Our 13th Birthday Ask-Us-Anything is Tuesday March 8th!

Thirteen! It’s been thirteen years of Autostraddle! And almost as many years of our annual birthday AMA, where A+ members can ask the team all your most pressing questions. My thirteen-year-old self would be horrified at the number of things I share these days. When you were thirteen, were you all passing notes with “TOP SECRET” written on them, and special codes you shared with your best friend and locks on diaries? It felt like it was the Most Important thing to keep our truest selves clutched within our chests as tight as possible Well, unfortunately for past me, my thirteen-year-old self has no say in what current me can do on the internet with our one wild and precious life so here we are! Our 13th birthday Ask-Us-Anything is on March 8th and it is going to be some qualitfy fun, you all.

This AMA is a part of our upcoming 13th Birthday Member Drive which starts on Monday. Many folks don’t realize that less than 1% of our readers are members. Isn’t that wild? That’s less than 1% of our readers who are responsible for a SUPER CRITICAL part of our funding. If you can sign up for A+ (for just $4 a month or $30 a year), you’ll be a part of keeping Autostraddle here for everybody — and you’ll get to come to the AMA and ask us questions in the comment section, too! That, and you get access to a constantly expanding library of A+ bonus content. We keep most of everything we do free for everyone because we know we’re needed, but we do put some juicy extras behind the paywall to say thanks to our members. Look good to you? Every member makes a difference!

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AMA Schedule: It’s NOT Today…It’s Tuesday March 8, 8am PST – 6pm PST

Location: Autostraddle.com! In the comments! Look for the post!
Times in other zones: 11am – 9pm EST, 4pm – 2am UK time, WEDNESDAY 5am – 3pm in Wellington, NZ, WEDNESDAY 12am – 10am Singapore time!

Who’s Going to Be There?

Here [and gay] All Day:

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, Managing Editor's card. It says: Ask Me Anything! March 8 8AM - 6pm PST Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: film + TV!, relationships!, pitching writing (fiction, creative nonfiction, pop culture writing)!, food + drink! There are little images of a TV, a plate of food, and a typewriter. Kayla is a south asian woman wearing a white blazer and black tee with her wavy brown hair styled down around her shoulders. She is wearing large dark-framed glasses and smiling slightly.

Laneia, Director of Operations's graphic for Ask Me Anything!! This reads: March 8, 8am-12pm PST Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: 40+ stuff, being divorced, mom stuff but like, tired. There are icons of a cake with a 40 on it, two wedding rings, and a sandwich with vegetables used to make a face like you might do for a kid. Laneia ponders in the corner, her hand to her mouth. She is a white woman with bleached hair, no glasses, and tattoos. She is wearing some very fashionable printed pants, a wrist watch and a ring.

Nicole, A+ and Fundraising Director's Ask Me Anything!! It reads March 8, 8am - 6pm PST. Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: fundraising + membership, historical (?) facts from my fantasy novel research, senior dogs, writing?, growing vegetables (only), ghosts, house fixing stuff! There are several images on here including a ghost, a drawing of some european medieval guy fighting a skeleton, a photo of some beets, and a photo of a hammer. Nicole is a white genderqueer human wearing a black sweater. They have short bleached hair, shaved on the sides, tattoos and large clear glasses and are smiling at the viewer.

Here For a Whole Heaping Lot of the Day:

Carmen, Editor in Chief's Ask Me Anything!! graphic. It reads: March 8, 11am-6pm PST, Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: baking, tight budgeting on little money, being the cool, gay aunt, plays and broadway, grad school / academia (and getting out of it), queer celebrity gossip, Shonda Rhimes TV. There are images of a fancy strawberry topped cake, a jar of coins with a mint plant growing out of it, and an old style roto-dial phone. Carmen leans into the frame, smiling and holding up a peace sign. Carmen is a Black woman wearing a gray crop top sweater, jeans, a black and white patterned head wrap, small charm necklace, and glasses. She is grinning.

Riese, our CEO / CFO's graphic for Ask Me Anything!! Text reads March 8 11am-6pm PST Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: relationships, relevant quotes, breakups, death, mental illness / mental health, queer TV, queer hollywood history. Riese is on here, smiling. Riese is a white woman with blonde hair who is wearing a turquoise sleeveless tank and jean shorts.

Heather, Senior Writers’ graphic for Ask Me Anything!! Text reads: March 8 8am-3pm PST. Areas of expertise: being married, long-term relationships, and monogamy, queer TV/film, religious / deeply conservative family, literally any fantasy book with a woman lead, cats!, basically all nerd everything, boring grown up stuff like 401ks and saving money, having good credit, chronic illness, disability and Long Covid, and the WNBA! There is a photo of Heather’s cat, Dobby on this. Dobby is a black cat. There is also a photo of a basketball and a photo of a piggy bank. Heather is here wearing a Star Wars tee shrit and black-framed glasses. Heather is a white woman with blonde and gray hair. She is smiling slightly.

