Jasmin Singer's Blog

I published my first poem in a magazine when I was in fourth grade, circa 1987. It was entitled “You’re Still a Person” and was basically about how “it doesn’t matter if you’re red, purple, green or blue; you’re still a person, and you should be treated as one, too.” Though I certainly couldn’t have articulated it this way at the time, even my earliest scribblings were about the same topics I ultimately centered my career around: social justice, equity, radical self-acceptance, and compassion. As a chubby little kid who had to navigate my way around the bullies who chose me as their target early on, the deep satisfaction of seeing my name in print—in some kids-themed magazine with an electric pink “you write it!” section at the back—had me completely hooked. I knew immediately I wanted to be a writer, though the magical, life-predictive M.A.S.H. games I played also swore up and down I’d be an actress, too (and would live between a mansion in Beverly Hills and an apartment in Greenwich Village, but I digress).

Since that fateful day when my poem appeared in a glossy magazine in my mailbox 33 years ago, I have gone on to write and edit thousands of stories which have appeared both online and in print; I have published a memoir (detailing, amongst other things, the bullying I underwent when I was that little kid) and went on a 60-city tour with my book; I wrote another book (a vegan how-to) dropping later this year; I was the senior editor at a renowned national magazine, and when I went freelance, I stayed on as the senior features editor; I have become a love columnist; and I co-founded and run a now decade-old media nonprofit where I have interviewed countless celebrities and activists and received a handful of really cool awards. I never wound up living in a mansion in Beverly Hills, but I do live in a one-bedroom in neighboring West Hollywood, so that kind of counts, right?

Dreaded vortex of lost words

Of course, little did I know then that the internet age that was about to envelop all of us would, on one hand, open up worlds of possibility to me in terms of what I could write and publish—but on the other hand it meant that my years of writing would disappear into the dreaded vortex of lost words. I’ve been writing professionally for over 15 years now, and I probably recall only a tiny fraction of the outlets I’ve written for. I wish I could go back in time and keep a running list of articles I’ve published, or at least a file folder on my desktop somewhere—though I have no doubt that folder would have also been a victim to my incredibly disorganized “tracking system” that has resulted in thousands of lost files, probably stuck in some hellish digital space where it will never be clicked on again.

Enter Authory. Authory is a program designed with journalists and bloggers in mind—especially people like me who have lost track of their stories but would ideally want to find them and house them in one cleverly designed, user-friendly space. That’s what Authory is, in a nutshell: it creates a digital portfolio of your writing, packages it in a simple and easy-to-digest package, and allows you to categorize your articles (such as by choosing to highlight your own curated top-ten list and put it on a separate tab, which I did).

No search function exists inside my head

Despite my career largely being centered around digital media, I give myself a B- when it comes to understanding even seemingly simple apps and programs. So I have been impressed by the accessibility of Authory, and have found it gratifying to tinker around there—choosing the visual format that presents my articles with large photos as opposed to just a list; making my short bio link to my first book (I appreciated the simplicity of choosing only one thing to link to, though all of my social media handles are also easy to reach with Authory); and changing the way I sort the articles (total shares versus most recent).

That said, that giant abyss of lost stories and files I mentioned earlier is still a bit of an issue, even with this clever program. That’s because ultimately I have to remember where I am bylined, and pretty much every day I think of a new place. Even since writing this, I recalled that I had an article on MindBodyGreen go totally viral several years back, ultimately leading to my first book deal. These are the huge pieces of information that slip out of my mind, and I’m afraid that no search function exists inside my head—not even Authory can fix that.

My fans (by which I mean my mom) can subscribe

The way I use Authory thus far is to attach it to my website; when you click on “Writing,” it gets redirected to my Authory page. My fans (by which I mean my mom) can subscribe to get regular updates on articles I write; visitors can easily access my LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter; and I can rest assured knowing that there’s a magic cloud backing up each of my online stories (now if only I could go back in time and remember what I’ve written for).

