“My partner recently decided to move out of our tiny studio apartment. Two introvert sharing a small space in pandemic when there are very few third spaces to spend time has been a heavy strain on us. We’re shifting to a new phase of our relationship, which is beginning to feel like the end of our romance, and I’m struggling with crippling loneliness. What do you turn to when you are faced with despair and have trouble finding your steadiness amongst the pain?”
— Anonymous Caller
“I’m looking for some advice. I’m nonbinary and I’ve been using they/them pronouns for over three years now. I got a new job 10 months ago, and it’s my favorite job I’ve ever had. The folks I work with are progressive and accepting, and for the most part I feel fine being around them. The challenge is that my coworkers get my pronouns wrong every day. I think in the past 10 months I’ve heard my pronouns correctly used just two times. I rarely correct them because that leaves me feeling really worked up and no one I’m working with knows how to receive that kind of correction (they’ll be confused or over-apologetic). I feel like I’m the only one advocating for myself and like I’m not doing a very good job with it. Especially in these pandemic times when my coworkers are some of the only folks I interact with in person, it leaves me feeling pretty downtrodden even though I truly love my job and feel so grateful to be where I am and what I’m doing. Any advice on how I could better advocate for myself?”
— Anonymous Caller
“I want to acknowledge your experience, I think it’s really normal to not want to correct someone because it’s more tiring and works you up more and takes you out of your headspace while you’re at work. But yet, being misgendered is also taking you out of your headspace. If you love your job, I think there’s a lot of room for growth around how you communicate with other people and advocate for yourself. I think you’re going to be able to shine bright and I believe in you.”
— Marlee Grace
“I’m super curious about demystifying publishing/self-publishing for myself... could you talk about what your process was getting your first book out there? I was really intrigued when I read it was a zine first! And how about the recent book self-published book from this radio show, what was the process there? Would love any advice you might have on this!””
— Anonymous Caller
“If you want to self publish a book, give yourself an hour. Get some snacks, make some tea, and start Googling. Where, locally, can I have something printed? WHat are on-demand print websites? What are the comparisons in price, quality, paper, etc.? Can I print in color or do I want to print in black and white? Opening a fresh Google Doc to really start to write out, this is the title of what I’m writing, these are the bones, the chapter names and then start expanding on the themes. Part of it is just believing that you’re worthy of publishing your work or having your work published. ”