Under One Roof: Alice Woods' Mission to Make Manchester's Dance Scene Inclusive for All

Under One Roof is on a mission to democratize Manchester's dance music scene by creating an inclusive rave experience for everyone.

Founded by Alice Woods (founder and resident of of long running female-led Manchester techno party Meat Free and shesaid.so alumn), Under one Roof is designed as a safe, welcoming, and vibrant space, it caters specifically to adults with disabilities, alongside their friends, families, and carers, who are always welcome free of charge.

Over the past eight years, Under One Roof has fostered a community that not only invites disabled clubbers onto the dancefloor but also champions disabled DJs and performers, ensuring representation both in the booth and beyond.

How did the idea for Under One Roof come about?

It basically came about after a few years of running Meat Free, I'd felt so grateful for the new community I‘d found in Manchester through dance music (after having moved here on a whim from Belfast) that I wanted to find some way of giving back, by way of widening out the inclusive dancefloor that we'd worked hard to create through Meat Free.

I knew there were still so many people in the city that did not have access to the music scene, although at that stage I didn't know how or why I could reach them. I then saw online a party somewhere else in England that was for people with disabilities and it felt like a perfect thing to replicate here in Manchester so Under one Roof was created.

I was very lucky that from the get-go, local self-advocacy organisation Manchester People First were willing to work with me on it and have been an integral part of it ever since. I couldn't have done it without their help, and especially at the very start when I had zero experience or clue what I was doing! 

Can you share some of the key experiences and feedback you've received from disabled clubbers who have attended your events?

I had, like so many of us, always taken clubbing for granted - never really even considering wheelchair access to a space let alone the social environment. Under One Roof has been a continuous learning curve as well as a huge wake-up call - it has always shocked and saddened me when I hear that someone has never been to a club or dance music event before, and they may be in their 40s - especially as it's such a formative part if growing up for so many of us. 

Whilst it's amazing to be able to be part of this first clubbing experience for people - it does highlight a major problem in the scene too. That being said, it is truly such a special, fun and authentically joyous experience that I feel so lucky to be there, and the feedback I always get from DJs is that it's one of their favourite parties they have played - no phones on the dancefloor, no egos and the most enthusiastic and energetic crowd who dance from start to finish.

Photo Credit: Mia Nowells

What role do you see the Under One Roof community playing in the future of Manchester’s music and nightlife scene?

I hope more than anything, people with disabilities can feel more welcome and comfortable in more mainstream events and that Under One Roof can offer a stepping stone to that. I'm also striving to find ways to create a more cohesive network of events and organisations across the city (and beyond) so that people with disabilities can easily find accessible events and know where to look for that information - this is something I'm working on with ticketing outlet Skiddle, so keep your eyes peeled! 

What are your future plans for Under One Roof?

Honestly I'd love for it to have no need to exist, in an ideal world all electronic music spaces would be open, accessible, safe and welcoming to everyone. But in the short term, I am constantly on the lookout for more funding - to fund DJ workshops, and create more opportunities for our djs and dancers to enjoy and participate in the kinds of experiences that the rest of us take for granted.

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Next Under One Roof Event

Thursday 5th September w/ Aletha (The Warehouse Project) & The Fat Britney
1800 - 2100
YES, 38 Charles Street
Manchester
M17DB

https://skiddle.com/e/39320832 

Charly Schaller: DJing with Disability

While studying Philosophy at Cambridge, Charly Schaller discovered techno music during weekend trips to Berlin's techno clubs. This sparked a deep passion for techno and its harder subgenres and she soon played at venues like About Blank, Griessmühle, and Arena Club. In 2021, she released her first track on He.She.They, with a remix by Radio Slave, and launched an event series at Zurich's EXIL featuring artists like VTSS and DJ Spit and her music was released on labels like Second State, LAP, and DURCH.

In 2021, Charly became severely disabled due to complications from spine surgery. Now, she advocates for disabled DJs, promoting inclusivity and necessary accommodations in the music scene.

Can you briefly share your journey of becoming a DJ and how it all started for you?

Music has always been my thing, I grew up listening to classical music and in my youth had a great time discovering mainly the 60s, 70s and 80s, especially psychedelic rock and acts like the Beatles and Pink Floyd. I didn’t know too much about electronic music until I visited my friends in Berlin in my gap year after high school. We all went to Tresor as a group and in the morning when they went home, I went all by myself to Berghain, at the age of 18 in colorful clothes and with ginger braids and luckily got in. That was the first time I heard proper Techno and I was immediately in love. In this week I went to Berghain three times and my love for Techno was born.

