"I love words and you." Podcast (Announcement)

Now in Technicolor. (And protecting local theatre!)

Art by me.

Hey, gang.

No full letter this week. Instead, I prepare for a self-selected gauntlet of disgusting proportions. Yesterday, I flew back to my hometown ahead of performing improv for 48 consecutive waking hours. From Friday 5 pm to Sunday 5 pm, I and seven others will clock in for two full days of non-stop onstage performance. In many ways, this is a senseless act. But it is also a good thing, as the marathon primarily serves to raise money for The Hideout theatre's relocation fund.

A few months back, we learned that due to the whims of some developer in town, our beloved community space, which has stood for 25 years, now has to turn into some bar. Despite being pushed out, the owners of the theatre have rallied and are tirelessly searching for a place to house local weirdos. But shit is expensive. So I'm honored to contribute to this effort by taking part in the final 48-hour marathon to ever occur at The Hideout's original location.

If you happen to be in the city, pop in at literally any hour this weekend, and some of the city’s finest and I will be performing (tickets here!). Alternatively, hop in on the Twitch stream to see what happens to someone as they continuously partake in an art form that is impossible to explain to an immigrant grandparent (I’ve tried many times).

Now, for the matter at hand today. A quick announcement!!! Starting with last week’s letter, all major letters going forward from I love words and you. will have a voiceover! If you have friends you’ve wanted to share this letter with but know that they'd rather punch a granite countertop than read a word with their eyes, the solution is here.

I'm going back through to do retroactive recordings. But soon, you can add ILWAY to your RSS feed or hit play audio at the top of any letter. This week, I’ve done a voice-over for three of the most popular letters, and I’ll slowly be backfilling them over time.

If you’ve got a favorite letter you want me to record audio for, just let me know, and I’ll move that one up my list.

Here are the essays with audio so far:

The foolishness of pursuing a passion.

6 pieces of writing advice that are really, really good.

On feeling you have nothing left to offer.

7 pieces of writing advice that are so good, they’ll make you want to eat your hat.

More to come,