Here we are now, entertain us

What you want?

Hello! Welcome! How are you? How’s your Wednesday?

Today I want to ask you a question. Well, many questions. Paid subs - what do you want to see more of here? What do you like? What don’t you like? How can I keep you as a subscriber?

Currently, if you subscribe to Emily Writes Weekly you get the power of commenting, you get Friday Night Chats, you get my full writing back catalogue, you get 12 posts a month, and you get the warm glow of my immense gratitude as you’re the reason why I get to keep writing.

Shein, The Fat Spectrum and The Boots Theory

Some posts you wouldn’t have got access to lately if you’re not a paid sub is - my take on toxic takes including a well-known dude’s toxic take, behind the scenes book stuff, teeth stuff, fast fashion stuff…I reckon it’s worth signing up for. But let me know what it would take for you to sign up!

Toxic take bingo

And if you’re a paid sub - Let me know so I can Cater 2 U.

Last week, I did another free newsletter “workshop” where I answered questions about newsletter writing. I really want to support more women and NB folks to get into newsletter writing and get paid for their mahi. I know so many who give so so much to their community but can barely pay rent or ensure there’s food on the table. Yet their work is viewed and shared by millions. So, I’m excited to do what I can, see if it helps - and also - I’m excited myself to hear from voices that are routinely left out of mainstream media.

So anyway, I’m going to keep sharing great newsletters with you so you can follow and subscribe. I know you’ll love them as much as I do. I’ll remind you that the app makes it super easy to follow and subscribe to newsletters!

First up Nadine Anne Hura (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) (she/her pronouns) - one of my most favourite writers in Aotearoa. You may have read her breathtaking essays on The Spinoff, E-Tangata, Pantograph Punch, and Stuff.

• To my father, alone in Middlemore.

• Narrating the seasons of grief.

• Slowing the sun, holding back death

She also writes incredible feature pieces on climate change, mental health, and health inequalities:

Darkness and light: Stories of hope from whānau bereaved by suicide - When a loved one takes their own life, it can feel as if the system is stacked against the bereaved. But traditional ways of healing can coax whānau pani back to a place of light, writes Nadine Anne Hura

On the waka to carbon zero: Where have we come from, and where are we going? - The Climate Change Commission’s report is trying to stop our ship from sinking. Nadine Anne Hura goes in search of its whakapapa and a story to try to make sense of it.

Next up Kahukura (Ngāi Tahu, Te Ātiawa) (she/her pronouns) from More Than One Neurotype. Kahukura is a queer, ADHD/Autistic wahine Māori who has created incredible infographics about neurodivergency for some time now. This mahi helps everyone to better understand neurotypes and create a society that embraces all difference.

Kahukura also writes long-form - Autism isn’t an illness – it’s an identity.

And creates social stories for teachers and schools about neurodiversity.

She has a great Instagram and Facebook page. I’ve found her mahi so incredibly helpful to better understand neurodivergency, both mine and my Ham’s.

Lou Kelly RM (they/them) is incredible. Their mahi on LGBTTQIA+ inclusive and holistic birth education is so needed. Lou is a Registered Midwife working in Aotearoa, providing support and services to communities far and wide.

I am so very grateful for their advocacy in creating a better Aotearoa for us all. Their tireless championing of marginalised voices in birthing spaces is so important. Their Instagram page is just a wealth of resources and knowledge - all for free. So I’m glad we will soon have an opportunity to support them when they begin paid newsletters. They also run inclusive parenting and birth classes and have awesome zines and prints - including my fave: All Bodies Are Good Bodies.

I love what Lou has said in the opening to their newsletter: “I don’t know what this newsletter will give you, or me. I can tell you about some things I know as absolutes: the ability of humans to go on loving, despite; the ability of bodies to go on burning, despite (as per Carson, 2000); that the earth and her worms are more fragile than you or me know, or care; that to know another person’s bare beating heart is both joy and terror; that there are small wonders like the softness of bellies and the smell of rain on hot asphalt that will never stop bringing you peace.”

So there you are - three great newsletters to sign up to!

And here are some outside of Aotearoa newsletters I want to recommend as well:

Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith - Burnt Toast is a twice-a-week newsletter about how we navigate diet culture and fatphobia, especially through parenting. “I write Burnt Toast because I think we also need a place where to critique diet culture and combat fatphobia, without the continual compromise required by corporate media. Where I don’t have to worry that a sidebar ad for flat tummy tea will run alongside my explanation of why the ob*sity epidemic is over-hyped. A place where I can publish the stories I can’t tell in other outlets because they are too niche or aren’t newsy enough, but still matter deeply to people’s lives.”

"They Say 'Failure to Thrive' but Moms Hear 'Failure To Feed.'"

The Audacity by Roxane Gay - I mean, it’s Roxane Gay. What more is there to say? But as well as the incredible Roxane Gay, you get an essay or comic from an emerging writer and share a brief interview with them about their work. See below for a recent favourite -Fina

Who's Keeping Whom Safe?

What’s your favourite newsletter? Share it below so we can share the looooove.

And let me know what you want from me because I want to give it to you!

Arohanui, Em xx