What is Letters on Being?

Letters on Being is a weekly newsletter about health, happiness, and life’s little nuances. I hope reading it will feel both fresh and familiar. No matter what we’re talking about, it’ll be exactly what we need to hear. I say “we” because I want this to be a place of conversation and storytelling. I want it to be a campground where we gather around the fire and tell ghost stories in hushed voices. We’re all too complicated and largely irrelevant, but at least we’re here together. Let’s build our own island of misfit toys.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Yardena Schwersky. I could give you a multi-hyphenated list of things I do, but I think describing myself simply as a storyteller is more effective. No matter what I’m making, I’m always trying to weave a tale of some kind. But I also love listening because no story is ever really new. Like matter, stories cannot be created or destroyed. They shift shape, and we shift with them.

I was born and raised in central Florida, and all I ever wanted to do was leave. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world and experience different people and cultures. Every time I left, though, I missed home. Eventually, I came to the cliché but inevitable conclusion that I loved my hometown. And so, I returned to Pinellas County. Now, I work from my back porch, nestled in the beauty of Florida’s embrace.

Every weekend, you’ll get a letter on…well…being. Each one is a little different. They’re poems and stories and hopeful thoughts for the future. But they’re all true. And every letter is an invitation for a response. I want to know what you think.

Paying subscribers will also get access to our poetry club—The Sad Poets Society—where we discuss a new poem every month. It’s like a book club with a shorter time commitment. Bring your own snacks. Subscriptions are $5/month or $50/per year.

Thanks so much for being here,
Yardena

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like talking with an old friend under the stars at 2 a.m.

People

lover of stories // purveyor of words // creature of small movements