July 2026 digest

This month began with my first-ever swim in the salty waters of the Great Salt Lake. It was about time, considering how obsessed I’ve become with her since we moved to the city named after it.

I then dragged my whole family to Minnesota for the start of my MFA program. Ten days of conversations, workshops, and lectures. Yes, I’m tired, but I left inspired and full of ideas.

It did make me re-face that ever-persistent feeling of imposter syndrome. (Does this ever go away as a writer? Or a mother? Or anything else for that matter?) I think I may have found my uncomfortable thing for the year?

I bookended the month by running my first race since having my second baby. It was a 10K trail run in the Wasatch Mountains behind my home. It was brutal. I ended up walking most of it. But I did it with my sister, which made it worth it.

So many exciting new experiences and new beginnings packed into just a few weeks. I’m going into August feeling grateful, a little overwhelmed, and excited to see what’s next. How are you ending July?

⚽ World Cup fun things: Maybe it’s because my month was so packed that I didn’t follow the World Cup as closely as I usually do. Even so, I still carved out time to watch a few games, laugh at the funny quirks of the U.S. that visiting fans were discovering, join in on the Norway team hype, and learn a bit more about how climate change is affecting the tournament along the way.

📚 National lands are shrinking again: President Donald Trump has once again signed an executive order shrinking the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in southern Utah red rock country (my backyard), this time by almost 90%. It’s the largest rollback of protected land in American history. Honestly, I’m just so tired. But the fight for land that can’t protect itself must persist.

✍️ Is publishing about yourself a trap?: It’s no surprise, since a lot of my writing includes personal anecdotes, that I liked this post. It’s a thoughtful piece about the risks of personal writing, especially for women. It talks about how it can define you, limit you, and shape how your work is perceived. But this piece also highlights the value in it, and how it makes us feel less alone, too.

This month, I'm unpacking what boycotts can—and can't—accomplish, and whether they're still worth participating in even when the impact isn't always obvious.

Do you boycott?

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Jul 6

I was in college when news broke that Chick-fil-A’s leadership had come out against marriage equality. I grew up in Georgia, where there’s a Chick-fil-A on every corner. It was a top pick for my friends and me in high school. But when I saw that headline, something shifted. I thought:

I want my dollars to reflect my values. But I also know one person skipping their chicken biscuit isn't going to topple a billion-dollar corporation overnight. Do you boycott certain companies? If so, what helps you decide when it's worth it?

With my MFA program beginning this month, it felt like the perfect time to finally pick up A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf’s classic meditation on writing, independence, and what women need in order to create.

Thanks for being here. If you know someone else who likes to ramble about parenting, would call themselves a treehugger, or loves a good book, forward them this newsletter so they can join us too.

Until next time, take care of yourself, your people, and the patch of earth around you.