I started my Substack exactly three years ago this month and I could think of no better way to mark the occasion than to do a little holiday meetup with some old friends who are also in the class of 2023ish.

The community of brilliant, generous, and kind writers I was lucky enough to stumble across in my first few months has enriched my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined when I started. I’m so grateful to Kimberly Warner, Adam Nathan, Nathan Slake, Susie Mawhinney, and Julie Gabrielli for all the wonderful conversations we’ve had in and outside the comments these past few years.

As you might have guessed, we solved all the world’s problems in our little chat this evening. We all managed to wear green for reasons none of us fully understand. And we all missed our friends Mr. Troy Ford, Eleanor Anstruther, and Chloe Hope who couldn’t make it because they insist on sleeping at a sensible hour.

If you’re a new, unknown writer just trying to figure out where you belong, I hope you’re lucky enough to find your people here. It makes all the difference.