Substack

2025 in Books: Debuts, Writing Stats & Year-End Musings

Perhaps some of you were expecting another debut novel highlight in this post, and I promise not to disappoint (more on this below). I started this Substack shortly after graduating from my MFA program to keep a community of readers and writers going. I found myself missing the discussions about what everyone was reading, and the challenge of reading books outside my norm. Before I went back to graduate school, I read a very specific genre of books, and now I explore a wide variety β€” I think it...

November Moments: Margaret Atwood, Kate Baer, and a 2026 Reading Preview

November was a very bookish month, which is how I hope all my months will be. It felt like every week I was at a reading or book launch, and some had big names in attendance. We started off strong with the launch of Kate Baer’s new book of poems titled How About Now. She kicked off her tour in conversation with Joanna Goddard, better known as Cup of Jo, in Brooklyn, where they discussed the themes of her poetry. This collection centers around ideas of motherhood, growing older, and, of course, b...