JENNIFER'S MUSINGS

Plant trying to grow in the desert and a hand with a watering can trying to save it

Art & Climate Change

What Is An Artist’s Responsibility During Climate Change? I was inspired to write The Great Understanding after taking the class, “Climate Change, Fiction and Literature” taught by Professor Devin Zuber at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. I met Devin while spending time in Berkeley during the winter of 2019. When he learned of my passion for the intersections of the arts and sciences, he invited me to audit the course with his usual students, who are seminarians and doctoral candidates in religious studies. The book that had the most profound impact on me was “The Great Derangement” by … Read more

Vaccinated Improv!

It’s time to get back to theatre life!! I’m hosting improv parties at my unusually large Brooklyn apartment. This is inspired by the fact that I got the J&J vaccine a couple weeks ago. It did hit me hard at first – a few days of fever, aches, headache, etc. But I guess that was just my immune system STOMPING ALL OVER COVID! YES! Now I feel like superwoman – able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, rip off my mask and hug my friends!!! YES!!! And… play improv games! If you’re vaccinated and love improv, then you’re … Read more

Divine light breaking through storm clouds

Finding the Divine From a Hospital Bed

When I walked into the emergency room of New York Presbyterian on March 13, just as the COVID-19 epidemic was gaining steam in the US, I had a fever and felt awful, but I had no idea that I was in any serious danger. I stumbled into that ER more as a precaution than anything. I had nothing useful in my bag – no toothbrush, no book, no change of clothes – just my wallet, a half-empty water bottle, and a magazine I’d already read. And then: two weeks of hell. COVID-19 was hell. My mind couldn’t, wouldn’t grasp it … Read more

May 15: Strangeness

My recovery has slowed my adjustment to our new and strange strange strange world. So much changed while I was swimming in the deep, in the world of fevers and pain and IVs and needles and poisonous and sickening yet helpful drugs and severe isolation. I get a little healthier each day, and take a bit more information in, and now… right now every corner of the world is full of strangeness. I’ve lost my job, except not totally. What does this mean? People bring me groceries, because venturing out can leave me breathless. But that’s weird. Venturing out… I … Read more

In the Wee Hours

The storm hit. The wind sent dust and papers and cars spinning in its vortex. Hail pelted down, denting the ground, shattering windows; bullet-like, hail shot through buildings, until it lodged in the soft soft bodies of an animals or people, who were dying everywhere. The sound was deafening. A high-pitched wail, like a banshee or a screaming tornado siren in a beleaguered Midwestern farm town, rose above the cacophony of buses and trucks twisting and crashing into each other, rose above the roar of the trembling buildings shaking and collapsing into each other. The pressure of the storm pushed … Read more

I’m Not That Sick!

It’s Wednesday, March 11. I’m at home in my Brooklyn apartment. I don’t feel well. Nausea so intense I can’t even drink water. And a mild and uncertain fever that edges up to 101 before dropping down again. Stomach flu? Thursday night, March 12. It’s really late. I wake up parched. I make my way unsteadily to the kitchen. I get a glass of water. I turn to go back to bed… and have a split-second flash that I’m going to pass out. When I come to, I don’t know where I am. I feel around on the floor, trying … Read more

See”The Chaos Theory of Now” at Dream Up Festival!

In this intelligent and entertaining solo play, performer and science maven Jennifer Joy mashes up chaos theory with a Trump-voting farm wife, a liberal rural politician, a teen punk Antifa activist and more. Inspired in part by her own far-right Republican farm family, Jennifer reveals how we got to this point – and what’s next. Theatre for the New City’s Dream Up Festival: Sunday, Sept. 8 at 2:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9 at 6:30pm Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 9pm Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 pm Friday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 pm Saturday, Sept 14 at 5pm Sunday Sept. 15 at … Read more

“The Chaos Theory of Now” at Dream Up!

