january & the return of long form content
Leaving social media (?), turning 29, taking daily walks and establishing a writing practice.
welcome to whatever this is!
If I could multiply myself by 10 and stand in two rows, arms outstretched, for you to run through into the abyss of all my thoughts for the month, I would. I went back and forth on whether my thoughts were worthy of a monthly newsletter — what am I, a man with a podcast? — but after feeling a gaping hole form in my need to SHARE EVERY THOUGHT when I decided to take a break from instagram, I thought, what the hell. Here are a few reasons why we’re all here:
Leaving Instagram: for good? Unsure. But something about social media run by the billionaires who stood at the front row of Tr*mp’s inauguration feels sinister. One delicious Binchtopia episode described social media as an empty warehouse we all enter into and labor in for free every day. This plays in my mind every time they serve me 2 ads for every one organic post and I scroll and scroll and scroll anyway. This is not a commitment to never use instagram again, I am not a strong person when it comes to things that are fun. For now, I would just like to try something else.
Establishing a writing practice: I have been working on a writing project which means I am trying to write more consistently. As someone who did not go to school for writing and knows several lovely professional writers, I can often get self-conscious about my work. In this format I intend to write, lightly edit, and ship it off into the world to get into the process of sharing work without screaming and crying and throwing up about it.
Sharing pictures of my dog: It is selfish for me to sit on all the angelic photos of my dear june.
What to expect?
Nothing! Don’t expect anything from me! I intend to write one “newsletter-esque” post a month and if I’m feeling inspired, perhaps another topic-specific post. When I was born instead of a brain they gave me one of those 6-slot car cd players that rotate a bunch of different cds with fragments of looping thoughts burned onto them. So I often have a lot to say. For example, this is what my thoughts have sounded like this month:
Leave social media?
Not enough money, how get more money?
Tiktok ban 🙄 Inauguration 😡 Executive Orders 🤬
Crochet crochet crochet
bisexual? straight? lesbian? give up?
I could be on SNL
No I couldn’t
Morning walk = good
Are men necessary?
That’s not fair
But are they?
If any of these sentiments appeal to you, have I got a newsletter for you!
january highlight reel:
Reading
Blackouts by Justin Torres
If not, Winter by Sappho
Gifted to me by Brooke with this lovely letter to appeal to my logos:
“Here is one of my very favorite reads from 2024. To hold words from the 6th century BCE and feel somehow moved by and tied to the woman who sang them is strange, but incredibly moving. Our humanity lives everywhere! I know poetry does not always sing to you, but I thought Sappho might be a lovely entry into the poetic world.
I think most people are frustrated by poetry because they look at it as a puzzle. To solve, they must understand the meaning, or the intention of the artist. By here, so much of Sappho’s words were not preserved. The full context of her songs will never again be recovered…so as the reader, all we are left with are words and some phrases. This takes away the pressure of “understanding”
We get to taste each word, not with our intellect, but our intuition. Do these words feel good in my mouth? why?”
Listening to:
empathogen by Willow
Lucy Dacus’ new releases Ankles & Limerence
Podcasts:
old Binchtopia episodes
Up First (gotta get my liberal-coded news somewhere!)
Current creative projects
Granny Square Crochet scarf (for myself)
No pattern, just vibes.
Mohair knit bow balaclava (for Abby)
I haven’t started this yet and it will be my first time knitting with mohair so WE WILL SEE.
Notable Events:
I turned 29 and had a “witchy disco” where I made everyone write what haunted them in their 20s on scraps of paper we then read aloud and burned. I highly recommend letting go of the time you consecutively dated two different people who cycled across the country together when you were 20.
And that’s all for now!
Thank you for subscribing. Luv u all <3
Maddy