The reality of saying yes to everything
Updates from May, including recent stories, links, a mood board, and freelance stats
This email is part of my Monthly Updates, which I send the first Friday of every month. It includes a little letter, my latest published stories, a mood board, and share-worthy links like what I’m reading and making. At the end, it also includes the freelance report for paid subscribers. This is where I share openly and candidly about the joys and challenges of being a freelance writer—such as how many stories I pitch, which publications accept my stories, how much money I make, what pitches got picked up, etc. Thanks for reading!
The Honolulu International Airport Priority Pass lounge does not have snacks, only soft drinks, which seems like a missed opportunity as there are so many yummy Hawaiian snacks. I’m sipping lemon iced tea out of a can and it’s adequate. My flight to Tokyo leaves soon, but I need a beat after the five-hour flight from Portland. Actually, I need a few beats to recover from the whole month of May, the busiest month of every year it seems. Last weekend was the first free weekend out of the five, and I spent it planting tomato, basil, and lettuce starts in our garden beds. I dug my fingers deep into the dirt, let out a huge exhale, and felt rooted for a moment, only to pack my bags again.
But first, to reflect on May: Some of our close friends got married in Lawrence, Kansas, so we got to spend time with Steve’s family in the same trip. Those friends had a joint bachelor/bachelorette party near Bend a few weeks before the wedding. We also went to the Kilby Block Party music festival for the second year in a row. Here’s what I wore. And finally, Steve’s dad stayed with us for a night. He brought biscuits and scones from his King Arthur bread baking workshop, and we grilled and took him on walks through the blooming neighborhood. Other highlights included snagging Goodnight Moon stamps, catching the parade during the St. Johns Bazaar, stuffing my face with the most insane fish tacos at cookbook club, and exceeding my income goals for the month. (I go into more detail on that in the freelance digest below.) Aside from feeling really tired from all the travel, I was energized by time with friends. I didn’t get nearly enough solo time or sleep, but it was worth it. And now here we go again.
Looking ahead, I’m off to Japan to meet up with my friend
. We’re hiking part of the Michinoku Coastal Trail (MCT) for nine days. I’m very excited for Japanese snacks, shopping, onsen time, ocean views, and catching up with a long-distance bestie. I’m going from one trip to another. This past week I was on the road with a filmmaker friend, and we chased a traveling sheep shearer to a bunch of farms in Oregon. We’re working on a short doc together, and I’ll tell you more about that in a future newsletter. But just know that it’s gonna be good!As I wrote in my OOO message, I hope you have a lovely few long weeks of daylight leading up to midsummer, one of my favorite times of year.
Taking advantage of as many rest breaks as I can, and hope you can too.
Latest Stories
After years of trying to find a home for it, I finally placed the story about sheep semen. It appears in the summer 2025 edition of LAINE, a magazine for knitters and fiber artists. The story features Oregon farmer and shepherdess Stéphanie Schiffgens as she tries to diversify the Gotland sheep breed in North America by importing genetics from Denmark. You can only read it if you pick up a copy, which is both the beauty and downside of print. But email me if you want to read the whole thing and I’ll send you pics.
For Field Mag, I wrote about an agri-tourist hotel in Québec called Farouche. It was the most lovely experience, even in the thick of winter.
And lastly, I collected stories from friends for this Backpacker story about seven really valid reasons to quit your hike and turn around.
Monthly Links
Reading: I’ve packed The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa, three haunting novellas that will be quick to read on the train and before bed. Back home, I’m working on Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. It’s taking me a while to get into it because the timelines are so jumbled, but otherwise, the plot is interesting. It follows a spy in a rural commune in France as she investigates shadowy figures.
Watching: I expected Friendship with Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd to be weird, but it was really, really weird. Maybe too weird? I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Finally watched Call Me By Your Name and now I know why my friend Lauren watches it every year. So dreamy, so romantic. And just finished Nosfuratu on the plane. I thought it was boring TBH. I needed more backstory on the count.
Listening: Can’t stop listening to Nourished by Time after seeing him live at Kilby
Making: As if I have time to sew! Some patchwork jeans are on my sewing wishlist. However, I did sneak in some time to bead this pebble necklace.
Testing: For Japan, I’m toting the Arc’teryx Granville 25 backpack and wearing the Keen Hoodzerra hiking sandals to test on the trail.
June Mood
