We are not therapists, doctors, or medically licensed anythings - we're just your Slightly Dead friends, doing what we can do put the Fun in Functional Depression and help smash the stigma surrounding mental illness by getting real about what it's like to live with our own.
Here’s the thing. We might be cynical, depressive New Yorkers, but we do still believe in the fundamental truth Mister Rogers taught us: “Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary."
And yes, we know that all sounds lovely, but the reality is that it can feel weird, or cheesy, or paralyzing, or a whole variety of other uncomfortable things that keep people from talking about things that seem unmanageable, sad, and/or embarrassing.
Well, we’re over that.
Come hang out in our neighborhood! It can be kinda dark, but it’s a good time.
slightly dead pod is
Nikka Graff Lanzarone
Nikka is mostly an actress/singer/dancer-type-person. She is also active in the labor movement as a councilor of Actors' Equity Association, one of AEA's delegates to the New York Central Labor Council, and a core member of #FairWageOnstage. Nikka is married to a very nice veterinarian named Dan, is a crazy cat lady, and is attempting to become a plant person. Her special skills include dissociating, consuming insane amounts of Trader Joe's dried mango slices, crying before she begins a project, decorating and redecorating her apartment, and curating her Netflix queue so exactly only to rewatch Parks and Rec again.
Julienne Bilker
Julienne produces large scale events for a living and is already annoyed at herself for starting her bio with job stuff because work does not define us, people. Julienne has written for Chicagoist, Time Out Chicago, Backstage, and The Paper Machete. Her special skills include recounting past embarrassments in immaculate detail, leaving herself 5-7 minutes less time than she needs to get anywhere, eating massive amounts of ice cream in lieu of feeling feelings, and showing promise in various creative pursuits without following through for long due to paralyzing anxiety and fear of failure.
