Thread by @tressiemcphd

Thank you to everyone who has engaged with the Dolly essay! You, uh, shared it A Lot. 😘

Let's talk a little about the community that essay announced: essaying.

tressie.substack.com/p/essaying

If you ask me out for a good time, I will go along with most anything you want to do. I am a libra, after all. But if you ask me to show you a good time, I'll invite you to a ridiculous dinner with wild cocktails and soft chairs and hours of talking about life.

Basically, #essaying is my idea of showing you a good time. With a secret plan to ruin you for everything basic.

I mean, let's just ruin everything you love -- movies, tv, internetting, idols, hashtags -- everything. I promise it is fun to do it once you get the hang of it.

More seriously, there is a space for really serious writing, written very well, by people who don't have friends at elite MSM or secure academic jobs. We hope to help build a space for those writer-thinkers to find their audience. That's what founding members support.

I think here about @anthonyocampo's many discussions about wanting to write in and through scholarship. I think about the many people who have written to me over the years with similar yearnings. Other than going back to grad school, where can we support that kind of work?

When Anthony writes something like this essay on Filipinos for Trump? That's something the discourse needs and yet would rarely produce on its own.

colorlines.com/articles/i-wen…

When you tip with a subscription, you're basically bringing a hostess gift. When you pledge to be a founding member, you help us find a strategic partner for a fellowship that keeps Anthonys from going back to grad school to write the best thing of their lives.

When you sign up for free emails, you help us build an audience for smart stuff. No matter how you join our little public, I'd be grateful if you did.

tressie.substack.com/p/essaying

Now, I'm off to not eat bread. Definitely NOT going to eat bread.