In this intelligent and entertaining solo play, performer and science maven Jennifer Joy mashes up chaos theory with a Trump-voting farm wife, a liberal rural politician, a teen punk Antifa activist and more. Inspired in part by her own far-right Republican farm family, Jennifer reveals how we got to this point – and what’s next. At Dream Up Festival: Sunday, Sept. 8 at 2:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9 at 6:30pm Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 9pm Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 pm Friday, Sept. 13 at 6:30 pm Saturday, Sept 14 at 5pm Sunday Sept. 15 at 5pm Theatre for the … Read more

Tix for July 19 6:30 Reading of TCTON

My reading is fast approaching! Deets: “The Chaos Theory of Now” Thursday, July 19   6:30 The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street. Tickets: https://m.ovationtix.com/pr/996334 Description: Nerdy performer Jennifer Joy mashes up chaos theory with evangelical Trump voters, punk rockers, and lesbian country singers, and more, in this solo show that uses the Butterfly Effect to explore alternate histories – and futures.

SciArt Magazine Interview

The very cool people at SciArt Center interviewed me for their magazine. Many thanks to them! Here’s the link: https://www.sciartcenter.org/jennifer-joy.html

“The Chaos Theory of Now” continues…

As many of you know, I’ve been working on a new solo show – I’m mashing up chaos theory with a Trump voter, an evangelical Christian, a closeted lesbian country singer and her antifa punk daughter to ask, “How did we get here???” Next up! Another reading of this play-in-progress, this time at Dixon Place: When: February 26, 7:30 pm Where: 161A Chrystie Street, NYC – in the Lounge Cost: Donations – we’ll pass the hat Details: More info.

NASA/Library of Congress Performances: Video!

The video from our NASA/Library of Congress gig is up already! We did 3 performances for this symposium on astrobiology and synthetic biology. The entire video includes all of the amazing scientists and researchers… if you just want to check out our performances, they are at: 1:07:50; 4:42:32; and 6:52:30. Enjoy!!  

October 2017 Staged Reading Series! “The Chaos Theory of Now”

I’m excited to announce the development of a new solo show! I’m mashing up chaos theory with Trump voters, punk rockers and lesbian country singers in a show that uses the Butterfly Effect (and more) to explore alternate histories – and futures. Dates: Fridays, 8pm, Oct 13, 20 & 27 Saturdays, 8pm, Oct 14 & 21 Sundays, 2pm, Oct 15, 22 & 29 Location: Wow Cafe Theatre, 59-61 E 4th St #4, New York, NY 10003. Buzzer #6 (The theatre is on the 4th floor)  

NASA and The Library of Congress have invited me…

…to perform at an upcoming Symposium on Astrobiology! This will be in DC at the Library of Congress, Sept 28, and it’s open to the public. See more on the even here. The invitation came from the NASA Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology, Dr. Luis Campos, who has seen my science-themed work in other venues. We are looking at doing 3 short performances during the day of presentations from MIT, Harvard and NASA on astrobiology and synthetic biology. We are especially looking at a couple of my podcasts for this -“I Am Life” and “Extinction/Recovery Voicestra”. Which means Benu, my brilliant … Read more

Queerly Single in a Chaotic Universe

So looking forward to the staged reading of my latest show, “Queerly Single in a Chaotic Universe” – I’m mashing up chaos theory, messing with Trump voters! Featuring characters such as a country singer, a punk rocker, and an astrobiologist – and more. Join us! Monday, July 10, Dixon Place – 161 Chrystie Street, NYC. 7:30.    http://dixonplace.org/performances/queerly-single-in-a-chaotic-universe/

Protect Endangered Species

Yesterday was Endangered Species Day. This is a great time to think about how humans have affected other life forms on this planet. In short: we have not been very good to them! Life has existed on this planet for 3.8 billion years, and in that time, there have been extinction periods. However, in all that time, scientists have found that there have been 5 major extinction periods. These were caused by global climate change, meteor or comet impacts, massive volcanic activity and other reasons. Today, however, humans have entered into the fray. Due to climate change, pollution, and the … Read more