During those rare moments when I can recall my writing resume, I simply type in “add article” to my Authory backend, type in the main URL for the outlet, and within 48 hours, it appears on my page. Since I’m a person who gets her kicks from instant gratification, this waiting period—though indeed humane and understandable—can make me antsy (such as right now, since I just remembered about that MindBodyGreen piece and I feel like the world might end if it doesn’t go up immediately). I blame my impatience on the “just Google it” culture, though even Google can’t find all of my old articles, so clearly I need to make sure that perfect doesn’t become the enemy of the good. Because Authory is very, very good. The problems I have with it are the problems I have with everything; I am the fallible one, and no website can fix that, annoyingly.

Making me look more impressive than I actually am

Ultimately, even in the short time since I’ve started using it, Authory has become a resource for me that makes me look more impressive than I actually am, is easy to keep up with (way simpler than when I have to update my press page or another piece of content on my website), and collects pieces of my career in a way I could never manage without its automation. The customer service is pretty solid (you get the feeling you’re talking to a real person, though once again I find the day-long wait to be angst-ridden—which speaks more to my own personality flaw than anything else), and I am looking forward to playing around more with the categories. The cost is about $96 annually or $10 a month, which is way cheaper than a personal assistant or a web master. For anyone who has a handful or more articles online—and aims to get more—Authory is worth your investment.

When I think back to my eight-year-old self—that burgeoning poet who still typed on a typewriter (when she wasn’t hand-writing in giant pink loops with hearts on top of I’s)—I think she’d approve of Authory. All that little-me had wanted, according to that first piece I had published, was “someone to care.” And I get the feeling that the folks behind Authory care a whole lot.

Now if only they could work on that search function inside my head, we’d be all set.

The post From Author to Authory: My Take On A New Tool for Journalists appeared first on Jasmin Singer.

[image error]Welp. My memoir is out. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

It’s completely surreal and wonderful and weird to be me right now. I am so moved and blown away by the support of everyone around me, both in person and virtually. The NYC book launch, held this past Tuesday at Alexander Gray Associates, was nothing short of magical. We had around 130 people show up for food, drinks, and books! I somehow managed to hold myself together in order to give my first reading from the book, and I felt supported and loved by the audience who seemed (almost) as excited as I was. I used my fancy signing pen for the first time, and learned how quickly my hand cramps from signing. (I should invest in a squishy, stress relief ball, to keep those muscles strong.)

Here are some updates, and some things on my mind as I get ready to leave for my tour:

Tomorrow morning I head to Washington, D.C. for my event there, which I’m so excited about. ( The Washington Blade just covered it , which is exciting.)
I also have a private Our Hen House “flock” event on Saturday night, which will be really fun. I love intimate get-togethers where I get to really get to know some of our podcast listeners.
I am thrilled that my audiobook, with me narrating, is now available through Audible. Recording it last November was perhaps the most fun of my life. My sinuses and my ankle kept crackling, which was kind of funny, because they had to keep doing retakes whenever that would happen. Still though, I got through my entire eleven hour and nine minute reading in just two and a half days, which was appreciated by the sound engineers because they had scheduled five days for me to record it. Finally, for the first time in my life, my BFA in Acting came into use!
Oh, and you can listen to a sample of my audiobook here! 
I’ve gotten some interesting press! Most notably, this week there is a feature on me in the Metro — “How a Junk Food Vegan Fought Food Addiction and Won.” That article is the most read on the Metro site right now! In a couple of weeks, the print edition will run here in NYC. (Please be sure to share that article from the website so that the publishers know that people are interested in vegan stories! Thanks!)
There have also been a few interviews published, including an interview with me on Vegan Street that I hope you check out!
I wrote an article for Mind Body Green that was just published this week, entitled “I Lost Nearly 100 Pounds — After Struggling With Weight My Whole Life.” I hope you read it and share it!
If you read my book and you dig it (which I hope you do!), please consider leaving a friendly review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or wherever else you’d like. Those reviews are more important than you realize. (I know that every time I go to get something on Amazon, for example, the reviews are the first thing I look for.)
I have so many events coming up that rather than list them all here, I hope you’ll head over to my events page and stay up to date there! But, in short, this week I’ll be in Washington, D.C. Next week I’ll be in L.A., San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Berkley. Later this month I’ll be in Cambridge and Montclair. In March I’ll be in Tempe, Tucson, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Portland, and Seattle. There’s a ton more, too, so stay tuned, and I hope to see you!

