Roots and Branches

the theory and practice of living a creative life.

Roots + Branches

Posts

  • On claiming my identity as a writer

    It’s time to claim yours, too I’ve been writing for 20ish years in some capacity or other: My first peer-reviewed article came out in 2007 or 2008, and it’s been pretty much nonstop since then, whether I’m writing journal articles, or my dissertation, or a book manuscript, a magazine feature, or this newsletter. But it…

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  • Easing back into writing: a guide for troubled times

    Start with five minutes, and build from there Use the code SOLSTICE for 50% off Bloom, or any of my other programs! Easing back into writing: simple tips for reconnecting with your work, a few minutes at a time In my last issue, I pointed out that this moment, uncertain and sometimes scary as it…

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  • It's time to bust out the good craft supplies

    And your biggest ideas I wasn’t planning to write a newsletter today. I’ve been looking for ways to grapple with the moment (who isn’t?!) and the answer came from a surprising place. I started thinking about a post I saw on Twitter (RIP) in 2020 during the height of COVID, where a crafter posted a…

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  • Enter the Scary Door

    The Pop Culture Reference I use to Reduce Writing + Life Anxiety For many years, my writing and all my professional work (and everything else) were deeply intertwined with anxiety. Left unchecked, my anxiety knows no bounds: every project, relationship, ache and pain, and minor inconvenience has the potential to become a full blown disaster…

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  • Information literacy is critical: Readings and resources to help

    Hi!A short newsletter this week highlighting a few announcements that I think you’d find helpful. First up: I published a guide for evaluating resources and sifting out misinformation in my food + history newsletter. This was a section I wrote in my next book, The Essential Preserving Handbook, but it felt important to share now:…

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