After my gap year, I started a Philosophy degree at the University of Cambridge in England and while everyone else was doing internships at big companies in the school holidays, I went back to Berlin to go clubbing. It was both the music, but also the community, freedom and acceptance that I experienced in Berlin’s clubs that caught me. 

I think at some point, when I stood in a club, I looked at the DJ in front of me and thought: ‘This is what I want to spend my life doing’. I’ve always been a person who’s going for the things in life that I’m passionate about. So while still at Cambridge I first bought my first synthesizer, later CDJs and autodidactically taught myself the first production and DJing skills as I didn’t know any DJs at the time. After finishing my BA, I moved back to Berlin, worked different small jobs, and slowly improved my DJing skills until at the end of 2017, I was lucky that a friend who was a promoter at About Blank granted me an intro slot at his party. I’ve never been so nervous in my life and was shaking during the whole set, but it went great and I noticed that luckily my taste in music seemed to appealing for other people, too. I had never played in front of people before, so I had no idea how they would like my style. But after that, it slowly all took off, through more and more regular performances, becoming a promoter myself and finally allowed me to have a professional career.

How did your life change when you became severely disabled three years ago?

Everything changed for me. Due to severe scoliosis I had a surgery where two metal rods were inserted right and left of my spine. As a result, my back is completely stiff, I cannot bend it anymore. There were also major complication and after I woke up in extreme pain after the surgery, the pain never went away. Since then, I always have strong pain when standing and walking and can only stand and walk for a limited amount of time. Consequently, a lot of the things that I used to love doing, like hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding or simply strolling through a city aren’t possible anymore. The worst thing however is, what constant pain is doing to your mental wellbeing- it is extremely exhausting. Is is as though 50% of my thoughts are constantly occupied with pain, so my whole capacity is at 50%. It changes you, when you cannot simply walk down the street and enjoy the sunshine anymore.

What are some specific challenges you faced as a DJ after becoming disabled?

Unfortunately I faced many challenges. First and foremost, that standing for more than 30min is now extremely (!) painful for me. So in order to play with less pain I needed a chair with a backrest (The pain only goes away, if my back is not vertically burdened). Even though I asked my agency to tell the promoters about my condition, that chair was maybe provided 50% of the time and in most cases it was a barstool standing meters away from the booth. Even when a chair was provided, I could not play while sitting because the equipment would be far too high, so I had to take short rests during my set which makes mixing a lot trickier. 

Charly Schaller ft. Dani DeLion - Queen Of The Night [He.She.They.] Uploaded on YouTube May 5, 2021

If I had been already very successful and established, I probably could have requested the promoter to arrange everything so that playing seated would be possible. I will always remember for example Kyle Geiger playing a Berghain closing with a broken leg, and he will always be a hero and source of inspiration for me for this.

But as an upcoming DJ, you cannot really make such requests that cost extra money or require the whole set up to be changed before and after you play. How should this be possible when even changing the mixer is sometimes considered an annoying effort. And it is indeed an effort, which I know from being a promoter myself. But this really demonstrates that our scene is not inclusive for people with physical disabilities.

I’m sure that wheel chair users face the same problem that the DJ booths are far too high for them and to the reader: think about how often you’ve seen DJs in a wheel chair. So we really need to find a solution here. If people were generally aware of these special needs of people with disabilities, every club could possibly have a podium or second smaller booth. Sure, this involves effort and is costly and will lead to breaks between two DJ sets, but I think there is no question that inclusivity is more important than a neat transition between two sets. 

With my back being weak from the surgery, I was not allowed to carry anything so I needed the promoters help to carry my luggage. When sitting, I always needed a chair with a backrest. Without a backrest, I would be in strong pain. Unfortunately, many times, either my agency or the promoters forgot about communicating this clearly and I ended up stranded in situations with extreme pain.

Promoters would be confused why I left artist dinners directly after arriving or why the first thing I did after arriving at the airport was asking whether they could carry my luggage. When somebody is not informed, it is very uncomfortable for me when the first thing I need to talk about with them is my disability. I am now talking openly about it, but it is still something very private and it is uncomfortable being forced to open up to a total stranger without wanting to do so but out of necessity. It has meant over and over again brandmarking myself as somehow less than capable. So it was also hard that people, despite knowing about my condition, often couldn’t grasp its severity. I think this is because you don’t see it, not because they didn’t mean well, but still it hurt.