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Thank you for helping me make this book tour successful, and thanks for reading Always Too Much and Never Enough! I’m so grateful!

xo jasmin

The post The Book Is Out! (And Other Updates) appeared first on Jasmin Singer.

I’m not entirely sure what to say, except for holy shit, Always Too Much and Never Enough comes out in a week and a half! I’ve never purported to have any idea what it’s like to give birth, and I usually err on the side of not comparing anything to vaginal delivery of a human being (egad!). But I do kind of sort of want to compare the process of writing a book and then waiting for it to arrive to pregnancy — a long, two-year pregnancy that doesn’t require an episiotomy, nor eventually paying for a college education. But it does require a shitload of planning and scheming, and a team of very patient do-gooders who care as much as I do that this memoir is a success. That people buy it and read it. That my dozens of book signings and readings actually have butts in the seats.

Of course, my main hope for Always Too Much and Never Enough is that it emboldens people to seek their own truths, and that through telling my very deepest, sometimes darkest secrets (egad again!), others realize that they aren’t alone with the shame or confusion they sometimes feel … perhaps as an outsider looking in … or perhaps as a person who has always tried to question assumptions, even when it would have been much easier to follow the status quo. That’s how it’s been for me, and I can’t say I haven’t struggled through it sometimes. (In a lot of ways, I still do.) But, ultimately, I don’t think it’s possible to live in any kind of authentic way unless we feel the burn at times.

For me, my own truths started to emerge as I began to recognize all the ways in which I have been betrayed by the animal agriculture industry. As that wall of denial came crumbling down, and as I realized I was being betrayed by my dearest companion — food — I also began to realize that I had been betraying myself too, in so many ways. That’s when I started to embrace my sexuality. That’s when I lost nearly 100 pounds. That’s when I finally confronted the ongoing trauma of having been bullied as a fat kid — a kid who was trying so hard to fit herself into her mother’s skinny shadow. My whole life, I felt I was always too much and never enough, and the same goes for the food I ate. I wanted more, but it was not enough, not ever. The process of dismantling all of that — thanks to finding out what nobody wanted me to know about the way food is really produced — was the hardest, most rewarding journey I could imagine. In a lot of ways, it’s all still unfolding — and so it remains hard, and rewarding, and just about everything in between.

These days, I have a lot of rewards. Even though a writer friend refers to the time before a book comes out as “the calm before the calm,” I am eagerly awaiting the start of my book tour in less than two weeks. I hope you’ll join me! In February, I’ll be in NYC, LA, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Cambridge, and Montclair. In March, I’ll be in Tucson, Phoenix, Tempe, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Portland. In April, I’ll be in Northampton, Lincroft, and Baltimore. There are a ton of other events constantly being added, so check it all out on my events calendar, “like” my author page on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter and on Periscope.

Here are some other things I’m excited about:

Thrillingly, I was named one of “40 Under 40 People to Teach Us About Each Other” by The Advocate Magazine. (Right?!)
VegNews Magazine did a really lovely write-up in the Feb. issue about my book. (For the same issue, I wrote a feature article entitled “Veganism Saved My Life,” which I also hope you check out!)
The Vegan Lifestyle Association, based in the UK, did a sweet interview with me and Mariann about Our Hen House.
I hope you listen to my in-depth interview with Animal Voices Vancouver, all about my book and about activism.
Did you know that there’s going to be an audiobook available of Always Too Much and Never Enough, narrated by yours truly? Right now it only says that there’s a CD available for sale, but pretty soon the MP3 will also be there. But here’s the really exciting part! If you go to the homepage of this website, you can listen to a sample from Chapter 7! I hope you dig it.
If you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy of Always Too Much and Never Enough, please do! It’s available from Amazon, as well as wherever books are sold.

xo jasmin

The post One and a Half Weeks Until My Book is Born appeared first on Jasmin Singer.

