We Need These Stories Always, But Especially Now

I’ve always been a dabbler, hesitant to commit and quick to quit. Kickboxing, knitting, dog training - you name it, I’ve probably tried and eventually dropped it. My most enduring love has been reading, but even that isn’t immune to my commitment-phobic tendencies

If I’m not quickly drawn into a story that makes me really feel something, it’s over. I’ll half-heartedly try to read a few pages before I go to bed (I’m asleep within minutes) or on the subway (suddenly that ad for the organic, farm-to-table dog food subscription service is very interesting; I don’t own a dog), but inevitably the partially-read book is doomed to live out it’s days in a remote corner of the basement.

Maybe you can relate.

Maybe you, too, have a book graveyard.

Or maybe you find yourself ping-ponging around the internet, skimming snippets that don’t make you feel much of anything at all.

Or maybe you’d love to sit down and read a thing. You really would. If only you had the time.

And yet, stories are essential. They have the power to blast us, at warp speed, into somebody else’s world (even when that world is utterly unfamiliar) and to chip away at our hardened opinions (those ones we call fact). We need these stories always, but especially now.

Maybe this resonates with you. If so, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m creating a monthly collection of very short fiction that’s themed around a particular topic, presented alongside other content that inspired the topic (news articles, essays, visual art, etc…), and delivered straight to inboxes in a simple, readable newsletter.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on an early iteration of my project, leave a comment below or email me at katulatheodora@gmail.com, and I’ll be in touch.

With gratitude,

Kat