Interview: Anna Selle - Content Strategist at Planned Parenthood Great Plains
We like to take time to highlight women we see out in the world doing their part to make the world a little nicer. In this Real Nice Lady Spotlight, we’re talking to Anna Selle, Content Strategist at Planned Parenthood Great Plains, about the work they do to create space for others.
Job Title/Profession
Content Strategist at Planned Parenthood Great Plains
Favorite Drink?
Anything Ian Dobyns makes me at the bar at Il Lazzarone
Favorite Food?
Anything on the menu at Pirate's Bone
Karaoke Song?
"No Scrubs" by TLC
What song are you listening to on repeat right now?
"Cinnamon" by Hayley Williams
Female icon you would be for Halloween?
Kate McKinnon dressed as Jeff Sessions
Telling as little or as much as you want, how are you feeling these days
Incredibly overwhelmed! But empowered by the folks in Kansas City that are taking action for our neighbors, friends, and community members. We originally did this interview during Pride month, which is usually a time when I'm personally celebrating queerness and liberation. This year though, I've been refocusing my energy and getting back to the roots of what Pride is about: protesting a broken and dangerous political system.
Given the worldwide focus on police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, what is it like to celebrate Pride in this environment?
I think this year, we saw a lot of the community reclaiming what Pride originally was: an act of resistance against a system of oppression that devalues queer lives, Black lives, etc. I wrote a little bit about this for the Planned Parenthood Great Plains blog. Black liberation and queer liberation are inherently linked, and this year was the first time since I can remember celebrating Pride that this history has been widely talked about in public forums and shared by members of the community who have large spheres of influence. Pride festivals and parades can be a great way for people to feel connected to the community, but they're often corporate-sponsored, white-washed, and unsafe for our Trans siblings. I hope this energy continues as we fight for liberation.
What, if anything, are you enjoying about quarantine?
I've found myself with more spare time than I usually have, which has given me time to focus on areas of my life that I tend to neglect, including my mental health and wellness. I started therapy for the first time in several years and I’ve been focusing that work on being better for both myself and for others, especially for my community. My bookshelf is getting a lot more attention, and my elected officials are getting a lot more emails and calls.
What part(s) of your life during the pandemic have made you rethink your "normal" life?
With this extra time, I've been able to really think about intentionality and the parts of my daily routine that have the capacity to fill me with joy that I usually overlook. Things like playing music in the shower, getting a letter from a friend, or cooking a new recipe at home are the kinds of things that I look forward to the most these days, and those were things that I took for granted in the way I was living my life before. It’s also made me think about the way our whole culture is structured around work, and how we can liberate ourselves from that mindset.
What first attracted you to your current profession?
When I was growing up, I always said that I wanted to be "a writer," without any idea of what that profession really looks like and certainly not what it would look like in 2020. I find joy in the action of putting words together to create coherent and thoughtful phrases. As a content strategist, I get to write every day about something that I care a lot about: reproductive and sexual health care.
What media (literature, TV shows, movies, digital pieces, etc.) have you been consuming lately that you’ve found to be helpful to your racial justice work?
I spent a good part of the start of the year reading books that challenged the very imperialist and colonized version of history that I was taught: An African American and Latinx History of the United States, How to Be An Anti-Racist, Sister Outsider, How To Survive a Plague, etc. Recently, I've been reading more fiction from authors like Colson Whitehead and Haruki Murakami. A lot of my work is done on a laptop or phone, so reading has often been a way for me to connect more deeply with information in an environment that feels separate from my workday and away from a screen.
How did your education on reproductive and sexual health care growing up affect how you approach it in your position at Planned Parenthood Great Plains?
