a bit about Letters.
For 15 years, I’ve been writing for other people: CEOs, politicians, physicians, scientists. I’ve spent countless hours telling their stories, developing their messaging, ghostwriting their letters and speeches. In 2022, after sending out a communication to 15,000+ people on behalf of the head of a health system, I had a stark realization – this job had become extremely boring. What once brought me a sense of pride now left me feeling unfulfilled.
Before I began writing for everyone else, I kept a digital journal. I was 22, living in New York City trying to find a PR job in the middle of a recession. I could barely afford a bagel let alone a sparkly nightlife, and so I regularly spent evenings writing in my fifth-floor walkup, my bedroom bathed in the soft lights of the boats on the East River. The topics of my entries varied greatly, but one thing was consistent – each time I finished, I felt immense satisfaction.
I miss that feeling. I miss using my own voice. I miss creativity and intellectual freedom. I’m using Letters to take it all back and chronicle my life today, as a 37-year-old woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, professional.
bottom line
I’d love for you (and everyone you know) to subscribe to Letters. But I won’t lie - I have a lot of shit going on. You may not get an email with a new post every Wednesday morning at exactly 8:03.
But you will get a post and it will be real, raw, and probably relatable. If not, no worries - you’ll get another one the second I can crank it out!
My writing isn’t for everyone. My grammar isn’t perfect (but my spelling is) and I curse. I am not always PC. Some of my stories may make you wonder if I have ADHD - I do. I can be sarcastic. I love alliteration. I write from somewhere deep in my soul, so you can count on a myriad of emotions coming through.
Subscribe and you’ll get personal stories, essays, commentaries, some good old-fashioned shit talking… all dropped right into your inbox.
[full disclosure] I do NOT use an editor. That would defeat the entire purpose of Letters being real and raw as well as my original goal of writing to share my own stories and POVs. This is all Penny.
That concludes Orientation. Now tap that hot pink button below. I deliberately made it that color so you’d all see it and be drawn to it and want to click it.
click it!!
me
I’m a US-based writer living with my husband in the southeast, raising our baby girl and loyal mutts. I’ve previously worked for a major healthcare system, a health-focused NPO, a cause marketing and political consulting firm, and a major publishing house. My writing has been featured in newspapers across the country, healthcare and lifestyle magazines, academic journals, and multiple online platforms. I’ve received numerous creative awards for my writing and independently published works. Writing is my passion and Letters is where I harness the freedom to share whatever I want. Life unfiltered. No limits.