Here from 8am – 12pm PST:

Shelli Nicole’s Ask Me Anything!! Graphic. Text reads: March 8 8am-12pm PST, Autostraddle.com. Areas of Expertise: style, money stuff, movies, home decor! There are images of a post looking houseplant, a long orange coat, and a VHS tape. Shelli Nicole is a Black woman with a nose ring, earrings, tattoos, and curly black hair. She is wearing a tee shirt with text and birds on it and a couple gold chains, as well as some lip gloss and has very dewy skin. She is looking at the viewer.

Meg, Writer’s Ask Me Anything!! Graphic. Text reads: March 8 8am-12pm PST, Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: general witchery, divorce, tarot, bisexuality, running, interior design, candles, skincare, pets, and writing! There are images of the Strength tarot card, a pair of white sneakers, and a black cat in a cauldron. Meg is a white woman wearing a dark wash denim shirt. She has black hair streaked with gray and is smiling slightly.

Here from 11am – 3pm PST:

Casey the Lesbrarian’s Ask Me Anything Graphic. Text reads: March 8 11am-3pm Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: books and libraries, pregnancy and babies, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, bisexuality, longterm relationships. There are images of books, baby booties, and garlic on this. Casey is smiling on here. She is a white woman wearing a coat, scarf, headband and glasses. She has brown hair.

Natalie the writer’s Ask Me Anything!! Graphic. Text reads: March 8 11am-3pm PST Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: politics, cooking, sports, music, tv. There are images of a basketball and tennis ball, a TV, a radio, and a bowl of colorful stew on here! Natalie does not have a photo of herself.

Drew the writer’s Ask Me Anything!! Graphic. Text reads March 8 11am-3pm PST, Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: queer movies, Euphoria, Drag Race, dating and all things trans! Drew is a looking thoughtful with a hand to her chin. She is a white woman with long curly brown hair, black framed glasses and pink nails. She’s wearing a white tank top and light wash jeans.

Here from 2pm – 6pm PST:

Vanessa Community Editor’s Ask Me Anything!! Graphic. Text reads: March 8 2pm - 6pm PST Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: writing, fat girl clothes, being in love, grief / dead dad stuff, sex and anything fun, cooking! There are images of a soft boiled egg in a cup and pastry, a pink typewriter with a piece of paper coming out of it upon which is typed I love you, and a bouquet of flowers being presented by a disembodied hand off to the side. Vanessa is standing in green workout clothes and smiling. She is a white woman with brown hair, here shown in long pigtail braids on her shoulders. She has transparent pink glasses and is wearing an earth sign necklace and 90s style choker. Shehas blue nail polish.

Dani the writer’s Ask Me Anything graphic! Text reads: March 8 2pm - 6pm, Autostraddle.com. Areas of expertise: poetry, sex, dating and dating apps, pitching to publications. There are images of a quill pen in ink, a love letter with a lipstick kiss on it, and a large stack of books. Dani is wearing a yellow, fuzzy sweater. She is a Black woman with curly black hair, and clear glasses. She is wearing vivid green eyeshadow.

Em the writer’s Ask Me Anything Graphic. Text reads: March 8 2pm-6pm PST Autostraddle.com. Areas of Expertise: mental health (bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, or general wellness), muisc, fatness and fashion, navigating the healthcare system, religion and spirituality, making friendships as an adult. Em is a mixed race human leaning forward in their photo. Em has dark black hair and black wire fram glasses. They’re wearing a white tank top and wrist watch and a serious expression.

So what do you say?

Will we see you there?

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Nico

Nico Hall is a Team Writer for Autostraddle (formerly Autostraddle's A+ and Fundraising Director and For Them's Membership and Editorial Ops person.) They write nonfiction both creative — and the more straightforward variety, too, as well as fiction. They are currently at work on a secret longform project. Nico is also haunted. You can find them on Twitter and Instagram. Here's their website, too.

Nico has written 232 articles for us.

8 Comments

  1. I sleepily misread the bottom of Nicole’s graphic to say

    “ghosts;
    house fixing itself!”

    which were going to be some of the most exciting ghosts I’d ever heard of.

  2. I got about halfway through and though it was both odd and cool that there was both a ‘Natalie Writer’ and a ‘Drew Writer’ before I realized that was the position, not the last name. I need a nap.

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