Read 2023
My name is Rebekah. I am a Kansas City writer who lives in a very small, very old house with my fussy family of tenderhearted snugglers. I’ve spent most of my life immersed in the world of writing and reading—as a student, teacher, and human person—because I believe that words and stories matter. I am interested in the powerful connection between the cultural narratives we tell and the world we live in, from physical spaces and economic opportunities to social roles and interpersonal relationships.
I earned a PhD in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies from the University of Kansas, and I write personal essays that participate in the stories being told about disability, some of which are linked on this website. I also run an Instagram account, @sitting_pretty, where I regularly craft “mini-memoirs” that explore what it means to live in my particular (disabled, female) body. My memoir in essays, Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body is out now with HarperOne! The book is born from the most personal place, swaddled in academic knowledge, and shaped by the voice I’ve been honing online for years. It provides a nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most.
For more details on my educational and professional background, see my curriculum vitae.
For teaching resources, see my philosophy of teaching and sample syllabi.
I am represented by Laura Lee Mattingly at Present Perfect Literary Agency.
Past Events
Events in Partnership with City of New Haven's Office of Services for Persons with Disabilities. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
NEA Big Read Kick-Off
Join us on April 19th for the official kick off of our citywide reading revolution! NEA Big Read author, Rebekah Taussig and Executive Director of National Disability Rights Network Marlene Sallo will join us virtually for a keynote and conversation. Free copies of Sitting Pretty will be available for all attendees.
A Dive into Special Education
Kiomary Sotillo, Parent Consultant of the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center will lead on conversation on the current state of special education and her experience as a parent of children with disabilities.
Loving All of Me: A Conversation on Disability, Love & Dating
Join Lucy Gellman, Editor of the Arts Paper, Justin Farmer, City Councilor of Hamden’s 5th District, and Elaine Kolb, activist & musician in a conversation on disability, dating, and love. Listen in as these community leaders dive into their own love stories and romantic journeys.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution Screening
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, is a documentary film of a groundbreaking summer camp for teens with disabilities. This incredible film was executive produced in 2020 by Barack and Michelle Obama. A facilitated discussion will follow our film screening.
National Assistive Tech Day Celebration
Join us for presentations and interactive demos of assistive tech from our partners at United Cerebral Palsy of Eastern CT, New England Assistive Technology NEAT An Oak Hill Center, and EastConn. Sign up for Connecticut’s Bridging the Digital Divide Program – a program designed to help people with disabilities access and learn to use technology that will allow access to social connections, tele-health, their community and more.
Kulturally LIT Podcast x Sitting Pretty Book Discussion
Members of the Kulturally LIT Team & One City One Read Advisory Committee will use the themes of resilience, disability rights, and access in our NEA Big Read book as a springboard to discuss the disability justice movement.
An Evening with JJJJJerome Ellis
In Partnership with Yale Schwarzman Center
Don’t miss a special evening with JJJJJerome Ellis as he performs an original musical response to Rebekah Taussig’s Sitting Pretty: A View From My Resilient Ordinary Disabled Body.
Together We Rise: Resources and Disability Justice
Learn, connect and join others in advocating for the rights and resources of our neighbors with disabilities. Highlights include tabling from community partners who serve the disability community, the demonstration of a smart home, food trucks with accessible accommodations, speakers and conversations. Join us!
