Dates!)
I’ve been so focused on finishing up my memoir that I barely noticed that time was barreling on all this while. I have quite a few in-person shows coming up this Spring!
March 6 - 15th: Together Kevin Kling, Jeremy Ylvisaker, Paul & I are re-mounting Invisible Fences at Open Eye Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Get Tickets Here
March 28th: I am excited to be opening for Mary Bue at her Album Release Concert at Sacred Heart Music Center in Duluth, Minnesota: Get Tickets Here
April 12th: I am thrilled to be performing with the Music Inclusion Ensemble at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, Massachusetts: Get Tickets Here
May 11 - 25th: I can’t wait for my (long-awaited!) Tour of the UK for the release of my new soundtrack, Music from Macbeth! 10 Cities in the UK: Get Tickets Here
D is for Doctor Who
As many of you know, I am a BIG BIG BIG fan of the British Sci-Fi Television show, Doctor Who. And for the past three years, Paul and I have attended CONsole Room, the official Minneapolis Doctor Who Convention. In fact, last year we even dragged my parents I donned a homemade Dalek Costume, about which I wrote an essay here.
I am happy to say, we returned last month and had a total blast! This year, I was asked to compose a live score to a Classic Doctor Who episode, so I recruited my friends George Ellsworth and Dave Mehling to co-create it with me. The episode was called Snakedance, and we’re hoping to release a loose rendition of the music later this year.
It was a joy to immerse myself in my nerdy passions despite the political turmoil, to make music, to see folks I genuinely love being around, to debate best episodes until three in the morning (true story), and to meet some veritable Doctor Who legends: Peter Davison (The Fifth Doctor!) and Ian McNeice (Winston Churchill!) — they were both lovely humans and I am so glad we were able to connect. I’m also grateful that, in the midst of all this seriousness, there are still community events like Doctor Who Conventions that allow for connection, joy, play and relaxation. It was much needed!
I hope YOU, too, are finding ways to connect with YOUR silly side, your hobbies and various rabbit-holes. Taking care of ourselves is important so we don’t burn out. Once we are refreshed we can get back to the work ahead of us - SAVING DEMOCRACY!
Sending So Much Love,
Gaelynn Lea