Hi friends,
there are lots of new faces here – welcome! I’m so glad you’re here and you are right on time for this little newsletter to undergo some important changes.
tl; dr: I have set up a paying subscriber model for the Verve Letter. But don’t panic, read on to find out what this means for our relationship.
At the end of last year, I took four months off from writing this newsletter. I needed the time to make some changes in my life, and those changes needed some breathing room. Now I’m back, yay! I have quit my job and am on my second official week as a freelance podcast producer, author and journalist (work with me, dear German media people 🙏🏻 ).
When I started the Verve Letter in the spring of 2019, I had little to no strategy for it. It was just one of those side projects you try on for size. Now, as a freelancer, I can finally work on it outside of Sunday afternoons and dedicate more time and energy to it. So far, so good. But as the Verve Letter becomes part of my work-days, it also needs to earn its keep.
So, here’s what’s happening: I have set up a membership model on Substack, which means that some of my content will only be available for paying members from now on. For a monthly contribution of 5 Euros you will receive two personal essays per month. If you commit to a yearly membership, it is only 50 Euros for the entire year. It would be like you taking me out for a coffee once per month and I tell you what’s going on in my life. (You can also take me out for coffee in real life, and I’ll give you a subscription in return.)
The essays will center around mental health (I warned you, I will become that woman who quotes her therapist all the time!), life as single 30-something woman and other joys of modern life. Pieces like this or this. Subscribers will also be able to connect with me in the comment section and get access to the full archive of posts.
There will still be free posts for everyone to read, they will feature takes on feminist and cultural issues, interviews with women who stir shit up and – of course – plenty of pop culture pleasures. Like this or that. I am just not committing to a regular schedule for those (yet).
How to subscribe: Either open this newsletter in your browser by clicking on the header and following the “subscribe” button in the top right corner – or click here:
Funny coincidence: This e-mail will land in your inbox on my birthday, so in order to celebrate yet another trip around the sun, I am offering you 20% off a yearly subscription (offer valid for 7 days).
I am eternally grateful to everyone who considers subscribing and thereby supporting my work. I do understand, however, if another subscription is not in your budget. If you simply cannot afford it, but you would like to continue reading my personal posts, please drop me an e-mail. I’ll put you on the list, no questions asked.
Ok, now on to the fun stuff!
pop culture pleasures
The only things I have watched in January so far were Harry Potter – Return to Hogwarts and the first half of the new season of Queer Eye. Both are exceptional choices if you’re in the mood for an overdose of kindness or just need a good cry.
Brené Brown on Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail – do I need to say more?
I haven’t watched And Just Like That yet (because I’ve never really been into SATC), but after reading Lyz Lenz’ take on it, I might just give it a shot:
“In sum, we need women to buy into romantic partnerships so that they will become the social safety net that our leaders and politicians refuse to create. But here we have a new kind of narrative. One that’s harder, less heterosexual, more full of friendship, and frankly, more honest.”
I know that a lot of fellow Schitt’s Creek ultras are reading this. Have you caught Emily Hampshire aka Stevie on Jameela Jamil’s podcast yet? I also enjoyed the episode with Natalie Wynn, where they take an alarming deep dive into incel culture.
Speaking of, Alex McElroy suggests that toxic masculinity has (in part) taken a turn for “petulant vulnerability” and that’s a thought I hadn’t come across yet.
In their NYT essay, McElroy references Promising Young Woman, which I finally watched on Christmas and which blew my mind. The movie, McElroy writes, showcases “the horror of the “nice guy” whose sensitivity slides stealthily into misogyny and abuse.”
McElroy also brings up the Instagram account @beam_me_up_softboi, which you absolutely have to follow if you don’t already.
I loved Nicola Slawson’s essay about feeling more and more “behind” as time passes and you are not hitting those milestones that society regards desirable – and how to shift perspective.
🇩🇪 Mein liebstes Podcast-Duo, Giulia Becker und Chris Sommer war im “Danke, gut”-Podcast zu Gast. Die beiden haben über Introversion und viele weitere, wichtig Mental-Health-Themen gesprochen.
🇩🇪 Diese Jokes-Episode habe ich viel zu spät entdeckt, aber Maren Kroymann im Gespräch mit Till Reiners ist ganz großes Kino.
Last but not least, this video of Jennifer Garner trying to give her cat a bath is internet gold:
I hope you have a good week – I know it’s been January forever, so take good care of yourself.
Until next time,
Go Anna, this is amazing, I subscribed immediately, can't wait for your essays and everything else you will be creating this year. Happy birthday!