Furthermore, effective marketing became almost impossible: I felt ashamed to see myself DJing on videos, how stiff I looked. I used to dance a lot when playing and now, I looked stiff and potentially bored and unengaged to other people.

We all know how important video content is these days, perhaps the most important marketing material to increase ones reach.. High quality video content of DJs dancing ecstatically at gigs is perhaps the most important marketing material these days. But not only at gigs, recording yourself playing at Hör or doing streams is very relevant for social media. With releases sadly loosing importance it nowadays seems impossible to make a career without outstanding video content. But video content where the DJ is standing stiff as a stick will hardly go viral. On top of that, while I was trying to make peace with myself, I still got the advice from people from the music industry that I should dance more when playing so that the video content would look cooler, even though they knew about my condition. This really really hurt.

Additionally, networking is so so important and it often happens at events, in the backstage, behind the stage or in the smoking area and all while standing. So not being able to attend many events anymore, you quickly loose contact with the scene. At big productions like Time Warp for example, people stand for hours behind the stages and get to network there and there isn’t any seating at all, so unless you can stand for hours, you cannot go there. Even when there are seating areas, people still are usually all standing up and when sitting all by yourself you won’t meet anyone. I don’t want to speak for wheelchair users as I’m obviously not in their feet, but can imagine that it must be hard for them, too, to approach people they’ve only met once or twice in their life or never before in a dark and load environment. 

Due to the fusion of my spine, dancing is now very different, I cannot let my body move naturally to the music and again, however great the music, when you are in strong pain, dancing is only partly enjoyable. This was very sad for me as I absolutely loved dancing, but it also made me feel alienated from the people around me at parties.

​​Overall, I felt alienated from the whole scene. I still loved playing more than anything, but at gigs, I felt alone with my pain, I felt estranged from everyone surrounding me who didn’t realise how lucky they were to have the liberty to dance freely and without pain. So I didn’t see a way forward and thought the only option I had was to quit DJing and start a new life. This is why I stopped posting on social media and even left Berlin to pursue a different path in life.

What challenges have you faced in other situations e.g. navigating airports with your disability ID card, despite being able to walk?

At airports, for a long time I was unable to wait in the queues and needed help with carrying my luggage, but as I could still walk it didn’t feel right to use the disability service. What many people don’t know: You must use a wheelchair to use the service, even if you tell them that you can walk. When I tried to skip queues using my disability ID card. Multiple times I got shouted at, insulted and harassed and people didn’t let me pass despite me explaining I was in pain. Even if I had used the wheel chair service, the problem would have been that this service can be very slow in many countries and you might have to wait 1h for being picked up while my gig was within only a few hours. Generally, anything that involved long times of standing and walking became a challenge.

How did your management respond to your disability, and what impact did it have on your career?

I think that they meant well, but couldn’t really grasp the severity of my condition as it is not visible. InI believe anyone with an invisible (physical) disability faces this really big problem, that even though people mean well and they have good intentions, they fail to provide the support you really need. For example, people will be confused or wonder why you’re not constantly complaining about your pain if your pain is really that strong or why you still seem to have a good time. But obviously you get used to the pain and obviously you cannot send your life complaining whenever you’re standing or walking ;)

So again, I had people still advising me to dance more so that the video content would look cooler and I was also advised against communicating openly about my disability, which hurt. I believe that if it had been visually obvious that I had a disability, things would have been different. 

Overall, I would have wished more guidance and more help on navigating my disability. The only way how my career could have worked out is by being open about my disability, I think this applies for most disabled people and so having my management on my side with this and campaigning together for the inclusivity of disabled people would have been helpful. 

Why do you think the current discourse around diversity in the music scene lacks a focus on disability?

Nobody is talking about it, that’s a fact. But it’s not only the music scene but society in general that omits disability from the diversity discourse. When I applied to do an MBA in New York where I lived for half a year, there were many diversity scholarships, but having a disability was never part of the criteria that made one eligible to apply. Disability is not part of the mainstream discourse. 

