Andy Boyd interviews creatives on the Art of Autism’s Podcast.
Episodes:
Andy Boyd interviews poet and painter Angela Weddle about growing up in New Orleans, her later-in-life autism diagnosis, and how drawing can be a form of stimming.
Hayley St. James (they/them) is a Boston-born, usually-New York-based playwright and performer, and a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College’s class of 2020. A non-binary lesbian on the autism spectrum, they are deeply passionate about seeing themselves and their communities represented truthfully in all media, theatre first and foremost. In their theatrical work, they strive to marry authentic representation with hyper-theatrical, surreal, meta, and occasionally horny twists. They also have a thing for imaginary friends, ghosts, aliens, and well-handled pop culture references.
Max Misling (they/them) is a British multi-media artist whose work is often playful and macabre at the same time. We discuss their background in Cornwall and how they incorporate folklore and mythology into their work. We also discuss the intersection of queerness and autism. You can find Max’s art on Instagram at max.misled_art and online at maxmisling.com.
Kambel Smith is an artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He works mainly in sculpture, creating large-scale recreations of buildings using common materials like cardboard and foamcore. His work has been exhibited widely, including recently at the Philadelphia International Airport.
J. Corey Buckner is a Chicago based playwright. He has been fortunate to develop work with The Jackalope Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, and The Writer’s Room at The New Colony. His play, Cross Roads: An Igbo Folktale was a finalist for the 2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. His sketch comedy and storytelling has been seen all over Chicago. J. Corey holds a BFA from Shenandoah Conservatory.
You can e-mail him at thejcoreybuckner@gmail.com for a copy of the play, or download it at his New Play Exchange page here:
newplayexchange.org/plays/408375/cr…s-igbo-folktale
Andy Boyd talks with Sarah Kurchak, author of the new book I Overcame My Autism and All I got Was this Lousy Anxiety Disorder. Sarah’s memoir is a welcome addition to the growing canon of works on autism written by autistics. It’s funny, nerdy, insightful, and moving, often on the same page. In this conversation we discuss diagnosis barriers, Ingmar Bergman, and Canadian indie rock.
Andy Boyd talks with Dave Osmundsen, a playwright currently studying at Arizona State University. Dave’s work has been seen and developed at the Kennedy Center, KCACTF Region 8, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, and others. In this conversation we discuss autistic representation in Jane Austen novels, fixating on musical theatre as a coping mechanism to deal with high school, and the importance of fully human portrayals of autistic people in theatre, fiction, and other media.
Andy Boyd talks with Tessa Jaskolski, an artist working in the field of wearable conceptual art. They talk about chronic illness, monsters, and the use of discomfort in art. You can find images of Tessa’s work at www.instagram.com/tessa.jaskolski/
Andy Boyd talks with singer-songwriter (and Tik Tok influencer) Cory Singer. They talk about the songwriting process, using social media to educate people about autism, and the challenges of social isolation, whether pandemic-related or not. You can find Cory’s music at www.corysingermusic.com
Andy Boyd talks with non-speaking poet and memoirist Emily Grodin. Emily is the co-author of the memoir I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust. We discussed facilitated communication, the role of books in Emily’s early life, and her message of autism acceptance.
You can find out more about Emily’s book at www.harpercollins.com/products/i-hav…32202242818082
Andy Boyd is a playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. He is a graduate of the playwriting MFA program at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Arizona School for the Arts. His plays have been produced, developed, or presented at IRT, Pipeline Theatre Company, The Gingold Group, Dixon Place, Roundabout Theatre, Epic Theatre Company, Out Loud Theatre, Naked Theatre Company, Contemporary Theatre of Rhode Island, and The Trunk Space. He is currently working on a series of 50 plays about the 50 U.S. states. His website is AndyJBoyd.com, and he can be reached atandyjamesboyd@gmail.com.