Celebrating BODY NEUTRAL with my community.
Hi friend!
Last week I officially became a published author (eee!!) and I wanted to share some of the love for BODY NEUTRAL with y’all!
First of all, the book launch event went great.
Because supporting local businesses is so important to me, it felt really cool to collaborate with two local Asheville NC businesses for the event– All Bodies Movement & Wellness (a body positive gym owned by Betsy Archer), and Malaprops bookstore!
First, I got to give a talk about why this material is so important to me, how I developed my unique perspective on (and system for overcoming) body image issues, and how I hope this book will change the mainstream conversation around body image.
Then I did a reading from my book!
Because the event was hosted by a gym, I chose to read an excerpt from the FAQ appendix, about whether or not you can simultaneously pursue body neutrality and try to improve your physical health. (Spoiler alert: yes, definitely!)
After that we did a Q&A (with so many great questions!), and a book signing!
At first I was a bit nervous about signing books, because I’ve never had to sign anything before and I was worried my signature wasn’t very good lolll. But as soon as people started coming up to me with books to sign, I realized it was just a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded humans, and I loved it.
I met people IRL who I’d only ever connected with online, and took selfies. I heard stories from people about what my work means to them, and why they’re so grateful for this book. I got insider fist-bumps from fellow enbies (non-binary folks), and connected with a handful of therapists who want to bring body neutrality to the mental health world.
Some people bought multiple books, and told me who they were giving them to, or which office bookshelf they were going to place them on.
It was truly amazing, and I am unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to connect with my local community around my passion and purpose.
Now for the fun part– in honor of this major milestone, I want to do a little giveaway!*
*So here’s the deal: I want to send a copy of BODY NEUTRAL to five people from my email community who can’t otherwise afford it right now. (Please see disclaimer below - offer for email list only).
Because making this work accessible to everyone is a top value for me, I made the decision last year with my team at Penguin to publish this book in paperback, rather than hard-cover, so that the price is only $20, instead of over $30.
But I recognize that even with that decision, purchasing this book still isn’t in the budget for some folks, especially for those in marginalized bodies (fat, Black, transgender, etc.) who don’t have the same financial opportunities as folks in privileged bodies.
To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is hit reply and share why you want to read this book—why you believe this book will be powerful or important for you— as well as what country you’re in (for me to figure out shipping).
Priority will be given to folks in marginalized bodies and financial need (so feel free to mention that if it’s relevant and you feel comfortable sharing!) but anyone can enter.
Then I’ll choose five people by Friday, and reach out privately for the winners’ mailing addresses.
That’s it, y’all! Hope you have a beautiful week! Jessi
* Note: This giveaway was only available to those on my mailing list; click here to join my mailing list for opportunities like this in the future!
