Roots and Branches

Finding the magic in a regular writing practice

Welcome to Roots and Branches, the new/old version of my newsletter where I talk, in part, about learning to value process as much as product.

And how focusing on process, and specifically on a joyful, sustainable, peaceful writing process that’s a refuge from the stresses of daily life, actually makes your writing better.

If you’ve followed my food newsletter for a while, you’ll recognize my approach, as Roots and Branches’ newsletter emerged initially as a section of that newsletter, which I started as a place to share insights that emerge both from my own writing life and from my work as a writing coach.

I decided to make this a completely separate, standalone newsletter because I felt like I was holding back with what I shared and how often: With a focus so different than the primary newsletter, I felt worried that my readers who came to me for writing on food, nature, and magic, might be confused why I’m suddenly talking about self-love and your writing as a revolutionary act, or how a house painting metaphor helped me move past being stuck as a writer.

For me, all these facets of myself are interconnected (for example, in thinking about food writing from a place of abundance), though you might find those interconnections appear differently for you. I hope that in separating out my writing newsletter from my food newsletter, I help all my readers more easily get more of what they want.

What can you expect here?

My work is part magic, part art, and part pure practical skill-building. You can expect all of these to show up when I talk about writing, because it’s how I write and how I help my clients structure their own writing practices.

I focus on building a sustainable and fun writing practice, primarily, though what I share applies to any creative practice.

The fun and sustainable parts are really important to me, because when we start to unpick the toxic threads of “what work is supposed to look like” from around our writing practice, and give ourselves permission to actually enjoy what we’re doing, it has ripple effects through our lives (it’s revolutionary! Truly. You are changing the world by telling it how you want to create).

We’re told over and over that real work has to be dull and a drag, so in order to take our own writing or whatever other creative work seriously, we start treating our writing that way, too.
After my PhD, I spent years trying to undo those narratives and habits for myself, and started out coaching fellow academics to do the same.

Now, I work with writers from so many wonderful backgrounds and focus areas: Whatever you write, what I share will help make your practice stronger, happier, and more playful. And that makes what you write better, too.

I’ll share practical skills and tips you can implement, like goal setting and setting boundaries, and I always want to hear what’s most helpful for you!

I’ll share the magic and wonder of writing: We’re talking the manifesting, spell-casting, world-changing kind of magic, but also the magic of just staring in awe at a great sentence you wrote (or read). Which is itself a kind of world-changing magic too.

I’ll share the ways my creativity connects with nature, with my activism, with my community, and what these can teach us about writing as process and building a writing practice as a process.

And I’ll share different ways we can work together, as they come up, so you can come write alongside me or build your dream writing practice with me.
Someday, this will include in-person writing retreats to go with the virtual retreats, coaching, and workshops I already offer. In the distant future, I want to pull all my dreams together: Food, magic, writing, art, nature, etc., and have very special retreats where we can just dive into all of it and the connections between them. Some day!

For now, this space is a space for writing, learning about writing, and sharing your thoughts, as you care to, about your writing process.

I’m so excited to go on a writing journey with you!

About me

I’m a multi-faceted, curious, always-exploring writer, like you, even though my path may not look the exact same as yours.

As a writer, I’ve written multiple books on food history and on libraries, including the award-winning Our Fermented Lives.
Currently, I’m under contract for two more books, both in the world of fermentation and food preservation, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

I also write articles, my two newsletters, and occasional other bits and bobs, though the writing miscellany I do these days is primarily focused on building up the content library for my writing coaching business and for my online food classes and events through Root (my food history + fermentation company).

I have a PhD in Library & Information Science from Florida State University, and a graduate certificate from the University of Iowa Center for the Book in book art and book history (among other things). I was in director-level leadership at a university museum after graduating, and in 2018 my life went entirely sideways with caregiving, but thankfully only after I’d left that toxic university job and moved on to bigger, brighter things.

I re-righted things slowly, first starting Root, then my coaching business, landing a few book contracts, and now enjoying a life where all these things come together to fill my days in some really fun, rich, and fulfilling ways.

Now, I live in both Atlanta, GA (most of the time for the moment) and Cork, Ireland (currently only a couple months a year, but that’s changing).
I love working with and traveling with folks on both continents, and if you’re in either area, I hope I’ll see you at an event or just at the local library or bookstore.

Happy writing!