Dolly Parton passing this week had me on Spotify not only listening to her music but also that of Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn. And hearing their voices and lyrics has had me thinking about what I believe makes a song great—the storytelling within it.

I wasn’t planning on dedicating this week’s post to what you’re about to read, but a moment from last Sunday evening hasn’t been able to get out of my head. It keeps popping up, unbidden yet not unwelcome. So, I do what any writer does, when a topic continues to circle their brain: I get it out of my head and onto a page.

Last week I gave us all a fieldtrip to go on. I’m back to tell you how mine went & the character I developed from it!

It’s time to get out of the house & get some character inspiration, all prompted by Gotham Writers’ Workshop Writing Fiction!

A follow-up to last week’s post on Classics recommendations. One rec per month of the year, and we’re finishing up here with July-December!

As promised in last week’s post, I’m back with Classic literature recommendations. I’ve picked one book for each month of the year, and I’ve got January-June right here for ya!

It’s trendy right now to read Classics—or is it?

A mid-year check-in on what new 2026 publications I’ve read so far. Some of these you may have heard of & some haven’t received much attention, yet.

We’re celebrating 250 years of America this weekend, which is a period of time that strikes me as significant yet still renders us a child in the general scheme of the world. Isn’t that a funny duality?

This blog post is a reminder—to myself, as much as it is for you, my friend—that the well of creativity may run dry every now and then, but it is never gone for good.

I just got back from being out of town on an East Coast roadtrip! Wanna hear about the names I wrote down in my Commonplace book following a wander around an old cemetery?

This week I learned of Professor Brucher’s passing at the end of May. He was my academic advisor and an important figure in my undergrad experience. It only feels appropriate to take a moment and share a few words of my gratitude to him.

In this age of AI, everyone’s making it known where they stand, and an official teaching—called an encyclical—from Pope Leo XIV was released at the end of May. It’s given me some writerly thoughts & reminders.

With summer basically upon us, everyone’s coming out with their “Summer Reading Guide” or “Summer Reading Menu,” which is all fine and good. What I’ve put together for y’all as one of those possible avenues is a Summer Reading Matrix!

I recently celebrated my birthday, and it had me thinking about what I was doing last year to celebrate. Spoiler: it may have involved cruising on the Rhine. Let me tell you about it!

The world has been full of movies based on books lately. Perhaps too full? Plus, I put together a quiz for you to test your movie knowledge!

I’m celebrating Mother’s Day on the blog by having Mother Nerd herself here to share some thoughts on a reading life.

Since I re-read one of my favorite books this month, my mind’s been circling back again and again to this idea: reading may just be the distinguishing factor on a person’s path to greatness. I’m hardly the first person to speculate about this, but I believe it’s important to keep the idea relevant. 

Today, I’m writing for the folks who want to be writing, know they have the time and energy, yet aren’t. For whatever reason(s), you are stuck staring at a blank Word document. You’re spending more time looking out the window wracking your brain for an idea than you are scribbling sentences. You may even be doomscrolling because you’re that discouraged or unmotivated.

While this week has been a good and productive one, two rejections hit my inbox on Tuesday, and that’s not exactly what I consider optimal. Or encouraging. Or any other positive word you might want to plug in. Yet, as much as it stinks that two of my pieces haven’t found homes in the magazines I submitted them to, I know it’s okay.