TN10: Alisa Kennedy Jones, Screenwriter, Author and TED Talk Alum

The backstory: “My jaw is actually wired shut from having been broken as a result of a really bad seizure in NYC. There was so much nerve damage, it’s almost impossible for me to smile in a pic. Photographers have a really tough time with me; it’s like trying to catch a decent shot of Sasquatch.”

Your Age: 53

Basic bio: Alisa Kennedy Jones, founder of THE EMPRESS (a kickass newsletter that’s all about making the perimenopause/menopause journey a little less hellish for women everywhere) is a multi-talented powerhouse. She’s a memoirist, blogger, and screenwriter whose work has appeared on NPR, TED, and in the Academy Award-nominated documentary CRIP CAMP, produced by Michelle and Barack Obama. 

Alisa is also a fierce advocate for disability rights, neurodiversity, mental health and epilepsy awareness. Her TED talk about late-onset epilepsy—and how it taught her the brain is uniquely wired for storytelling—completely transformed the perception of creativity, electricity, and the brain. 

Additionally, her debut bestseller, Gotham Girl Interrupted, made waves in the field of narrative medicine on a global scale.

Beyond the bio: I just pitched an article to The New Yorker about how Succession is essentially 30Rock for nihilists. David Remnick’s rejection was so sweet, I basically want to needlepoint it on a pillow.

What makes you a grown-ass lady?

I never panic anymore. I’ve seen a lot and I’m resourceful AF. If there’s a problem, I’m your red telephone.

Here’s her/their TueNight 10:

1. On the nightstand: On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen and Quietly Hostile by Sam Irby.

2. ‘80s crush: Oh, definitely Judd Nelson.

3. Current crush: Amanda F*ing Palmer

4. Latest fav find: I’m in love with this yoga noise machine that blocks out my family racket. We now own multiple, LOL.

5. First job: My first real job was at Tiffany & Co. in New York. I was probably the worst salesperson ever, but I could help you find anything.

6. Celebrating birthdays: What I really like to do is get all my friends together and do an impromptu half-blotto table read of a play. It is, hands down, the most fun thing—better than cake.

7. Is there anything you’d like a do-over for in life: Yes, one moment in Paris where I made the wrong decision. What an idiot, LOL. I wrote about it here. I just hope the multiverse is real and that somewhere out there is a do-over.

8. Who has influenced you the most and why: My mother and grandmother, because they both knew books and education would light me up. And they were fierce women.

9. Thing I miss: Super 8 movie cameras. Any real film cameras, actually. Also, The CBS Radio Mystery Theater; I used to listen to it as a kid and it just ignited my imagination. Oh, and my Olivetti manual typewriter. It’s on the East Coast right now and I’m homesick for it.

10. Looking forward to: The Empress Age book and connecting with more women who are curious and excited about this next bit of life.