Here we go!

Oh hello! Welcome to my blog! It feels very 2012 to just be starting a blog now, but I always like to jump on trends long after they've proven to be legit. :)

So, why a blog, you ask? Full disclosure, this blog is an assignment for a course I'm taking at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies in Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media because, well, I'm not super-adept at social media and digital stuff and I figure it's time to get with the times.

(GIF credit: Wix and GIPHY)

But, why this blog? A blog seemingly just about women authors? Good question, thank you for asking!

Short answer- I love to read, and I love to think/talk/write/text about reading and books. My love of fiction really intensified in the last few years (thank you, global pandemic), and it has become a constant and reliable source of joy, healthy distraction, relaxation, and--sounds cheesy, but it's true--growth. Through reading about people, places, times, and relationships similar to, but often vastly different from, my own, I truly believe I'm becoming a more empathetic and informed human. And I've increasingly focused my reading on women authors, particularly women with backgrounds different from my own (read: white, upper-middle class, North American), telling stories different than my lived experience.

I love reading and supporting women (and women-identified) authors because, frankly, men get enough airtime and publicity, and they shape our dominant cultural narratives. Lady writers deserve some love, and bring a ton to the table. And supporting BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, non-Western women writers--that's a no-brainer. As a privileged white lady, I feel I have a responsibility to learn about diverse lived experiences, and to amplify those voices.

(GIF credit: Wix and GIPHY)

So, that's my "origin story" for this blog.

What will you find here? I hope to share my latest reads, updates on book-related events and news, other insights from my reading life, and some other "life content" thrown in. I will not apologize for the gratuitous number of dog photos I will slip in, Nope.

If you've read this far, thank you and I hope you'll keep poppin' by!