Ten years ago, musician Gaelynn Lea's life changed forever. She was catapulted into the national spotlight, began touring across the country and overseas, and eventually found a platform for advocacy.
In the new memoir It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect, Gaelynn Lea details her professional rise, the challenges along the way, and the opportunities born from it all. "I have a disability called Osteogenesis Impefecta which means imperfect," says Lea. "The title felt fitting for that reason." While touring and finding that the vast majority of venues are not outfitted to serve performers of all abilities, Lea, who uses a motorized wheelchair, began objecting. "I started playing on the floor a lot of times." After that, many venues began listening, building ramps, and making their spaces more accessible.
Lea's memoir shares jovial memories from her youth growing up in Duluth, embarrassing tales from the stage, and stories that highlight the energy and passion that she brings to her days; an energy that suggests she's just getting started. "Creativity itself can be found in a lot of different avenues," says Lea, "I just want to keep finding different ways to be creative."
It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect is available at a variety of local booksellers including Zenith Bookstore who is partnering with Zeitgeist Theatre for a book release. On April 14th at 7pm at Teatro Zuccone, Lea will be joined by Claire Kirch and Walt "Dizzo" Raschick for a conversation about the new book. The evening will also include music from Lea and a book signing. Tickets for the event are available online.
Minnesota Reads is produced at The North 103.3 with funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
