Artist Profile: Rebekah Taussig + a Playlist
Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm
Image credit: Rebekah Taussig @sitting_pretty
We could talk with Rebekah Taussig all day long. The KC-based writer and teacher is thoughtful, warm, and introspective. In addition to having a doctorate in creative nonfiction and disability studies from The University of Kansas, Rebekah is a teacher, mother, writer, and advocate for those living with disabilities. She has been paralyzed since she was three years old and used her first wheelchair in first grade.
Rebekah lives in Strawberry Hill with her husband Micah and their toddler son, Otto. In August 2020, her first book was published, Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body. She has also written for Time Magazine, been featured on Cup of Jo, and runs the Instagram platform @sitting_pretty where she writes thoughtful essays on daily life. Read on to get to know Rebekah and the beautiful life she is creating.
‘Writing is how I navigate the world, how I understand myself.’
Image credit: Rebekah Taussig @sitting_pretty
First off, you wrote a book! Imagine telling your 10-year-old self that news...
Oh, I like that thought. You know, the book came out when everybody was sheltering in place. So in a strange way, it doesn’t feel quite as real. There was no bookstore reading, there was no release party. I've never seen a room full of people holding my book. What became more meaningful and real was seeing other people online hold my book.
What do you love about writing?
Writing is how I navigate the world, how I understand myself. I started writing poems when I was in elementary school. I would carry around a fat little notebook and write poems in the car, at the theater, in the park. And I still do that. In fact, right now I'm looking at a whole shelf of my journals.
What is the most challenging part of writing for you?
So many things. I often describe writing as being a wrestling match. The hardest part for me is finding the why. It just happened with something I wrote. I was noticing Otto interact with my wheelchair as a living organic extension of me, his mom. That intimacy is something I’ve never been able to share with another person. And that is the ‘why’ of that piece of writing. It’s hard to find.
How did you get your book deal?
100-percent my literary agent is the person to thank for that. She is amazing. Her name is Laura Lee Mattingly, she co-founded the literary agency Present Perfect. She found me and we talked through what a possible book would look like. Then she worked with me to create a pitch, which I'd never done before. She sent the pitch to editors at different publishing houses and they placed bids. We went with the one that felt right, Hilary Swanson. When I talked with her, I felt like there was something sort of magical happening.
What has the pandemic been like for you?
For our family, we were already in a strange stretch of time. The day after I submitted the final manuscript of my book, we found out I was pregnant. And then the following Tuesday, we found out that Micah had cancer. In some ways we've been so busy with having a baby and the book coming out and Micah’s cancer treatments, the busy-ness has spared us, as weird as that is. I often wonder about the version of us going through this without those all-consuming things.
How have you coped during this time?
One of our number-one coping methods is good food. Ordering takeout from our favorite local restaurants, we feel like we're supporting our people. We have a couple of places in Strawberry Hill that we like -- Sarah's on the Hill and The Mockingbird Lounge.
We used to go to the movies a lot. That was something we were missing, so I actually bought Micah a movie projector and we started coming up with themed movie months. We pick a movie a week to watch, all around the same theme. And then we make a snack that correlates with that movie.
‘When I really look at my life, where pride shows up is when I took a risk and went out on my own.’
Image credit: Rebekah Taussig @sitting_pretty
That’s brilliant. What’s a recent one you’ve done?
Let's see, one we watched was Clue. We made a snack with mustard sauce for Colonel Mustard. And we did cookies and milk for Mrs. White. Things like that. We don’t always pull it off, but we try. It’s something to look forward to.
What makes Kansas City home for you?
There are memories baked into this whole area for me. Micah and I can drive around and give each other tours of all those memories. Also, both of our families live here. Part of it is just knowing that we have people nearby. This year has been such a stretch for us. We’ve needed help at times and it was there. I left my dirty laundry on my porch the other day and my sister picked it up and did our laundry for us. Stuff like that is home to me. I also have this feeling when I drive down my street. I know my neighbors and there's that feeling of home.
Are you from Kansas City originally?
I’ve lived in different parts of Kansas my whole life. I was born in Manhattan, Kansas. We moved to Overland Park when I was in elementary school, and I went to Shawnee Mission South for high school. I lived in Westport for a while and also Shawnee. And now we live in Strawberry Hill.
That area is so charming. The view!
We adore it. We take Otto for walks right up to that edge and we get to look at the whole city with him. It means nothing to him yet, but it's like, ‘Look at our city, baby!’
Let’s talk old houses. Your house looks so lovely on Instagram. What do you like about living in an old house?
This house was built in 1895. It has survived so much. There's something really comforting about sleeping and working in a space that has held so many families. It feels sturdy in that way. It’s also Otto’s first house, the place he came home to. This house has been his universe in the pandemic.
The way you talk about disabilities is very real and relatable. How have things changed towards those with disabilities from when you were growing up to now?
There are two very clear game changers. One is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I was four years old when the ADA was passed in 1990. That is the most comprehensive piece of legislation. At its core, it says disabled people matter and we want them to be here. As legislation, it’s not always implemented, but it exists and gives disabled people something to hold on to.
Another game changer is social media. Obviously social media has destroyed humanity in some ways. But it’s been incredibly powerful in bringing marginalized communities together. It’s a space to find each other and connect. A lot of disabled people are born into communities that don't share their disability, so that built-in sense of community isn’t there. Once I found my disability community, I started seeing this part of my life in a whole new way.
I love the sweatshirt that you have that says ‘The Future is Accessible.’ What does that future look like to you?
What many people imagine for an accessible future is more interpreters and ramps and other physical things. And that's part of it. But to me, the physical tools are only evidence of something happening on a deeper level. I want to see a shift in how we look at people. I want us to create more flexible, adaptable, accommodating systems for all of the bodies living in our community. And I don’t mean only disabled people. A more accessible future is one that honors our complicated, changing bodies and tries to create structures that meet them where they're at.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
That’s a hard one. When I really look at my life, where pride shows up is when I took a risk and went out on my own. I wanted to live a life and I remember when I took my first baby steps into independence and living on my own. I was starting to figure out what I bring to the world. That was scary and intimidating, but I do feel like that was the beginning of my life.
‘I want to see a shift in how we look at people.’
Image credit: Rebekah Taussig @sitting_pretty
What’s the last book you read and loved?
I have to share them as a pair because I LOVED them both: Educated by Tara Westover and Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper. Both narrators did what I just talked about -- they lived in a small bubble until they stepped out and took in the whole wide world around them. Apparently, I'm really into that kind of story (laughs).
Your mantra.
I've sort of adapted the mantra that my grandmother used to repeat when I was growing up. She'd always say, ‘This too shall pass’ whenever we were up against something really hard. I've grown up hearing those words run through any hard stretch. But as I've gotten older, the light is hitting the words at a slightly different angle. Because the same can be true for those beautiful moments, too. ‘This too shall pass, and also this, and this, and this.’ It’s both a great relief and the greatest heartache.
Your theme song.
My theme song is ‘Mercy of the Fallen’ by Dar Williams. It's a song about wandering around through life and getting pretty lost along the way, and ultimately, letting go of having all or any of the answers. It's a song about leaning into the messy unknown of life, and it's been with me since I was a teenager.
A Fresh Abby Yemm playlist for you…
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