This is the monthly roundup of what I’ve published. I’m also putting reminders here about forthcoming workshops and the last Desk Salon of 2025, happening November 4! On November 10, I’ll be officially revealing the cover of On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites, and I’m very, very excited about that.

On December 1, I’ll be announcing the 2026 Desk Book Club lineup—it’s a really interesting mix, including our first cookbook. I’ve also got a roundup of my favorite 2025 books forthcoming, which will serve as my gift guide for the year, and I can’t wait to tell you about what I eat in Copenhagen on my upcoming November trip. The end of the year here is stacked!

I’m continuing to paywall my essays (though, frankly, I find this painful and annoying) until I get to 2250 members. Folks who upgrade their subscriptions are all here for different reasons—some are active in the Discord, others love coming to the book club, many are simply supporting my work, lots of people dropped for economic reasons, some readers want food writing or reporting and others want the literary—and I pursue a balance that I hope satisfies everyone without burning me out on any one approach, because I like to do many things and also want to keep writing for other outlets, teaching, and writing books—and soon, launching a new food magazine to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to creating the media I want to see.

Folks can log in here to manage their subscriptions, whether you’d like to cancel (I hope not!) or update payment information. The promise of newsletters as a form of independent media that can sustain individual writers is one I recently discussed on KQED’s “The Forum,” and while I think many of us are in a moment of stagnant growth for broader economic reasons—millions in the U.S. will not receive their SNAP benefits for food assistance as of tomorrow; the wealth gap continues to widen; we’re in a housing and general affordability crisis—there’s still reason to hope that this form can support writers and journalists who otherwise wouldn’t find a home in mainstream media (and don’t otherwise have familial or spousal money to rely on, historically key to the writing life if you don’t have a staff or university job).

The creator economy is a site of labor both like and unlike any other. I recently read a Creator Spotlight piece discussing the three to four year life span of a digital creator—I obviously, as an essayist, have a different kind of life and career, but I’m going on six years of publishing this newsletter. “The Sopranos and Sex and the City both ran for six seasons,” is something I keep thinking when I consider this milestone. But I promise I won’t go dark. I do hope I make it to Paris. All it means is I’ve got to freshen things up.

When: Tuesday, December 2, 10 a.m. EST
Cost: On sale for $100 non-members; $75 members through October 31
$150; $125 starting November 1

In this update of my very popular 2024 workshop, I will discuss leaving Substack; how I have maintained an independent writer newsletter over more than five years; the shifting newsletter landscape; and how a newsletter can be foundational to culture work and a revenue stream while being extremely true to your voice and fit seamlessly into your life. I’ll discuss why I’m launching a new publication and how I’ve established my editorial voice, for this newsletter and beyond. (There is a gift certificate option for holiday presents…)

When: Tuesdays, from January 13 through February 10, 11 a.m. EST (2026)
Cost: $500 for non-members; $475 for members through November 5
$750; $725 starting November 6

This is an abbreviated version of a class I taught earlier this year in the Boston University gastronomy graduate program. We will discuss the history of the food essay and four specific types of essays: reported, personal, cultural criticism and/or opinion, and recipe. There will be readings for each week, discussion, and optional assignments. There is an add-on that will get you my edits and feedback on your essays. It’s a workshop for anyone who wants to learn how to turn their food research and obsessions into essays that are accessible to the public, as well as anyone who wants to confidently tell stories through food.

Select a time and date for a dedicated hour of conversation on any questions you have about editorial or newsletter strategy; book proposals; or creating a platform for your work as a writer that will be tantalizing to publishers (without losing your soul in the process). I’m also happy to look at and edit writing for these sessions. There is an option for ongoing conversation for anyone wanting to work on their writing or newsletters together over a longer period of time.

Cost: $250 for the initial hour for non-members; $175 for members
Ongoing sessions are $150; $105 for members

Catch up on past Salons through the YouTube channel—each description contains a link back to the full transcript, and all members have access to these and the full recordings. There were nine of these events so far this year, with one more coming on Tuesday, November 4, at 11 a.m. EST. I hope to see you there!