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Back in 2018, when I published as One Happy Blueberry, I created something new every day for Instagram.
A lot has changed since then. For one, I realized I loved words more than I loved hand lettering them. I also realized I wanted to take time to polish them in a way that daily publishing wouldn’t accommodate. So, in 2019, my pace changed.
I also began to publish on my website along with Instagram. And Facebook. And Twitter. And Medium.
In the beginning of 2020, I decided to figure out how to get my words in publications with real live editors. And I did. One thing I quickly learned is that as a consequence, I wouldn’t be able to also post identical copy on my own website.
Ever since, I’ve been playing around with how to think of this blog/newsletter/email/whathaveyou as a different beast. Recently I read Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being A Writer, and I feel inspired to play around a little more deliberately based on her advice.
This means, for a while at least, I’m committing to a regular publishing schedule (look for an email from me on the last Thursday of the month!) and a regular format (a reflection, new writing from me, a curated reading list, and something delightful). I’m very much open to feedback, so let me know what you think by commenting below or emailing me at emilypgerickson@gmail.com!
New From Me This Month:
- For a reflection on how places can help us conjure certain states of mind (and a pregnancy update), read my latest essay for Pregnancy After Loss Support, A Geography of Hope.
- For a Montessori- and Waldorf-inspired approach to taking post-pandemic reentry at your own pace, read my latest article (and first!) for WIRED, Here’s a Calendar Trick to Ease Post-Pandemic Reentry.
Your Curated Reading List:
- For help understanding why you might still be feeling emotionally crummy even though the pandemic is getting better in many ways, read Ed Yong‘s piece, What Happens When Americans Can Finally Exhale
- For a reminder that reentry wardrobe anxiety isn’t really about your clothes (Spoiler alert: it’s about diet culture), read Virginia Sole-Smith‘s piece, Post-Pandemic Wardrobe Anxiety Has Nothing to Do with Your Body.
- For an exploration of how unrealistic expectations and a lack of support lead to a culture of “combative mothering,” read Anna North‘s piece, The real reason American parents hate each other.
- For a delightful new picture book by Minnesota-based author-illustrator team David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka, with silly animals your kids will love and tips that will be useful for everyone in your family, read How To Apologize.
- For a multigenerational novel following the maternal line of two families — one Cuban, one Salvadorian — that’s somehow both beautifully lyric and a quick read, read Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia.
Something Delightful
Bookstore browsing is back, baby! In Before Times, when I’d had a hard day, my husband would suggest I head to our local bookstore to recharge. I’d scoot over to Moon Palace books and lose myself in rows and rows of books.
I love everything about bookstores. The colors. The smell. The way they’re organized. And, of course, the books themselves.
Exploring a mass of books reminds me of the world outside of my own head. I remember the world is filled with interesting ideas. I remember that people are fundamentally creative. I remember there is more of these things than I could ever take in in a single lifetime.
After time at a bookstore, I feel inspired, optimistic, and connected. I’ve missed this experience terribly over the past 15 months, when all of those feelings have been in short supply. I’m so grateful that vaccines, masks, and physical distancing make this activity acceptably low risk again!
Let’s Connect!
If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can find a shareable version online. You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You’re welcome to comment below (or by pressing the blue button in your email) — and you can always reach me at emilypgerickson@gmail.com.
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