And the fact that the special assistance that I requested could not be provided and all my other challenges show that it’s not on people’s (especially also promoters’) minds that some some people need special assistance in order to be able to play a gig. If disability was part of the diversity discourse, it would not be a new topic for people, that some DJs cannot stand behind the booth for their set and clubs would be equipped to accommodate this. 

How can people and organizations in the music industry better support disabled DJs?

Due to the problems  I mentioned that disabled DJs face with marketing and networking, I believe that some sort of affirmative action and special support would be effective and necessary to increase their visibility and balance their disadvantages. This is because for some of the problems other than providing special assistance, like networking, there doesn’t seem to be a straightforward solution. Just as it was and still is a topic that female DJs should be particularly supported- many promoters now check that they have female DJs on their line up- disabled DJs need to be supported in a similar way. If as a promoter, you know a disabled DJ, give them a preference when it comes to booking. Promoters, agents and managers would need to become active here. But I’m also just starting to campaign for disabled people so I don’t have the perfect solution in my hands. But acknowledging the problem is anyway the first step.

Promoters, regardless of how established and big, should have on their minds that some people need special assistance, e.g. cannot stand for the whole time of the set behind the booth or might need any other kind of help for their journey. When booking a DJ, promoters could actively ask whether any special assistance is necessary. This should be the industry standard. To this point, I still don’t grasp how so many promoters could simply forget about providing a chair for me, even though it should have been explicitly requested. 

Talk to everyone you know about this topic. If you work at a club, raise this topic at a team meeting, think about which restrictions disabled DJs might face and how you can accomodate them. If you are a manager or agent, take your artist seriously when they mention to you challenges that they face. Be proactive. 

With regards to marketing, I believe the only solution is to be open about the disability and have a team behind you supporting you with this. In my case, my community needs to know about my condition to understand that I’m not simply standing bored and unengaged behind the booth. 

What are your next steps?

I would love to connect with other disabled artists, talk to promoters, clubs, agents and managers and create awareness. But I am also just working on my comeback now, am looking for a new agency and management that will be happy to align with my mission. I hope they’re out there. 

I hope that at some point, any disabled DJ at any stage in their career will without question get the special assistance and accommodations they need, will be seen, heard and have the same chances of becoming successful as ablebodied DJs, as well as feel as an equal member of the music community. 

Connect with Charly Schaller

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Meet the women behind Recording Artists and Music Professionals With Disabilities (RAMPD)

RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) is a fast-growing coalition dedicated to making disability inclusion and access a reality in the mainstream music industry. It was founded in May of 2021 by award-winning recording artist and advocate Lachi after a public talk with the Recording Academy revealed a serious lack of visibility, access, and representation for disabled music creators and industry professionals. Covered in Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and the New York Times, RAMPD is a new force advancing disability culture to mainstream discussion, focusing on the competitiveness and unique voice disabled creators bring.

According to the CDC, over 36 million women in America have a disability, and YAI reports that a third of the LGBTQ+ community have some form of disability too. Run primarily by a diverse female-identifying leadership, RAMPD advocates for artists and professionals of all intersections.

Co-founded by violinist Gaelynn Lea, and other top talent, RAMPD is making its mark as the go-to place for mainstream discussion on inclusion for creative professionals who identify as disabled, deaf, neurodivergent, or having a rare disease or chronic illness.

shesaid.so was lucky enough to speak to some of the brilliant women behind the organization…

. . .

shesaid.so: So how did RAMPD first come about?

Lachi: “Hi, I’m Lachi, She/Her Black Girl Cornrows, and I identify as legally blind. In my photo I’m wearing a pink dress and holding a pink Glam Cane. As an EDM recording artist, I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, traveled the world for my art, and have had the pleasure to collaborate with the White House, GRAMMY’s, Kennedy Center, and perform on Netflix to advance disability culture and arristry.

“I founded RAMPD — along with co-founder Gaelynn Lea, and other amazing founding members — because, while I could find some support as a female artist and as a black artist, there was no such voice, platform and community for musicians with disabilities on a competitive level. With few role-models for young disabled artists to look up to, the cultural stigmas fueling the oppression and discrimination of disabled people will never break. It’s time for that to change. And it is music that has always mastered the needle at shaping culture.

“I’d like to pass the mic to my sisters to chime in. Thank you shesaid.so for highlighting the women here at RAMPD.”

