Dear Reader: Writing Life Beyond the Page

It's been awhile since we've chatted and lots have been going on behind the scenes. We are on Substack now and I'm inviting you there! I explain it all here in this really short episode.

And we are back for Season Two of Dear Reader!  This season we are exploring such words as empathy, manifest, grief, joy, and breathless. Come listen every week as we talk with writers and thinkers about this and so much more.  What is empathy and how do you live an empathic life. This week's guest, writer, poet, and publisher Edward Vidaurre tells us not only how he shows empathy in his...

Exhaustion. With the chaos of the world and with the impact on people of color, specifically Black people, writer and host Icess Fernandez Rojas talks about exhaustion, writing as activism, and living as an Afro-Latinx during this time.  If you liked this episode, please subscribe, write a review, or spread the word. Or do all of the above. You can always contact the host via twitter at Icess...

It's the end of the year and you're probably looking back thinking that you HAVE to do better next year. But do you know how to do that?  For the past couple of years, the guiding word(s) technique has gathered popularity. That's when you choose one word (or a couple) to guide your next 365 days. That process is easier said than done!  In this episode, we go over how to pick your guiding...

Have you ever taken a risk? Hopefully, there's a yes to that question, however, for some taking a risk is too much to handle. In the world of mental health and writing, risks can happen daily.  In this episode, writer and editor Angelique Imani Rodriguez discusses the word risk, the big one she's taking now, and how taking opportunities have helped space her life and career. Risk doesn't have to b...

The holidays are here and soon we'll be attending events that may put us out of our comfort zones.  It's difficult to establish boundaries when you're trying to join in the merriment but how about in your everyday life?  How does one establish boundaries? According to journalist and writer David Dunn, it's baptism by fire.  In this episode, he'll discuss how he's been able to establ...

When someone says retrograde, do you think Mercury? Of course, you do, however, retrograde also means the feeling of moving backward. We have all felt that one time or another.   In this episode, we'll talk about the feeling of moving backward or standing still and what we can distill from it. It's a solo show so it's just you and !, reader!  If you liked this episode, please subscribe,...

Welcome to Dear Reader: Mental Health and the Writing Life where we take one word and explore. Our guiding word for this episode is "Pause".  Writer and educator Hugo Esteban Rodriguez stops by to talk about what it means to pause. As a person living with adult ADHD, he routinely practices "pausing" in this life. He does this not only for little things like remembering where his keys are but also...

What is opportunity? Do you know it when you see it, even if it doesn't look how you think it's supposed to? In this episode,  we talk to Dr. Trevor Boffone, educator, writer, and community organizer, who recognized opportunity during a tough time.  He'll also tell give us some writing advice.  Also in this episode, I talk about the latest in my writing life< Bassey Ikpi, and the...

In this second episode of Dear Reader,  we'll talk about another form of self-care...adulting. We'll also talk about a Dia de los Muertos tradition, an altar, and how remembering your ancestors can be a form of meditation.  Follow host Icess Fernandez Rojas on Twitter @Icess or visit the Dear Reader website at icessfernandez.com or leave us a message. Maybe you'll get on the show!

Welcome to the first episode of Dear Reader where we talk about writing, the writing life, and mental health. This episode we talk about what self care actually is and the power of no.