Kristin Chenoweth, Beanie Feldstein, MJ Rodriguez & More Share Essays in New Book MY MOMENT

An inspirational collection of essays accompanied by striking black-and-white photography, MY MOMENT: 106 Women on Fighting for Themselves (Gallery Books; May 24, 2022) offers intimate and relatable reflections from Kristin Chenoweth, Kathy Najimy, Beanie Feldstein, Kelli O'Hara, MJ Rodriguez, Tonya Pinkins, Debra Messing, Gloria Steinem, and more.

On Monday, May 23 at 7 p.m. ET, Symphony Space (NYC - in-person + virtual) will host an evening of readings, music, and intimate conversation in celebration of MY MOMENT. Participants include Gloria Steinem, Kristin Chenoweth, Brooke Baldwin, Kathy Najimy, and many more.

TICKET LINK

A natural extension of the #MeToo movement, MY MOMENT reveals the interior experiences of women from grade school girls to octogenarians after they've inevitably been underestimated or hurt-the epiphany that the world is different than they thought it to be-and how they've used this knowledge to make change:

Kristin Chenoweth on speaking out about her chronic pain: "The injustice of it all finally began to take up more space inside of me than the fear did."

MJ Rodriguez on growing up in a society stacked against her: "You're not the one catching up with the world, the world needs to catch up with you."

Beanie Feldstein on winning her first big role on a summer camp stage: "I fought for myself. I fought for the work I had put in year after year. I fought for my growth."

Aisha Tyler on going toe-to-toe with a condescending professor: "I was angry...that somehow he had forced me to lose faith in my own ideas and my ability to defend them."

Joanna Gaines on how visiting New York City as a young woman helped her embrace her Korean heritage after enduring racist bullying: "Finally, I was seeing the beauty of being different and the thrill of being unique."

Cyndi Lauper on how her family and upbringing inspired "Girls Just Want to Have Fun": "As an artist, I thought that maybe I could do something and say something so loud that every girl would hear."

Maya Wiley on being attacked by the "cool" clique of white boys at school: "I started throwing down... Fight to win even when it looks like you can't possibly. Fight because they try to make you bow down when you won't. Fight because you must. They never touched me again."

Mary Trump on helping a New York Times reporter investigate Trump's financial history: "After that brilliant article was published a year later and eventually won the Pulitzer Prize... how did I make meaning of one of the most consequential actions I've ever taken?"

Meena Harris on boycotting grapes with her grandmother at age four to support Cesar Chavez: "Not all of us are activists... But all of us can do something. And when we come together? When each of us does our small part? Every single minute becomes a chance to change the world."

Olivia Troye on how 9/11 inspired her to speak publicly against Trump: "I reached the breaking point and quit... Like other patriots who had done so during the Trump administration, I found myself front and center with no safety net, with just my conscience and my integrity."

When told "no," these women said "yes" to themselves. Hailing from various professions (media, entertainment, academia, sports, etc.) and walks of life (race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, etc.), many essayists invited important women in their lives-a partner, sister, lifelong friend, co-entrepreneur-to photograph them for the book. This profoundly inspiring, beautiful book will move people of all ages and make them feel less alone in the fight for equality. More than the sum of its parts, MY MOMENT is an invigorating handbook for any woman making her way through the world.

Pre-order the book here!