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Hello and welcome to Notes from the Town Hermit, a haven for the overthinkers and deep-feelers who search for reasons why life should be worth living.

Join a Fellowship of kindred spirits searching for light beyond the passing Shadow

I wish to create a safe space for those like me, who don’t feel quite at home in this world, who feel too deeply and think far too much, for those who want so much more out of life. I have been searching for the reasons why life should be worth living and I invite you on this journey with me.

Why subscribe?

…you explore universal experiences through your personal lens and put words to the obscure, which helps me both learn and feel understood. Even in your slow read posts, you find connections to real life. And you don’t shy away from the difficult topics, like grief, illness, mental health, and the challenges of writing.

I write so you feel understood. I write so you don’t have to feel alone in your struggles, and I write to help you find strength to face challenges with courage and dignity. The world can be a scary place and let’s face it: life is hard. You don’t have to go it alone.

Free

Occasional personal essays, opinion pieces, and long previews of my monthly recommendations and book analysations

Membership ($8/month or $50/year)

If you choose to become a member, you get:

  • My personal essays on grief, motherhood, mental and chronic illness, infertility, and adoption

  • Sneak peaks and updates on publications before everyone else gets them

  • Access to community features like threads

  • Warm fuzzies from the knowledge that you are directly validating and supporting my writing

How do you know if you should upgrade to paid? Consider the following questions:

  1. Do you feel a rush of delight and excitement when you see my emails?

  2. Do you find yourself opening and reopening my letters to read them more than once?

  3. Do you want to participate in this community of kindred spirits?

If you’ve answered “yes” to one or more, consider joining my paid membership.

If you answered “yes” to those questions but are unable to upgrade for whatever reason, send me a message and I will gift you a subscription, no questions asked.

Regardless, your presence in this space is valuable to me and you are a cherished member of this fellowship.

Some kind words from a few who have found value in my work:

We are a Fellowship

Words hold power. So does your village. Without mine, I never would have found the courage to free my writing from the bars of my personal journals.

And obviously I am a Lord of the Rings nerd.

The Fellowship set out on a quest to rid the world of an evil force. They come together from vastly different backgrounds for a common purpose, and in so doing, forge bonds that last lifetimes. Each member continues to fight for goodness, even after the Fellowship splinters, even when they don’t know whether the others are still fighting or even alive. Each does his own part anyway, and because of their combined efforts, the darkness is defeated.

This is what I hope to convey in this space: that in some small way, and in spite of our differences, I am working to lighten my little corner of the world; may this give you courage to keep fighting too.

There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.

—J.R.R. Tolkien

So here we are, strangers from distant lands, friends of old. Whether you are just passing through or you stay awhile, let this be a haven of sorts while you are here.

With Love,

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A Fellowship for the over-thinkers and deep-feelers looking for writing that makes you feel seen.

People

Second-generation Taiwanese-American essayist and literary fiction and fantasy author. Short stories and essays previously published in The Cultivation Project, Renewal Missions, and The Publishing Room.