Curious about starting a Substack?
I'm co-hosting a meetup next week with (and for) fellow newsletter writers.
Hello from a sunny enclave in South Austin, where I’ve been finishing up the last of a slew of freelancing stories and have been trying to process the dream I had about Substack the other night.
I was dreaming about finishing up my next zine, more specifically. Built around the theme of fabric, the second issue of The Feminist Kitchen zine will be headed to the printer in the next week and off to your mailboxes sometime in December.
In my dream, I was working on two issues at once, one about fabric and another about thread. That’s about all I can remember about it, but it was a reminder that our subconscious often reflects what happens in our conscious mind. After all, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in Canva these last few weeks working on this upcoming issue — my apologies for not getting more newsletters out this month, but I hope you all are looking forward to receiving your print zines next month.
Because I’ve heard from so many writers who are interested in starting their own newsletters, I have teamed up with two fellow Austin-based Substack writers to host a meetup on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at Mort Subite Belgian Beer Bar, 308 Congress Avenue, to talk about this platform and the new ways for writers to reach readers.
From 6 to 8 p.m., we’ll chat about writing and audience-development strategies, including why the newsletter format works for the kind of writing that I am drawn to sharing after more than 20 years in the newspaper industry.
One of my co-hosts, Kristi Koeter, worked with me at the Statesman and is now writing a Substack called Almost Sated about her relationship with food, body image and dieting. Another co-host, Jen Baxter, writes a newsletter for writers called The Skillful Scribbler.
The event is free, and you can RSVP here. Hope to see some of you there!
As always, I’m so grateful for your support of this project.
One last thing. Over this long holiday weekend, if you get a chance to read one story from this past year, I hope it’s this one.
The First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City was one of the highlights of my year. It’s a museum that rivals the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and it’s a heck of a lot closer to Texas.
As we contemplate the things we are grateful for this week, as well as the long-term effects of genocide and our personal and collective history around trauma and resiliency, I want to remember what I know about indigenous history and continue to challenge myself to keep learning more.
Until next week,
Addie