Jennifer Howard's Blog, page 2

May newsletter: analog intelligence

In which I celebrate the enduring power of the pencil: Because pencils are so straightforward, they’ve long been associated in my mind with the kind of focus that likes to elude me when I am working onscreen. When I need to revise a piece, I still like to print out the current draft and read... Continue reading »

February newsletter: Purple, green, and gold

Happy Mardi Gras, friends! Wherever you are, I hope the good times are rolling wherever you are. It’s a slow roll around here this year. My COVID luck finally ran out. The virus found me at last. Yesterday I felt like I’d been kicked in the head; today my battery’s at about 5 percent, and... Continue reading »

January newsletter: Making space

[Hi, readers! As of this month, I’m posting the full text of my newsletters here as well as on Substack. It’s free, and it’s the best way to keep up with me, with posts sent right to your inbox. Sign up now.] Welcome to mid-January, that time of year when fresh resolutions begin to buckle... Continue reading »

December newsletter: Routines vs. resolutions

For my last newsletter of 2022, I wrote about why I’m focusing on routines rather than resolutions, and how I’ll always be looking for the perfect notebook. Wishing you and yours a safe, focused, and happy New Year!

November newsletter: Platform fatigue

Am I leaving Twitter? Not yet. But I’m exploring other places to hang out online. “Musk’s takeover hasn’t driven me off the platform yet. But it has made me think harder about how I use it, and why—questions I’m carrying with me as I line up some possible alternatives. So many alternatives, so little time,... Continue reading »

October newsletter: Five little pumpkins

This month, I get a little nostalgic—but only a little—about some of my family’s old seasonal faves. Ooooooo went the wind and out went the light….  

September newsletter: Two wheels good

Happy (?) Banned Books Week! For my September newsletter, I wrote about book challenges (a big problem, and getting bigger) and carless living in this new empty-nest phase of my life.

New writing alert: me in the NYTBR

The New York Times Book Review asked me to review two new middle-grade novels that confront, in very different ways, the growing threat to kids’ freedom to read. This threat has been worrying me a lot lately, so I was especially glad to get to write about these two books. Read the review.

How to survive the empty nest

We moved our youngest kid into his first-year college dorm this past weekend, and I wrote myself a starter survival guide.

June newsletter: Solstice, SCOTUS, and sea turtles

A week at the beach—and how I’m feeling about the news.