The Story Letter, June Edition
A podcast, a wait list, a wholesome conspiracy theory
My friends!
I miss you. I’ve been deep in edits on my upcoming memoir, The Secret Life of Your Third Grade Teacher. I keep reminding myself that
I am not yet the person who finishes this book. The writing of the book creates the person who finishes the book.
Writing memoir is a transformational act, for sure. I don’t think I understood just how much. More on that very soon.
AN INTERVIEW: I was on a podcast last week.
I got to join Mauricio Bruce for The Real Question to talk about storytelling - how it can connect us to each other and ourselves, help us understand the world, and shape our identities.
I’ve been teaching with Mau for several years now and I’m pretty much his biggest fan. You can hear us chat about storytelling (and make each other laugh) here:
“Storytelling and identity” is one of my top 3 conversation topics in the world. It goes
90’s technology and “we didn’t even have cell phones”
Vampire Diaries fan fiction as a metaphor for the transition to middle age
Storytelling and identity
Each year, Mau and I teach a wonderful course called What Matters. It’s a secular divinity school plus sacred reading book club plus (of course) storytelling. Check it out here. If it looks like your kind of thing, I hope you’ll join us this fall. It really does change people’s lives (including mine).
A STORY: “Auntie Mookie, are you New Girl?”
This spring I went a little viral on TikTok. Which is not a sentence I ever thought I’d write.
It was for possibly being one of the real-life inspirations for Jess Day on the TV show New Girl. Again, did not predict that sentence.
I was telling my niece about my twenties, and she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and said delightedly: “AUNTIE MOOKIE. ARE YOU NEW GIRL?”
Because, yes, in the early 2000’s, I was a quirky, ukulele playing, polka-dot-wearing elementary school teacher living in an illegal loft with some guys. (But honestly who wasn’t??)
“No!” I scoffed. “Although… I did go to college with the creator.” That clinched it for her. I brought the anecdote to the internet, just to say “Isn’t this funny that my niece thinks I’m famous, hahaha.”
Instead, the internet agreed with her. It became kind of a wholesome conspiracy theory. A German magazine did a post about me.
You can go down the rabbit hole yourself if you wish. New Girl fans will like the photos of my loft, they really do look a lot like the loft on the show! The whole playlist of figuring it out is here, and the first post is below:
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WORK WITH ME: I’m opening my coaching and editing roster in July!
New folks, and people who want to come back (hi Deb!): I’m opening my roster in July, to start working together after August 15.
If you’ve got an article, Moth story, presentation, or memoir project you want to feel great about, I can help you find the thread of your story and then help you pull it taut. I’d love to help you with your story!
Hit reply (or get in touch here) to get on the (no-obligation) wait list. I’ll tell you the minute spots open up and we can see if we’re a match.
Thank you! Bye! I still miss you!
XO,
Micaela