One step closer to Broadway and preview pages from THIS WAY TO CHANGE out March 19, 2024
A panel with NYC autistic artists this Thursday and an ode to being needy
Hello—
It’s Monday, January 22, 2024. I feel deeply, spiritually exhausted. Two different friends told me, over the phone on two different occasions, to do less. They’re real friends for this, because they see me driving myself to the ground.
I’ve been heads down, waist deep working on 4 or 5 different projects and prepping for a theater show I just jumped back into for a 5-week run. Our schedule is intense. Tuesdays: pitches into rehearsal. Wednesday and Thursday: memorizing new material, preparing props, squeezing in morsels of other life. Friday: rehearsals into show. Saturday: rehearsals into show.
By Sunday, I just wanted to curl up and cry. I remind myself that this is hard because it is objectively hard, not because I’m incapable. I’m growing, massively in a short amount of time. I’m in a very challenging season, especially as I’m 2 months out from releasing a book. This is no light thing. It’s vulnerable, and even more so as an autistic person with overactive empathy.
I am juggling a lot. My brain is working overtime. I feel optimistic that as I get more used to this theater show schedule, I’ll stress less and give into the rhythm of it. I trust my choices and I trust my process.
Life update aside, I’m here to share three things with you:
I’m speaking on a panel this Thursday, January 25 at 2pm ET with cast members of Broadway’s first ever autistic-led show, How to Dance in Ohio. We’re going to be talking about our creative process, weaving teachings like Audre Lorde’s Uses of the Erotic into our process, and how we practice autonomy as people across the autistic spectrum. It’s one of my dreams to be on Broadway one day, so this feels like a sweet step closer. I’m excited to be in conversation with other autistic artists. There are limited seats available if you live in NYC (the venus is near Union Square) and you can also register to stream the talk online. You can RSVP here. There is no ticket cost, registration is free.
I want to show you a preview from my book, THIS WAY TO CHANGE. I have exactly one copy with me that my editor at Chronicle Prism sent to me, and I took a photo of two pages that feel relevant to the idea of autonomy. If you like what you read, you can purchase my book here (or anywhere books are sold) or here (20% with code JEZZ). If you haven’t heard, Bisan has called for a global strike from January 21 - 28. So I recommend purchasing after January 28. If you’d still like to support the book, you can call or email your local bookstore and ask them “could you stock This Way to Change by Jezz Chung, coming out March 19?” What this does is create momentum for the book to be ordered from my publisher, stocked in stores, and therefore reach more people. But hmm as I type this, I guess that is also a circulation of money. I encourage you to make choices that feel comfortable for you. I’m still thinking through how I want to participate in this strike, knowing I want to do something but I can’t do everything.
You can read more of my work for free at bit.ly/howtobuildaworld. On one of the last pages, there’s a resource guide if you want things to read, watch, or listen to during this global strike. I like listening to talks while I’m cleaning, cooking, or walking around.
Anyways, I think that’s all for now. If you want to share how you’re approaching the strike or want to drop any links to resources that could be helpful for people thinking through what they want to do, please leave them in the comments here ♡
Thanks so much for reading.
xoxo
Jezz
jezz -- i love the pages you chose to preview from your upcoming book - i read these pages out loud & felt jolts of energy move through my body. grounding energy. your words are going to help so many people, i can feel it immensely. i will be spreading the word about your book & wish you all the space and resources you need to manage what's on your plate right now 💖