May I introduce

Three writers I love, and a special offer

Me with THE Robert Monson

Hello, friends!

If March has come in like a lion this year in Boston, it was a gentle sort of lion. Maybe a somewhat quiet and reticent lion, who knows he’s supposed to roar and prowl like the other lions, but has always preferred to go for rambling, contemplative walks and sketch what he sees in a little pocket journal.

I’ve been a bit busier than usual the past couple of weeks. I have been working several small jobs and gigs, some childcare/driving, some writing, and one, to my delight, my first ever paid graphic design job. (If you’re in the market for social media images, check out my Fiverr page!)

I had the opportunity recently to meet in person two of my favorite people and, incidentally, my favorite writers. And I also got to write a piece for another fave. All of those folks happen to have Substacks, too, which is one of the reason that I moved my own newsletter over here, to be able to more easily rave about them.

Robert Monson is a writer, scholar, and theologian whose Substack, Musings From a Broken Heart offers profound and gorgeous meditations on suffering and hope, both on a personal level and a societal one. He writes as a Black man learning to embrace softness, as a scholar of (Black) womanist theology, and as a fierce advocate for racial justice. He is also one of the most intuitive and skilled poets that I know. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I drop whatever I’m doing whenever I see a new post from Robert pop up.

Another amazing writer I got to meet recently is Rose J. Percy, whose Substack, A Gentle Landing has been a place of great peace for me. Rose is an amazing poet, a scholar in Religion currently studying at Boston University, and the host of the podcast “Dear Soft Black Woman.” I greatly appreciate her thoughts on gentleness and her fierce determination to forge a better path for herself and her readers, a path antithetical to the capitalist drive to commodify and push ourselves till we burn out. And her poetry is so beautiful — profound, proficient, and quietly powerful. The things she does with internal rhymes — whew.

A request: Well, more of an insistence: If you follow Robert and Rose because of my recommendation, please enter their space respectfully and with the willingness to listen, particularly if you are not familiar with some of their themes of womanist theology and racial justice. It’s not their job to argue with you or educate you, but if you pay attention I promise you will learn something. I certainly have.

Another great friend and writer I’d like to introduce to you is D.L. Mayfield, who writes the Substack God is My Special Interest, a space devoted to the intersection of late-diagnosed autism and growing up in high-control religious groups. D.L. is one of the best writers and thinkers I know, and one of the most generously vulnerable about their own experience. Their Substack is also a wonderful community where other late-diagnosed autistics (like myself!) can gather and connect.

I recently had the honor to write a piece for God is My Special Interest — a book review that morphed into a personal essay. It’s one of the most vulnerable pieces I’ve ever written, and I’m a little nervous to share it with you all, but also eager and excited to share more about my experience of looking back on my life with more information than I had then. I’d be honored if you’d read it! And while you’re there, subscribe and check out D.L.’s other offerings.

A Creative Review of Unmasking Autism

Last thing before I go: I host another Substack, the Finding Your Voice Writing Community for writers who are neurodivergent or mentally ill. Much of the content there is for paid subscribers, in order to protect writers’ privacy and support my work. But for the next five days, through March 15th, I’m offering a complimentary one-month upgrade to everyone who subscribes. This is a great opportunity to check out the community, share some writing if you want, and decide whether it’s the right place for you!

You can learn more about Finding Your Voice here:

What is the Finding Your Voice Substack?

Thanks so much for reading! I’m glad that you’re here.

In love and hope,
Jessica