The Hyphen by Emma Gannon

1. Little recap for new (and all) subscribers <3. In 2022—which feels like a long time ago now—I fired up this Substack newsletter and I put a paywall across all my posts. I needed my life to be smaller, more contained. I was extremely burnt out (and wrote a whole book about it). It wasn’t that I worked too hard, I love my job, the hours really don’t bother me, and I would never complain about a job I feel so LUCKY to do. It was that I suddenly felt way too exposed and visible.

words can help us heal + notes from the bone project

reminded me why it's so important to write, read and connect.

Hello! The Hyphen is a newsletter funded solely by its readers—these round-ups take hours and hours to compile! Thank you for keeping the lights on! If you enjoy reading it, why not upgrade to and you can access everything behind the paywalls and comment sections?

In the summer of 2024, I published a book called A Year of Nothing with excellent indie publisher The Pound Project. The books are sold through their website during a three-week campaign window and are beautiful limited edition items which makes the collaboration so special. I LOVE working with them, and always try and support every release they bring out.

The Hyphen is currently taking summer hours during August. This piece is pre-scheduled—and will be back online in September to reply to any comments :) My most recent book, A Creative Compass, did not land an American book deal.* This is not a sob story, I’ll be more than fine—*there is also a plot twist at the end of this piece—but it did prompt me to want to write about rejection, as it’s part of living a creative life. I think it’s important to share the highs and the lows.

Prospect Park on a trip to NYC—people-watching and reading Hi friends, I have a confession.

Hello! The Hyphen is a newsletter funded solely by its readers—these round-ups take hours and hours to compile! Thank you for keeping the lights on! If you enjoy reading it, why not upgrade to become a paid subscriber, and you can access everything behind the paywalls and comment sections? Greetings from New York. I can’t share too much yet but I’m here for a research and writing trip. It’s been such a fun week of solitude. I truly never get lonely in New York.

Editor’s Note: This weekend I spoke about my new book at Latitude Festival and stayed at a tranquil hideaway b&b Five Acre Barn in Suffolk, twenty-five minutes drive to the festival. We drove from London and stopped off in Aldeburgh and had a fish pie at The Lighthouse. We checked into the b&b, and enjoyed the little garden out the back of our room, filled with a wild cacophony of sounds, and spotted a grass snake.

very happy with my new @parisreview hat from vinted Hi all, soooo I’m looking to write some upcoming essays centred around people’s questions, and I’d love to know if you have any! I’d love to directly answer prompts inspired by you. What would you ask me if we met for a coffee? Maybe it’s about writing, traditional or self-publishing, creativity, money, memoir, Substack, lifestyle, travel, mental health — really ask me anything. The nosier the better tbh….