[image error]I finally gave my mother the book (the uncorrected galley), just yesterday. It’s a moment I’ve been fearful of for a year and a half. My book is, after all, a memoir. It’s largely about body image. Many women inherit at least some of their body image issues and their relationship to eating from their mother, and I’m no exception. In fact, during my initial meeting with my publisher, Berkley — an imprint of Penguin Random House — the biggest piece of feedback I got was that they wanted more of my mom in there.

And I could see why. My mother’s relationship with her own body — a body which was always slim and svelte, fitting society’s definition of “perfect,” while my chubby one never did, especially growing up — was a big influence on me. It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I recognized that my mother, like everyone else, is, in many ways, just a grown-up version of a pained girl — same as the rest of us. We’re all just doing our best, pretending at times to be more together than we are.

[image error]Lucky for me, my mom was actually a loving, kind, generous parent — and remains that way today. But my book focuses on more of the coming-of-age aspects of the book, and so I’ve been worried about how she would react as I took that oftentimes wrought stroll down memory lane. (I’m still concerned.)

I’m lucky enough to have several friends who have written memoirs, and I’ve sought their advice on this subject matter. When I asked my friend Catherine Lord, who wrote The Summer of Her Baldness, how to handle possibly hurting people simply by telling my story, she asked me if I wanted to be a memoirist.

“Yes,” I said. “Of course.”

She replied, “Well then…”

And that was that.

[image error]There’s a fine line for me between not giving a hoot what people think of me and being overly concerned, the latter only really bubbling up when it’s regarding those I love. There are a lot of people in my life, but only a few of them are in my inner-circle. I’ve carefully constructed my life that way, and my small circle of closeness warms me on these chilly, pre-publication days.

My mother is in that circle. It feels unfair that simply by telling my story, simply by existing in a world as my own person — who learned from my mother’s mistakes just as much as I learned from her measured and appropriate parenting skills, I could hurt her. Just by sharing my truth.

Or maybe I am overthinking this whole thing, and I won’t actually hurt her at all. Maybe she will see my efforts to be transparent as an extension of her own truth, too. Maybe she’ll recognize, alongside me, the value and privilege of being able to put forth a book about coming to terms with disordered eating and body image, finding my own authenticity only as I shed my preconceived notions of self-worth.

[image error]It is a powerful, otherworldly experience to put one’s self out there with so much transparency. I am hoping that Always Too Much and Never Enough will become almost like its own “person,” not attached anymore to me, thus making me kind of invisible. It’s my story, yes, but I hope that I’m just the vessel to bring forth a story that allows others who are suffocating themselves with assumed ideas of what we should personally strive for, to ultimately embolden themselves to find peace, and truth.

My mother might see that point. As her daughter — a daughter who is active and engaged in her life — I’m part of her legacy. (Let me be clear: I don’t think that’s a given for any child/parent relationship. For example, I don’t speak with my father, and that’s entirely by choice.)

If my mother dies first, you might say that I’ll be part of what she left behind. And when I die, my book will be part of what I leave behind — so I hope that it carries out messages that will reach others in their own process, and maybe inspire them to change themselves for the better. How can leaning toward authenticity ever be a negative thing? I couldn’t have possibly told my story with such honesty if it weren’t for my mother’s trust in me. And so, in some ways, it’s because of her that my book was born. Much like the values of kindness and empathy she helped instill in me, I hope my book has a long shelf life.

***

Always Too Much and Never Enough: a Memoir, drops on Feb. 2, 2016 from Berkley. 

The post How Will Mom React? appeared first on Jasmin Singer.

With five and a half months to go until publication, my book is now available for pre-order via Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope you pre-order it! (I pre-ordered it, which is sort of funny.) Also, though I’m not “officially” saying anything yet, let’s just say that, in the future, there will also be a way for you to listen to me read you the book… My lips are sealed (for now).

