Morning friends, it’s been a while since we last spoke and I have to admit: a lot has happened.
I remember when I first started this Substack, it was while I was on the way to the Banff Centre for the Arts. So excited to start my journey in writing my very first book. Well, the update is: I’m re-working my manuscript a bit and then we’re taking it back out to publishers. But I have also started working on my second manuscript, and tinkering with a YA project. Because writers, amirite?
In that time, I got to co-edit a book alongside some incredible individuals titled: “Fat Studies in Canada: Re-Mapping The Field”. The book explores fat activism and all things fat politics and will be released by Inanna Publishing sometime in 2021.
While all that was happening, like many who were navigating this global pandemic, I tried to find a creative outlet. After being rejected for a Canadian Council for the Arts grant, yet still wanting to pursue my idea, I set out to find a way to bring storytelling to a digital platform. I thought back to a class Daniel Zomparelli taught us at the Banff Centre for the Arts about storytelling and podcasting, and ultimately became inspired. Although I did keep bouncing back and forth between Twitch and podcasting, I eventually landed on the podcast format (it seemed more natural to me) and launched my new baby into the world, High Low Brow, the podcast. The show with high brow takes on low brow culture. Alongside my co-host and producer, Danita Steinberg, we’re carving out space in the airwaves for deep dives and thoughtful convos about our beloved pop culture that is often overlooked, laughed at, trashed, and brushed aside.
Our trailer is up on Spotify and our first episode drops tomorrow. So follow all our social channels (including Spotify) and if you’re into reality TV and Internet culture, you’re going to love this pod.
Finally, you may or may not have heard: but Substack is super transphobic and I’m not okay for a multitude of reasons, some personal and some not so personal. So I’m going to leave this post up for 7 days and then removing this entire Substack for good. I was never making money here so tbh, me leaving the platform doesn’t really matter. It’s more of a show of solidarity with my trans fam. However, I do believe we should normalize conversations like this one and de-platform spaces (like this one) that continue to profit off hate.
Anyways, love you all. You know where to find me if you need me. xo Ama