Dana DuBois | I Write Out Loud

I’m back—from taking my daughter to college, and from my one-week hiatus. I missed you all and it was great to catch-up A special welcome to The Daily Whatever Show subscribers who joined during their free month trial to I Write Out Loud. It was so lovely to see your names pop-in and enjoy your contribution to the conversation.

“Nightswimming, remembering that night September’s coming soon I’m pining for the moon And what if there were two Side by side in orbit Around the fairest sun? That bright, tight forever drum Could not describe nightswimming You, I thought I knew you You, I cannot judge You, I thought you knew me This one laughing quietly underneath my breath Nightswimming” Thank you M. Layfield, Jeff, Sharon Barnes, BJ Roberts, Kathleen Blum324, and many others for tuning into my live video.

Turns out, taking my child to start college has taken a bigger emotional toll than expected—so much so that I forgot to schedule today’s Sunday Salon. My sincerest apologies. I’ll be back next week, promise. Till then, a quick hello from a lovely chaise lounge chair in the pool, just after the thunderstorm. Love you, mean it! I’m Dana DuBois, an essayist and GenX word nerd living in the Pacific Northwest — and founder of I Write Out Loud and co-host of The Daily Whatever Show.

When Zev Shalev texts and asks if you can join him on his show in three hours, always find a way to say yes—even if just for a few stolen minutes. It was such a joy to chat with Zev and Ellie Leonard, and such an honor to get to speak on the enduring legacy of Gloria Steinem, who passed yesterday at the age of 92.

It’s been one helluva week, Outlouders. I’m so glad to be able to decompress about it all with all of you. 💜 PS—My god, I look like a Cylon in that cover photo. Thank you Jess Odell, julie elder, Laura Tompkins, Rose, Diane Johnston, and many others for tuning in. Special thanks to my Founding Members—Laura Funk, Julie Roginsky, Amy Gabrielle, Linnea_at_large, Joyce J. Jordan, Pietra Shirley, Suzanne Whitaker Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Dana DuBois.

Gentle readers, it was an absolute honor to join The Rebel Crone (Shālah) for tea and conversation on her birthday. We had the lively discussion of our guilty pleasures. Enjoy—and thanks again, Shalah!! Thank you Ashleigh Alauren, Laura LeBleu, Donna Everett, NeuroDivergent Hodgepodge, Luca, and many others for tuning in. I’m Dana DuBois, an essayist and GenX word nerd living in the Pacific Northwest — and founder of I Write Out Loud and co-host of The Daily Whatever Show.

Dana DuBois | I Write Out Loud Storytelling at the intersection of relationships, parenting, and music--sometimes all at once. Storytelling at the intersection of relationships, parenting, and music--sometimes all at once.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash. Image by author. I wrote this essay the way I write many essays these days: dictating all my thoughts and feelings into Claude, the scattered diaspora of my brain on the go as I race from one obligation to another. I was running very late for my day job because I’d gotten sucked into testing the new Pangram AI tool Substack had recently integrated into its publishing tools.

Now I’ve faced down podcasting technical challenges before, but today was next level. At least Michelle Kinney and I got in some quality 1:1 time. Thank you Jason Gael, Peculiar Pages, Jai C Porter 🇨🇦, Stuart Cohen, Stephanie Munoz, and many others for tuning into my live video with Julie Roginsky, Michelle Kinney, and The Mayday Network! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Come for the story about taking my teens to a speed dating event. Stay for the two spontaneous essays I crafted in the past 24 hours, and my resolution to try a bit less regimen and a bit more unhinging for the next month. Let’s see what happens! My essays this week… Thank you Jason P. Odell 📷, Lana Jean Telles, Jason Gael, The Rebel Crone (Shālah), Cris Palomino, and many others for tuning in, and to Karen Marie Shelton for moderating.