The past couple of months have been a whirlwind for me. I’ve been having regular editorial consultations with folks to discuss newsletter strategy, work on book proposals, and be a writing accountability partner. I taught a Self-Edit workshop that I really love and am going to continue to expand: I’m offering it again on October 28. I got in the copyedits on my forthcoming book and am preparing to share the cover.

I talked with Miyoko Schinner, most recently the author of The Vegan Creamery, at the Baltimore Book Festival. It was an incredible conversation about how she sees much more power in writing cookbooks, in democratizing this knowledge, rather than running a big company selling vegan dairy products. “You can make a living, but you don’t need to make a killing,” she said, about the possibility in many small independent businesses using and building upon her recipes and techniques. The book itself is an astonishing achievement—seriously, the most mind-blowing focused vegan cookbook since Sweet + Salty: The Art of Vegan Chocolates, Truffles, Caramels, and More from Lagusta's Luscious—and they sent me two copies: If you’d like a chance to win one, members can comment on this post and I’ll make a random selection within a week.

And last night was the dinner at Seven Acre Dairy Company. I hope I have just as positive things to say about it in a few weeks.

I want to immediately let folks know that on Tuesday, October 21, at 11 a.m. EST, I’m convening a roundtable of experts to answer the question, “Is cookbook criticism possible?” Charlotte Druckman (Women on Food), Leslie Brenner (Cooks Without Borders), and Tim Mazurek (Lottie + Doof) will be in conversation with me moderating. Sign up and you’ll receive the video even if you can’t attend live. Members join free and will get the full video plus a text transcript within a month of the event. This is exciting!

I didn’t send a roundup in August, so I’m including the four pieces on the working writer life that I sent out then plus a lingering July post that was written in anticipation of the neighborhood becoming overrun when tourists were invited to attend Bad Bunny’s residency—indeed, that was what happened, a few weeks of unmoving crowds outside our door. Folks have been coming to me repeatedly to tell me one or the other was really useful, and I always appreciate demystifying what it’s like to do this job. It’s not always fun and definitely doesn’t always feel like a smashing success, but there are these nice bright spots that I have to remember to focus on, because the numbers always shake out well in the end even if I’m usually gritting my teeth week to week!