Personally, I had very little education on the topic. It was barely covered in school, and I didn't have access to a lot of resources outside of the classroom. It's so crazy to think about how in the ten years since I've graduated from high school, this information has become so much more accessible to students regardless of what their school is providing. When I think about the content we produce, I often think about the kinds of questions I had as a kid and the misinformation I received. I also think a lot about how we can approach these topics in a way that makes it feel more natural and normalized to have these conversations and ask these questions. I can't think of a single environment or instance growing up where I'd be comfortable talking to someone about a topic like masturbation or understanding desire and sexual orientation, but I hope that we can create resources that will make that easier and more comfortable for kids today.
Outside of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, you’re also a photographer and you founded HearQueer, a publication that highlights queer voices in the music industry. What attracted you to each of these avenues?
My mom is a photography teacher, so I grew up around photography. I got a point and shoot film camera for my seventh birthday and have been working on building that skill set ever since.
About HearQueer, I wanted to take a lot of the negative energy that I was feeling after the 2016 election and create something positive from it. The thing that made the most sense at the time was at the intersection of two communities where I personally felt most at home: the queer community and the music scene. I wanted this project to be an avenue to raise money for organizations doing work to support and protect queer lives, particularly Black and brown queer lives, while also highlighting and amplifying queer voices in music.
What is your creative process like?
Oh, it's messy. I think that's the best way to describe it. I read about creatives with really well stream-lined workflows and I feel so envious. I try to make a habit to keep track of ideas in the notes app on my phone since it's almost always on me or within reach. If there's a particular idea that I keep circling around in my head, I start to jot down notes on what the steps of the process would have to look like from start to finish, what materials I'd need, and what I'm trying to accomplish. Making creativity a daily habit has been important for me, especially in this period of social-distancing and isolation. I also tend to think of creativity as a really collaborative process, so a lot of the projects I've been working on lately are fairly dependent on other people, which has been particularly tricky but a great exercise in resourcefulness and reimagining my workflows.
What is your favorite thing about your industry? Your least favorite?
Which industry: health care, activism, nonprofit? I guess my answers would be the same regardless. My favorite thing is being part of an ecosystem where the goal is to create equitable and accessible opportunities for folx in my community. My least favorite thing is that we have to be doing this work in the first place, and the compromises we have to make along the way to keep progress moving forward.
What do you want for the future of your industry?
Short answer: universal health care and an end to our current era of late stage capitalism that creates the wealth disparities that make it nearly impossible to afford health care in the first place.
What advice would you give other women trying to succeed in your industry?
When you move up, help lift up the others around you along the way. We all need each other, and individual success is less meaningful without collective success. If you find yourself with access to power, ask yourself how you got there and how you can make sure other people get there, too.
What was a formative moment in your life that made you who you are?For me, the most formative process in my life has been coming out and embracing my queer identity. To be able to find joy and empowerment in that identity has allowed me to open up my own understanding of our social-cultural systems and question who they benefit and why they exist. My growth through this process has also given me the agency to think about what I want from my own life, my career, my relationships, etc. separate from social expectations, which is a liberating place to be.
When do you feel the strongest in your life? When do you feel the most vulnerable in your life?I feel the strongest when I'm standing in alignment and solidarity with other local leaders and activists. I feel the most vulnerable when I'm pushing myself to engage in new actions outside of my comfort zone, but that's also where I know that I do the most learning and make the most progress.
Alt answer: I feel the strongest when I know someone has a crush on me. I feel the most vulnerable when I have a crush on someone.
What have you been doing to maintain your mental health since the pandemic hit?
Therapy through a virtual provider, creating art with the resources I have access to, having at-home karaoke and cheese plate nights with my roommate. Honestly, as someone who has experienced depression and anxiety since high school, this particular moment has allowed me to practice a lot of patience and grace with myself in a way that I haven't had time for in the past.
Who are five women that inspire you?
My mom Penny, my previous work wife Ellen Sheppard, my good friend Ada Brumback, my co-worker (and friend) Leslie Butsch, and the two women in my former "Office Gays" groupchat Tirthna and Carlie. Technically that's six, is that okay?