The Em Dash #20
Hi Friend!
Thank you for letting me back into your inbox after I withdrew into the darkness took some much needed time away and then dove head first into some editing work (I swear I can swim).
Even though we’re in February now (Happy Black History Month!), I wanna talk about January.
Because like so many others, I had the best intentions for being “better” this year. That was going to look like:
actually emailing you every week,
putting (and keeping) boundaries around my working hours, and
doing this really awesome thing where I give away 30 free intro book coaching calls.
But then all the work I procrastinated on because “it’s the holidays; I deserve a break!” came knocking on my proverbial front door, and all the plans went out the window.
And now we’re six weeks into the new year and I’m finally doing the first thing on my list! So, hey there! Progress!
Here’s what else is going on:
🌱 I’m posting more on LinkedIn, so if you dabble in the world of social media’s professional older sister, give me a follow! (I promise my content barely qualifies as “professional” because 🤢.)
🌻 Unpolished Words continues to evolve! I’ve had the pleasure of working with mostly BIPOC women (plus some BIPOC men and allies), and I think my brand messaging has a lot to do with that—I’m getting who I’m asking for.
Even so, I’ve been feeling the itch to get louder and more expressive about the status quo I’m aiming to change: Publishing is white AF! My solution: Let’s add more color to the bookshelves.
I’ll talk more about this in upcoming Dash issues.
🤫 I’m prepping for my 30 free intro book coaching sessions event. (Sidenote: If you can think of a catchier name, share it, yeah?) More about this coming soon, too!
In the meantime, if you are a BIPOC or an ally (who has never worked with me) and you
have experienced something tough/traumatic/exciting in life that helped you learn something important and valuable,
want to write an impactful, inspirational, or transformative nonfiction book about it so you can help others,
have no clue if your idea is any fucking good, and
would love to figure out if you should write your book…
Get on the waitlist for a free intro book coaching session! You’ll be the first to find out when they’re available—yep, even before all my newsletter subscribers. 🤭 [EDIT: These sessions are available through April 30, 2024! Book a free session here.]
Okay, that’s enough for now. Time for me to get back to my other responsibilities. 🙃
Books by Black Authors I Adore
(you better be reading Black (and otherwise melanated) all year, though 😠)
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me - Jamison Shea (this is a duology with book 2 coming out this year!)
The City We Became - N.K. Jemison
Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi (this is a trilogy with book 3 coming out this year!)
We Should All Be Millionaires - Rachel Rodgers
Note: These are bookshop.org affiliate links.
Anti-Racists Publishers In Need of Support
Row House Publishing, Inc. They had a lot of funding pulled because of their support for Palestine, so they’re raising money to stay independent! Contribute to their GoFundMe here.
Fire & Honey Press. Nyasha Firnhaber wants to revolutionize publishing, and she needs funds to do it! (Ugh, capitalism.) Read about her mission and donate to her GoFundMe here.
Alrighty, Friend! Thanks for being here.
See ya next week! (Promise. 😉)
P.S. If you found this useful, forward it to a writing friend! They can subscribe and be part of the cool kids club, too. 😎
