Not what, but who?
Also, it's not about you (even though you are devastatingly fascinating)
Aug 17, 2026
Learning, learning, learning. That’s kind of all we can hope for, right? Constant growth? And at the same time, it’s a l i t t l e bit exhausting.
Hey, it’s me, the cluster of reluctant brain cells who just want to chill in their old-school knowledge, thanks.
But. I’m learning how to engage a bit more (dipping a single toe) on socials. Posted this in Notes recently to wild acclaim (6 hearts)—and a reply from the op (original poster).
Here’s that newsletter, and here ↓ are some of the light-me-up ‘who’s:
💡Désirée Penner is a 100-watt bulb learning on all filaments: not only is she finishing up her master’s degree in social work, she’s also learning about rejection, and virality. We talked about her Instagram post featuring erasure poems (aka blackout poems) reaching over 250,000 views, among other topics, during our really lovely Imperfect Conversation.
💡Claire Ross Dunn is learning how to market her second novel, Lost in France, specifically trying to figure out how to do that with less mileage on her Kia, and more mileage from media. Since we developed a really great working relationship while I helped with the book’s digital marketing, she asked me climb over the gap and become her publicist as well. That learning curve looks like this:
The good news is that last one is inspired by this really informative Authors Publish presentation by Kindall Gant, Senior Publicist, which helped me to see the relationship between media and publicist as a generously collaborative one. I went from YIKES to YAY reading that transcript, and now have pages of ideas and plans for Lost in France publicity. I’ll let you know how that goes.
💡Claire’s partner Kirk Dunn is an illuminating torch in the remote corners where knitting, theatre, and theology intersect. 10/10 recommend signing up for his newsletter if even one of those topics interests you.
💡Wally, the guy who came to check our furnace, is also a bright light in our dark basement. How can you not love a guy who says, “I’m not going to stop talking the whole time I’m here, so buckle up!” Wally’s a big reader, particularly of RPG stories, which surprised both him and me as a genre.
May we all get too much older, lighting one another up and living long lives full of newsletters. And here’s a gift of three random shots from my camera roll.
Comments