If you’ve been following my work for at least the last year, you’ve likely seen me say that I don’t plan to start a newsletter. I’ve tried several times and fallen off within months if not weeks. But since August of last year, I’ve been editing The Nonbinarian Book Bike newsletter, and putting it together every month is a blast. It’s different from having a personal newsletter in that the organization relies on me to send it out each month, and I’m reporting to someone other than myself about the content and frequency. However, managing this newsletter has renewed my desire to have a personal newsletter… So, I am.

To start, I’ll crosspost everything from my blog in the newsletter and also include extra goodies, like link lists, pictures of our cats, and occasional thoughts on what I’m reading, playing, watching, or blasting in my headphones. Honestly, it will look a lot like these ICYMI posts. Eventually, I’d like to introduce a paid tier with exclusive content, but that’s something for future!Samantha to configure.

In addition to launching a newsletter (please subscribe at the end of this post!), I’m also shaking up the content I post. Digital media is and has always been a volatile landscape and being a full-time freelancer often means getting multiple pitch rejections. These could be due to budget restrictions, editorial focus, audience stats, etc. In the past, when I’ve pitched something I really want to write to multiple outlets and gotten rejected or ghosted by each one, I’ve shelved the pitch and moved on. But no more! Rather than abandoning ideas I’m passionate about, I’m going to write them for my blog and newsletter! I’ll be posting interviews, profiles, reported essays, and more. At the moment, I’m working on three pieces to launch this new phase, and I’m genuinely thrilled about all of them. I hope you will be too.

What I’ve Been Up To

Now for some exciting news! If you follow me on social media, you may have seen that I signed with Stephanie Winter at KO Media Management last week! I think we'll work incredibly well together based on how well we vibed during our call before she offered me representation. Her energy is fantastic and she’s already given me great notes on the proposal I sent following my query. I’ll share updates when I can, but I am so stoked to see what we create together and to share it with all of you.

But wait! That’s not all! This summer, Medusa Publishing Haus will launch the crowdfunding campaign for Monsterfuckers, a horror anthology, and I’ve been hired to edit! This is going to be so fun. Follow Medusa Haus on Twitter for updates and stay tuned for more!

The last time I wrote a post like this was in August, and I’ve written a lot in that time. Here are some highlights.

For The Beat,

• I reviewed Erin Williams’s new graphic novel, What’s Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine.

• I interviewed cartoonist Katie Cook about her Nothing Special series and what it’s like adapting the Webtoon for print.

For The Mary Sue,

• I reviewed Your Fat Friend, the documentary about author and podcaster Aubrey Gordon. If you get a chance to see this movie, don’t miss it.

• I compiled a list of the 30 best comics and graphic novels published in 2023.

• I wrote about the Eisner Awards removing the comics journalism category from this year’s ballot and why it’s a poor choice.

• I watched the 1999 cult classic Jawbreaker for the first time in years and broke down how the film succeeds and fails 25 years later.

• I interviewed Bookworm Reads founder Amelia Goodman about creating a sustainable, bookish community without exploiting its users.

For Polygon,

• I wrote about the amazing queer content in the Adventure Time spinoff Fionna & Cake, which made my heart so happy.

• I profiled Transplanar RPG and the immense work that goes into producing the show each week.

• I compiled a list of the best quality-of-life and style mods for Baldur’s Gate 3.

Great Reads

• Inside Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian’s Sapphic Fever Dream on Steroids, Wren Sanders, them.

• Who Is Beating Back Book Bans?, Sara Youngblood Gregory, Yes! Magazine

• The Small Company at the Center of ‘Gamergate 2.0’, Megan Farokhmanesh, Wired

• 7 Trans Students on the Fear, Humiliation, and Loneliness of Life Under Bathroom Bans, Nico Lang, them.

• The end of the MrBeast era, Patricia Hernandez, Polygon

• Judith Butler wants TERFs to wake up, Eli Cugini, Dazed

• Getting The Lay Of The Land In Argentinian TTRPGs, Rowan Zeoli, Rascal News

• Sweet Baby Inc. Doesn’t Do What Some Gamers Think It Does, Alyssa Mercante, Kotaku

• Cop City Is a Disability Justice Issue, Too, Marianne Dhenin, Yes! Magazine

• Between the Hammer and the Anvil: The Story Behind the New York Times October 7 Exposé, Jeremy Scahill, Ryan Grim, Daniel Boguslaw, The Intercept

• Let’s talk about Goodreads, Nicole Brinkley, Misshelved

• Goodreads has too much power for its moderation to be this bad, Nicole Clark, Polygon

Other Stuff

🍉 Cartoonists for Palestine just launched its website and Instagram account and the collective plans to release a print anthology this summer with proceeds going to three Palestinian aid funds.

🏳️‍⚧️ The Trans Rights Readathon is taking place until March 29. What are you reading?

⚔ Princess Weekes released an excellent video essay on the missed potential of Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch, and even if you don’t remember this sword-wielding fever dream, this video is worth watching.

🦆 The launch trailer for Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is adorable. I’ve been burned by a few recent IP titles and I hope this isn’t one of them. It’s gotten great reviews, which is encouraging! Really looking forward to checking this out. If you’ve played it, do you like it? Do you hate it? Tell me about it in the comments!

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