Jodi-Ann Burey w/ Sonora Jha at Seattle Public Library

In partnership with Seattle Public Library, Jodi-Ann Burey visits the Central Branch to discuss her new book Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work, alongside Sonora Jha.

Workplace dynamics in recent years have been a dizzying storm of broken promises. Companies that once encouraged employees to “come as you are” and bring your full, authentic self to work are now shutting down initiatives, part of an ongoing cycle of trading on our identities when it’s convenient and profitable.

Jodi-Ann Burey, writer and critic known for her TED Talk “The Myth of Bringing Your Full, Authentic Self to Work,” delves into the dangers of disclosure in environments that aren’t built for our well-being. With insights from pop culture , academic research, and interviews with other professionals of color, Burey argues that we deserve better than shallow ploys for representation.

Our physical and emotional health are at risk, and too much is sacrificed—for ourselves and for collective progress—when our full potential is blocked by racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism. Authentic is a powerful reckoning—and now is the time to reclaim our agency. Even at work.

Jodi-Ann Burey is a writer, critic, and sought-after speaker on race, culture, and health equity. Her essays appear in various arts, business, and literary publications. Jodi-Ann created and hosts the prose and poetry salon Lit Lounge: The People’s Art and the Black Cancer podcast. She was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica; lives in Seattle, Washington; and will always call New York City home.

Sonora Jha is the author of the novel The Laughter, the memoir How to Raise a Feminist Son and the novel Foreign. After a career as a journalist covering crime, politics, and culture in India and Singapore, she moved to the United States to earn a PhD in media and public affairs. Sonora’s op-eds, essays, and public appearances have been featured in the New York Times, on the BBC, in anthologies, and elsewhere. She is a professor of journalism and lives in Seattle.

Pre-order a copy of Authentic here.

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