Mommy's El Camino's 2nd Anniversary
Welcome to Mommy’s El Camino.
Happy 2 Year Anniversary to Us! When I say “us” I mean me and you, subscribers and readers of Mommy’s El Camino.
When I first conceived of a “newsletter” I was trying to channel my old tumblr. How it felt like a secret place, a void that I enjoyed throwing things into, a place to experiment with my own writing/process. My other intention with a newsletter was to share my processes around writing another book and the business of publishing, from my distinct location and vantage point.
So I started, on March 1, 2023, to create this space which I also envisioned as like being in the front seat of my favorite car, warmed by the sun, perhaps my inner thighs hugging an illegal beer, maybe yours, too, and we’re just laughing. Or crying. Or quiet, staring ahead at the horizon.
Since then, this space/newsletter/online zine has offered a number of things: we’ve had a long series of mini-interviews beginning with poet Jenny Sadre-Orafai, thoughts on rejection, old travelogues, Exit Interviews featuring two people who agree to discuss what happened in their relationship with one another, a sneak peek at a debut novel by LJ Pemberton (which has been longlisted for the 2025 Dublin Literary Award), lists of books, Process Notes, and the culmination of the current iteration of the mini-interviews series ended with Taleen Kali.
MEC left Substack in January 2024. We had several Front Seat Office Hours, a feature for paid subscribers that is essentially a friendly low-stakes co-working appointment over Zoom. We attempted to start ART TALKS but ran into problems with trying to negotiate the reality of the fucked-up world we find ourselves in and trying to juggle how to include folks we love who are also juggling intense life situations, and so we hope to get that going, maybe later this year? We paid writers for their Exit Interviews, and for their Process Notes. We’re hoping to start a revamped interview series this year.
Here’s the thing: as a “newsletter writer” I have to admit that I don’t pay attention to how many subscribers (of the 700) open up the newsletter, ever. I don’t pay attention to who doesn't update their credit card to pay for a subscription, and I don’t pay attention to who unsubscribes. I’ve created more posts that are not paywalled than are (though if you aren’t a paying subscriber, you will face a paywall in much of the archives). When I get paid by paid subscribers, I’m grateful, and when they renew their subscription, I’m surprised and grateful.
As a writer, I’ve always understood that I’m playing the long game. I’ve been publishing my creative work since I was in my early 20s. I’m 51 now. This project, a weekly ritual for me, allows me to send love notes into the ether, gives me a weekly deadline, and helps me think through my own processes enough to try to share them with others who might benefit from them.
I still have visions of MEC transforming into other media—yes, a little podcast (half-hour episodes are my preference!), IRL events, live interviews and talks. Last year I was largely preoccupied between July and December with my partner’s health—and today, I feel largely preoccupied with raising this adolescent living in my house and managing the ongoing turmoil in this country.
But I’m here. I want to hear from more of you. Are you someone who has art, or books, or something coming out and want to discuss your project? Let me know. Are you someone who has a connect for a free outdoor space where we can have an occasional event or meet-up in Los Angeles? Get in touch. Do you want to raise money for a mutual aid effort and can envision how Mommy’s El Camino can help? Tell me about it.
Thank you, Everyone, for clicking ‘open’ and reading, week after week, even the weeks when you have no capacity and just click ‘delete.’ Thanks for sticking around the El Camino, keeping it gassed and running. I appreciate you.
