Catch your breath

What you can expect from Estranged for the rest of 2024.

Hello,

We have a few new subscribers. (Amazing!) Thank you to everyone for being here. I was going to publish a new essay this week but I decided instead to:

• preview what’s coming up over the next month

• review a couple of pieces you may have missed

• remind everyone (and myself) what Estranged aims to deliver to you each week

• And invite you to a party!

Let’s do it.

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Holiday Preview

I’m taking rather a long vacation, from December 23-January 18. Never fear though, because like the proverbial squirrel, I’ve been storing up posts for the winter.

During my time off, Estranged will feature THREE stories from three different Estranged readers. On December 18, I’ll share an interview I did with an anonymous reader about how she worked up the courage this year to tell her parents she’s not spending Christmas with them, how she thought through the decision, and how she talks to her child about it.

January 1st and 8th, I’ve got two first-person guest essays slated, both from Estranged readers who are also professional writers. One is about the unexpectedly positive effect the author’s parental estrangement has had on another close relationship. The other essay is a very personal family history. All three of these stories are beautiful and I can’t wait for you to read them. ¹

Estranged pieces to revisit

1. This one’s a cheat because I wrote it before I launched Estranged. But it’s probably my favorite essay I wrote in 2024. Click the image to read it.

2. My most popular post this year, ICYMI, go and read my interview with the extremely insightful writer Monica Cardenas:

Reminder: what you can expect from Estranged

I share that interview with Monica Cardenas not just because it’s a great read (which it is) but because our conversation captured so much of what sets Estranged apart from other writing on the topic. Namely, so much of the current cultural interest in estrangement revolves around determining whether people have a right to cut off relatives, and/or whether they are doing it “right.” But we don’t do that here.

Instead, the project of Estranged is to recognize relational rifts that have no clear path to repair. To make those broken relationship visible and also to “hold space” for the absence of a clear solution.

In this way, Estranged’s mission is extremely relevant to the painful conundrum we’re dealing with in the U.S., where we are all navigating a national political rift that has no clear path toward repair. Well, that’s not exactly true. The path is not particularly unclear, but a path is useless unless all parties are willing to walk it. In any case, it’s painful, it’s confusing, and a lot of the people who are struggling with this country-wide rift can learn something from those of us who have experience with parallel/analogous personal rifts.

I only started Estranged at the end of September, but I feel more committed to in the wake of the election than ever. I’m glad you’re with me on this journey.

And finally, a party

Please join me for a party celebrating the publication of my chapbook A Drop in the Dry Season. Please click here to RSVP so I can send you the Zoom link. The party is on December 17 at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET. I'll read a couple of poems from the book and some other work that inspired the book. Optional: you bring something to read as well! A poem by you! A poem by me! Let's celebrate the communal power of poetry.

1. By the way, if you have a first-person essay idea, pitch me. Estranged pays for original work.