I will also be shooting an author video in a few weeks, which my childhood friend — an accomplished TV editor — will be editing for me. (I have the most talented friends.) It’s particularly exciting for me because, in addition to being really gifted (her feature length film, Sound and Chaos, just premiered at Lincoln Center, and she edited Vegucated — a film in which I have a tiny part), Sara has the added advantage of having watched me go from a fat, bullied kid to an activist and author writing about being a fat, bullied kid. She actually just emailed me a bunch of photos she found of us from the 90s, some of which included gallivants to Dairy Queen.

Me + Dairy Queen = the 1990s.

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The post My Book Is Available for Pre-Order, So Pre-Order It! appeared first on Jasmin Singer.

[image error]I stood outside my tap-dance class using the very spotty service to check my Facebook messages. It had been a day and a half since the article I wrote for Mind Body Green – “What Losing 100 Pounds Taught Me About How the World Treats Overweight People” – was published, and I was freaking out. I had already received tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of messages from women (and a few men) thanking me for loaning my voice to their experience. I had also received a fair share of messages cursing me out for being so close-minded as to not understand that the reason people treated me better now that I was thin had nothing to do with my weight. According to these naysayers, 100 pounds ago I had provoked bullying with my low self-esteem, not my size, and now that I was thin and thought better of myself, I was “attracting more light to my life,” or some shit like that. And that’s why the world treated me better now. Mmmm-kay…

There were a lot – and I mean a lifetime’s worth – of messages in my inbox. All I had done was share my story and offer my observations of the world through the lens of a newly thin person. From the emphatic, zealous response from people all over the world, you’d think I discovered a way to breathe underwater. I seemed to have hit a nerve.

Even though I had been writing and otherwise expressing my opinions out loud for many years, I had never before had this kind of a colossal reaction to my words. People were outraged and thrilled. For better or worse, my story of going from a bullied, fat kid to a disillusioned (but popular!) thin woman struck a chord with them. In the process, I was brandishing the very thing that many of my peers were trying desperately to hide: my underbelly.

And by underbelly, I not only mean literally (significant weight loss often results in significant skin floppiness), but figuratively. What I was suddenly exposing was the yucky, often unspoken truth about how mean-spirited our society can be about size, a truth known only to those who – like me – jumped the fence and wound up in a sunnier spot than before.

I’ll tap it out, I thought! These days, that was how I handled the vast majority of my problems. Angst over environmental devastation? Shuffle on down to Christopher Street for a tap class! Grandma’s dying? Time to time step! When I shuffle-ball-change, nobody (including me) cares about anything besides whether my pleather tap shoes are making the right sounds at the right times. (And they often aren’t, but I digress.)

[image error]I was early to class, so I stood there wearing oversized, paint-splattered white overall shorts (tap-dance brought out the 80s in me), trying to pass the time, wondering why nobody else is ever early. I fingered my phone. “Don’t read the comments,” I said to myself, as I shuffled past the hundreds of messages that I’d respond to later, during my upcoming all-nighter that I was suddenly planning. “Need some goddamn coffee,” I whispered to no one.

Thumbing through these messages, one caught my eye, and I clicked on it. It was from one Allison Janice, an editor for Berkley Publishing – an imprint of Penguin Random House. I squinted, wondering if what I was reading was real: “…could be an interesting book… talk to your agent… would love to read a proposal… drop me a line…”

The backpack that had been casually draped over my shoulder, apparently half-unzipped, fell to the floor in a thud, and my scuffed up, vegan tap shoes noisily toppled out, causing me to jump. “Holy shit,” I said to my phone. “They want me to write a book. About me.”

Two years and one month later, my memoir,  Always Too Much and Never Enough, was born. (And I didn’t even get an episiotomy.)

The post It Started With an Article I Wrote, Which I Thought Was NBD. But Then, the Floodgates Opened… appeared first on Jasmin Singer.