Image: Lachi

shesaid.so: Can you tell us a few current initiatives or ways in which RAMPD amplifies disability culture and advocates for accessibility and inclusion in the music industry?

Andrea Jennings: “My name is Andrea Jennings, Secretary and Founding Member of RAMPD. I have an M.Mus in Music and Music Business and Entertainment Industries. I am a disability advocate and equity in entertainment strategist and founder of Shifting Creative Paradigms.

“I am so proud to be a part of the RAMPD family and coalition, purely focused on impacting real change and equitable opportunities in the music industry for music professionals who identify as having a disability. RAMPD amplifies disability culture in that we are changing the paradigm of how people with disabilities are viewed and portrayed in mainstream discussion, giving creative professionals a respectful platform to celebrate their unique voice and perspectives. At RAMPD, we elevate disability culture as a diverse collective and as individuals by empowering ourselves to use our authentic voices, music and artistry to affect change.”

Image: Andrea Jennings

shesaid.so: What are some ways that an artist or individual in the music industry can make steps in their own work to be more inclusive of artists or music professionals with disabilities?

Gaelynn Lea: “My name is Gaelynn Lea and I’m a violinist, songwriter and public speaker from Duluth, MN. I am also the Co-Founder and Vice President of RAMPD. Most recently, I was hired to compose and record the score for the Broadway production of Macbeth, directed by Sam Gold and starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga — this production opens in April 2022 at Longacre Theatre.

“Both disabled artists and allies can embrace accessibility in their own careers! For example, you can choose to only play at wheelchair-accessible venues, to make captions and/or ASL available at events whenever possible, and to embrace accessibility in social media by adding captioning and adding image descriptions to all your public posts. Even if you don’t require access yourself, these steps help to normalize accessibility in the music industry.

“The second way you can move the needle is to elevate Disability Culture in your own sphere of influence! Maybe that means doing shows with disabled artists or learning more about the music and activism coming out of the disability community. Or perhaps that means covering disabled artists in your music reporting or including them on your next playlist. Basically the goal is to make sure that disability is represented at every level in your work, from your employees to the artists you represent, all the way up to your Board Members! Increasing disability representation and visibility In the music industry is a key way that we will shape our culture to be more inclusive of disability as a form of diversity. We can all be part.”

Image: Gaelynn Lea

shesaid.so: Would you say you have seen positive progress in the industry since the beginnings of RAMPD and why/how?

Lisa Sniderman aka. Aoede: “I’m Lisa Sniderman, also known as Aoede, an award-winning San Francisco-based artist, playwright, author, filmmaker, disabled artist advocate, and have been battling a rare progressive muscle weakness disease for nearly 14 years while obsessively creating to heal. I use my arts and music to elevate and empower those with chronic illnesses. I’m a RAMPD founding professional member, and I serve on the Partnerships subcommittee. My recent release The Grieving Project, sets the stages of grief to music

“Yes, I’ve experienced first hand, tremendous positive progress in disability culture, inclusion and accessibility since RAMPD formed. Even before officially launching in January, RAMPD had already made big strides. The 2021 the inaugural New York WAVY Awards partnered with RAMPD to make their Music award show as inclusive and accessible as possible, for example, fully incorporating self-descriptions, servomg as a model for other award shows.

“RAMPD has been featured in Billboard, and Variety, New York Times, raising awareness for artists with disabilities and providing industry recognition and clout. As someone living with chronic illness, I’m encouraged by the progress we’ve made in just a few short months, to show that artists with disabilities deserve a seat at the table, on the stage, as presenters and performers, and behind the scenes.”

Image: Lisa Sniderman aka. Aoede

shesaid.so: What has been the feedback regarding the RAMPD movement from the community of those who have joined RAMPD, and from the greater music community?

Tabi: “I am Tabi, a singer-songwriter in New York City with Muscular Dystrophy. Having sold out shows in music halls, I’ve been featured on CNN’s “The Human Factor” discussing how singing helps my respiratory challenges. I am also co-chair of the RAMPD PR Committee where I have the pleasure of helping share with the world the multitude of things we are doing to amplify the disability music scene.

“I’ve heard so many wonderful comments about RAMPD from music lovers to music industry folks, saying we’re making a huge difference giving voice to those who’ve been under-represented. I’ve received great feedback on how we showcased our amazing talents at our launch event, the best virtual launch folks have ever seen. In addition, many have all been in agreement with me that when it comes to creativity such as expressing emotions and experiences, we (disabled musicians) do not have to try to tap into that, it is naturally part of us and therefore already part of our art. And they love that. People who can appreciate music in its truest form love that.”

