Hello there, I’m Kristine:
unexpected novelist, wife, and mother of three school-aged children I’ve been teaching at home since 2020 (which was so not the plan.) I write from an aging laptop in the margins of a life that grows busier by the day, learning anew how to carve out “a room of [my] own,” both literal and figurative.
(If you’d like, you can read a little more about me here.)
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”
How did I get here?
(You may be asking yourself.)
I’ll tell you how I’d answer that question:
One sunny afternoon on a long drive home to Tennessee through the rolling blue hills of Kentucky, I listened to Mary Oliver read her poem “I Happened to be Standing” and knew in every cell what I was meant to call this newsletter I hoped to start, though I didn’t know yet what it would become.
Scribbling drafts a few weeks later, I could only imagine having within me a monthly update with a few words and links pertinent to my life in the moment, some medium that might help me untether from other online spaces, while still staying connected to a community of readers, like you.
Instead, what I’ve come to find is a treasured place to feel the pulse of my writing life growing and sharpening amidst the otherwise ordinary day-to-day demands of homemaking and educating. And a deeper connection to others through writing than I’ve maybe ever experienced before.
What do I write about?
For years, I’ve been struggling with the finite culture of thumbs aching from scrolling through social media, like Instagram, where I spent years “microblogging” (after abandoning my real blog) about the earliest years of motherhood and then later about books, both reading and writing them.
I came here to write what comes to me when I happen to be standing just outside my door, with my notebook open, and listen with my pen in the air.
At the moment, that comes in the form of spontaneous essays, poems, short stories, and a monthly missive I call Air Mail with updates on my “currents” in the categories of: Living, Writing, Reading, Listening, Watching, and Enjoying.
You can find an example of my most recent Air Mail here:
You might be interested in this series on my five years as an unexpected novelist:
Why would you subscribe?
If you’re the sort of person who:
craves the feeling two people can share in conversation over cups of strong coffee or hot tea while sitting tucked into cozy chairs — or frosty pints while bellied up to a worn, wooden bar in dim lighting
doesn’t mind the occasional tangent or rabbit trail that I promise, I really do, will lead us to some point of significance
is curious about an unpublished novelist’s pursuit to find a place for her stories in the world
aches for a bit of meaning or magic in the mundane
wants to be reminded they’re not alone in the challenge of creating amongst the demands of life with little margin
loves finding new music, books, art, or perspective on even the smallest things
I hope this can be a point of connection for us.
How does this work?
Every post goes out entirely free to all subscribers, though my more personal essays may be quietly ushered behind a paywall a few weeks after they’re sent out, mostly to protect what is closest to my core.
You may notice I have paid subscriptions open, thanks to the gentle, generous nudges of a few readers who pledged contributions to my work long before I’d even produced much content. If you have the means and feel so led, your investment in my dreams is more than welcome but not required.
Writing, for me, is the cake and the icing; compensation is truly the cherry on top.
Whether you choose to stay or decide to go, I’m so glad you stopped by.
Until next time,
This is so creative. I am glad for the solidarity you shared over on Shawn’s post. ❤️
Hi Kristine! I read your comment over on Mika's thread and came here to read your work - really lovely, I subscribed! I think we have a lot in common creatively - I also hope to inspire the feeling of having tea with a friend, for my readers 😊 And... I've always wanted to see the Kentucky. Warm Regards from over at Cup Half Full!