Meet Nat Raum

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nat Raum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nat below.

Nat, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

My intersecting identities (queer, disabled, neurodivergent) are each an aspect of who I am that greatly informs the decisions I make, the way I act, and certainly the way I am perceived by others. In moments where I am, say, the only trans person in the room, I remember that I am in the room because of who I am. All of these intersections ultimately brought me to who I am today: a person that is highly capable, empathetic, and sees things from a diverse perspective. So when I feel out of place, I just have to remember that I am also very much in the right place, and that I’ve earned my place there.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m a multimedia artist, writer, and editor, which means that I am often wearing a variety of hats. I think something a lot of people don’t realize about marketing yourself as a creative, or a creative organization you founded, is that you also become a social media manager, a PR strategist, a copywriter…the list goes on. For some reason, I really took to that aspect of my creative career, and am very proud of both where I am creatively and where I am professionally. On that note, I just released my fourth full-length poetry collection, ‘this book will not save you,’ and watching the world respond to it has been really great.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Empathy: Being able to understand others’ actions is extremely important to me personally, particular with regards to conflict resolution. I think this is also what led me to start my publishing project, fifth wheel press—while I literally saw the world through the eyes of a marginalized person trying to publish their work, I also felt motivated to do something about it. Cultivating empathy starts with seeing things from someone else’s perspective, and continues with open conversations to really understand intent and move forward from a conflict or incident.

Communication: I’ve learned the most from times I’ve communicated poorly, to be honest. It’s always disappointing to have a misunderstanding with someone and realize after the fact that you weren’t clear about what you were saying. Now, I may be a bit of an overcommunicator at times, but if you’re working with other people in any capacity, being sure you’re on the same page matters!

Transparency: This goes hand in hand with communication—be honest about your challenges, questions, and concerns. It’s always better for a collaborator or client to encounter an obstacle up front than for it to come up later. This allows everyone more time to solve any potential problems that may come up.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I’m currently in year five of running a sole-proprietorship small press. Funding is always a challenge in independent publishing, but with book sales down, I am considering other ways of funding the press besides a for-profit model, and am currently in the very early stages of working to register as a 501(c)(3).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://natraum.com
• Instagram: @gr8earlofhell
• Twitter: @gr8earlofhell
• Other: substack newsletter: natraum.substack.com

Image Credits

Artist photo: V. Morales of Stitchmor