Image: Tabi

shesaid.so: What are some of the major barriers and issues that organizations like RAMPD aim to counter or improve upon in the global music industry?

Eliza Hull: “I am Eliza Hull, a disabled musical artist from Castlemaine, Australia, and a member of RAMPD. I have a physical disability called ‘Charcot Marie Tooth Disorder.’ I recently won the Music Victoria’s Amplify award, am working on a new record produced by Pip Norman and Odette, and am off to SXSW in Austin, performing alongside Ruth Lyon and Lachi.

“The music industry is starting to shift, but there is so much more that needs to be done. I think there needs to be far more representation of disabled musicians on TV, on the radio and in magazines. I want emerging disabled artists to feel represented and know what’s possible. Larger music organizations and record labels need to enable more disabled musicians to have their music heard. As for physical barriers, stages and live music venues aren’t accessible which makes it hard for me to get onto the stage or into the venue. The time is now for change to happen so we can create a more inclusive industry.”

Image: Eliza Hull

shesaid.so: How can others get involved with or support RAMPD, either as individuals or organizations?

Precious Perez: “My name is Precious Perez, and I am a blind Puerto Rican singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music educator, and childrens author. I am proud to be the Membership Chair of RAMPD, and I recently graduated with a double bachelors in performance and music ED from Berklee College of Music.

“We encourage both allies and individuals with disabilities to get involved with this groundbreaking cultural movement. We have a community of over 400 plus members already. Anyone is welcome to join as a community member and sign up to receive updates on news and events, at any time on RAMPD.org. Organizations can get involved by partnering with RAMPD through a brand partnership, sponsoring a RAMPD event, or making a tax-deductible donation to the movement at RAMPD.org, so that we may continue to grow and fulfill our mission of making the music industry diverse, inclusive and accessible.”

Image: Precious Perez

shesaid.so: How has joining the RAMPD community been for you as a music professional who identifies as having a disability?

Molly Joyce: “I am Molly Joyce, a composer, performer and Professional RAMPD Member, who’s been described as one of the “most versatile, prolific and intriguing composers working under the vast new-music dome” by The Washington Post. RAMPD has provided an invaluable community and network to progress musicianship grounded in disability culture and aesthetics.”

Image: Molly Joyce

Maria Mucaria: “I am Maria Mucaria, a classical trained musician specializing in flutes and recorders. I also enjoy playing whistles, bodhrán and singing folk music from Celtic, Italian, and American cultures. Some of my accomplishments include touring North America and Europe as a musician, and teaching students in the US and UK. As a professional musician, I joined RAMPD to connect with a community of peers who understand being a professional musician and disability culture. Not only did I find a network of amazing musicians from all styles of music, I found a support system to celebrate disability.”

Image: Maria Mucaria

Neesa Sunar: “I’m Neesa Sunar, classical violist, singer/songwriter and licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) in New York State, which has empowered me in maintaining my own mental health condition. For over ten years, I was unable to play music because of my disability, but last year I began gaining strength to play. As a member of RAMPD, I have found a community of folks who understand my experiences, and I finally feel that I can develop my musical talent to share with the world.”

Image: Neesa Sunar

Mercedes Lysaker: “I’m Mercedes Lysaker, a classically trained cellist now devoted heart and soul to electric strings. I’m a Professional Member of RAMPD, rebuilding a career in music after brain injuries that totally rewired how I experience performing, creating, and teaching music. Seeing other disabled music professionals work with joy, purpose, and passion has made me less interested in hiding my identity as a disabled woman, and more interested in making music on my own terms — changing the field for the better.”

Image: Mercedes Lysaker

Anne Leighton: “I’m Anne Leighton, a music publicist, spoken word artist and songwriter. I’ve thrived, sustaining my career and growing and rebuilding it during the Pandemic. I’m part of RAMPD’s PR Committee. Joining RAMPD has helped me find my community and to not hide when I need help for things I can’t do on my own. This attitude gives me a better chance at getting the help I need.”

Image: Anne Leighton

Thanks so much to everyone for their contributions.

Find out more about RAMPD on the website

Read more about shesaid.so or become a member