A Thank You and a Poem

in appreciation for supporting subscribers

More on this in a minute.

Dear Supporting Subscribers.

Thank you. First and foremost—thank you.

About a year ago, I decided to activate paid subscriptions, not really knowing what would happen. I’ve been writing some version of a newsletter for more than a decade and never really thought much about monetizing it. Newsletters (and before that, blogs) have been my way to connect with readers in between books, and to keep conversations going that start at the retreats, conferences, and workshops I lead. The Blue Room has been my gift to the world (OK, to one small corner of the Internet), and the Friday emails will always be freely given to anyone who wishes to receive them. But the Blue Room has also been a gift to me. I appreciate every email and comment response. The “same heres” help me feel less alone, less… weird? And even the “you missed the mark” messages, while not always fun, have helped me think, write, and care more deeply. Those relationships are priceless.

At the same time, writing is a skill and a product that provides value—one hopes! In the abstract, I’ve always believed that writers and artists should be fairly compensated for their work (yay SAG-AFTRA!), but that hasn’t translated to me and this newsletter.

Which brings us to last year, when at the end of October I threw together a paid subscription option, which Substack makes easy. Why not? I thought. Within ten minutes of the subscription page going live, I had a founding subscriber. I don’t even know how she found out about it!

I’ve noticed a lot of Substackers like to put together posts analyzing their subscriber growth, presumably for the benefit of other writers. I’m not sure how interesting that is to readers at large, so I don’t want to do that here, except to say that we’ve had steady and sustainable growth here in the Blue Room, and your support has allowed me to write more, and I hope, write better, and to take this craft as seriously as I’m able given that it’s a side hustle.

How can I properly say thanks, to each of you and to all of you?

One of the things I love about that initial founding member is that she’s dropped things in the mail to me from time to time. Not email… like, the U.S. mail: handwritten notes, little teabags… it’s such a fizzy joy to open my mailbox and see something personal—handcrafted, even.

I’d like to return the favor, for any of my supporting subscribers who are interested: simply email me at maryannmckibbendana@substack.com with your snail mail address, and I will drop something small in the mail to you around the one-year anniversary of your paid subscription. Obviously this is voluntary on your part—I respect your privacy and the “cover” that the Internet provides. And I will never, ever, ever do anything with these addresses other than mail you a little something. Whether you participate or not, know that I am grateful to the moon and back for your support, whether it’s ongoing, or one-month-and-done.

What might you receive? Could be a handwritten note. Maybe a blackout poem (see image above), or a sticker, or a little homemade book. On the big impersonal Internet, let’s find ways to connect that aren’t slick and mass produced. I think we need this kind of connection in our lives, no? For me it’s a little beauty, relationship, and action all rolled into one.

And once more for the folks in the back—thank you.

~

The poem reads:

Listen:

the grim premise of terrible circumstances
found comfort in terrible things.

Instead,
the last word was
Yes
Yes
and Yes.

~

Thanks to Camille, whose recent Substack ‘zine inspired this idea, as well as an article by Dan Blank.