It's March, aka Birthday Month for yours truly! February was a busy month, with our move to the new house, but I got plenty of writing done as well. Here are the highlights from what I put out onto the web in February:

• I started re-watching Sailor Moon and realized that the show is my morning person origin story

• In response to Age of Empathy's prompt about the returning light, I wrote about winter dog walks and trying to make peace with the cold times.

• It's been a bit since I wrote about my first boyfriend, but when I saw that The Memoirist was doing a series called "Love Stinks" I couldn't resist revisiting my first-ever Valentine

• Once upon a time, I went mall walking almost every weekend. I revisited the hobby and reflected on my relationship to malls in this essay, which incidentally was selected for Medium's new "boost" feature.

• Sailor Jupiter was my favorite Sailor Scout, and in rewatching the series I'm reflecting on why

• Now that I'm a homeowner, I'm reflecting on what our spaces mean to us and how living somewhere I love is making me a different person (kind of)

• I asked myself, what do I have to say about Star Wars? Apparently, it was time to write about my early childhood crush on Luke Skywalker.

• As always, there's plenty of new content up on Your Book Friend, as well--book reviews, bookish lists, and more.

That's all for February's highlights! A very happy My Birthday Month--er, I mean March--to you all.

Happy December, my friends. It's hard to believe we've reached the final month of 2022, and yet, here we are. November continued the theme of being incredibly busy at the day job, and I've also been navigating a chronic condition flare-up. Yet, somehow, it remained a decently productive writing month, if I do say so myself.

Here's a recap of some of the words I put out onto the web last month, for your reading pleasure.

• I started a new weekly column on my book blog, Your Book Friend. It's called Book News Corner, and it's a space where I round up a few interesting book-related news stories from the week and give a little commentary. I've really been enjoying it so far. You can check out the intro post here.

• After a bit of a hiatus, I came back to my weekly Tarot Tuesday column, where I draw a card and provide a mini-reading, plus some journal reflection prompts.

• Personal essays are back! I wrote nothing but book blog content for all of October, so it felt good to stretch my essay muscles and reflect on the fact that I never really thought of my first chronic condition as anything outside of the normal, because I've had IBS my entire life. You can check out "The Truth Is, I've Always Been a Bit Chronically Ill" in Invisible Illness.

• Plenty of bookish goodness went up on the book blog, but I'm particuarly pleased with my first-ever holiday shopping guide!

That's about it for November, book friends. There will be some fun updates (hopefully) for December, as I've got a few things in the works that I can't share just yet.

As always, thank you for supporting my work!

August is a dark time for me as an introvert who works in Student Affairs. Orientation is a lot of sudden socialization after the quiet of summer, and it rolls right into the start of the semester with nary a day to recharge. As much as I love meeting our incoming students and feeling that start of the year energy, I also very much love the first day where I don't have to talk to anyone.

In spite of the business, I managed to keep my writing hat on for at least some of the time, which means we're starting September with another monthly highlights post.

• My book blog and website, Your Book Friend, is going strong with plenty of new reviews and weekly reading check ins. You can check it out on Medium here, or on WordPress here.

• I felt called to write a sequel to my personal essay about my boob growth spurt, specifically related to how it feels to run in the summer heat now that I've got a D cup sports bra squad situation.

• Panic! at the Disco released a new album on August 19th, and there was much rejoicing. I took it as an invitation to create my personal ranking of their studio albums.

• Half Marathon Training continues, and I've been writing weekly training recaps on my self-care blog, Running Into Joy.

• After using a Passion Planner for years, I decided to apply to be a brand ambassador--and I got in! This inspired me to start writing a bit more about how I use my planner, also on Running Into Joy. (Side note/shameless plug: If you're in the market for a new planner and want to give Passion Planner a spin, you can slide on over to their website and use my discount code AMANDAO876 to save some $ and send a little support my way.)

That's about it for this month! Not my most profilic writing month, but I'm really proud of keeping my passion projects afloat while I've been so busy at work. I hope August has treated you well, and thank you as always for being here and supporting my work. I'll see you at the end of September with another highlights post!

It feels like just yesterday, I wrote my June highlights post. That's partly because I got that one up a little bit late and partly because I've been so busy at the day job that time is slipping right on by. Soon I'll be in the busiest season of my work in Student Affairs, and my writing will likely slow down as I get through the start of the semester.

Here we are at the end of July and the start of August. July wasn't my most prolific writing month but I did get a few new words out into the world.

• The old running & self-care blog is back up and running (see what I did there?). I started half marathon training and decided to blog the journey week to week. You can start from the beginning with this post.

• I shared a bit about my latest podcast obsession and how it briefly inspired me to download TikTok.

• July found me coming out of June's pain flare cycle, and I reflected on the morning I realized I'd woken up without a headache for the first time in two weeks.

• A friend and I took a full moon hike with a local group, which was a magical experience. Just not quite the experience I expected.

• FanFare had another bout of their Thunderdome series, in which writers face off around different topics to claim the crown. I jumped into the ring to prove that The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the worst sequel of all time.

• Of course, several book reviews and What We're Reading Wednesday posts also graced the old book blog, Your Book Friend.

When you list it out like that, July doesn't feel quite so unproductive as it felt! We'll see how August goes. I hope you had as good a month as is possible in these times, and an equally okay August ahead!

Yes, it's already mid-July and yes, this post is delayed. June was an incredibly busy work month for me, which meant I didn't have a ton of energy left over for side projects and hobbies. Unless you count complaining about too many meetings as a hobby.

Nevertheless, I did get some writing done in June, which means I'm here to recap the month in words.

• After feeling weird about it for a few years, I finally wrote about the time a male yoga instructor put his hand on my butt during class.

• I had a ton of fun writing this humor piece about how Biossance skincare has taken over my bathroom, and Reese Witherspoon is to blame.

• We hit the midpoint of the year, which means a check-in with my reading goals for 2022.

• My nostalgia and I couldn't resist hopping on the trend of reviewing favorite movies from every year you've been alive. Here's the first installment in the three-part series.

I won't neglect to mention that in addition to these essays and articles from June, there's plenty more to check out over on the book blog, if you're here for the book reviews and book news commentary. I'm gearing up for the all hands on deck vibe that is August in student affairs, so I won't promise a July recap will be any more on time. Under promise and over deliver, as they say.

Thank you, as always, for being here and for your interest in my work. If you're feeling so inclined, I always appreciate a coffee tossed my way.

Happy June! Here in PA, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the temperatures are reminding me why I'm mad that central AC isn't a given in houses here.

May saw a slow return to writing consistently after some time away for the wedding and honeymoon. It's also continued to be a heavy time to be a human person living in this world with a shred of empathy, so I've taken time to recharge and take action as best I can to try and combat the overwhelming helplessness that creeps up any time I engage with the news for too long.

Sometimes it feels odd to plug away at my corner of the internet with so much going on, but I ultimately hope that art will continue to give us the ability to connect with one another as well as the much-needed chance to focus on something bright and light every now and again. With that in mind, here's a brief recap of the words I put out into the web for the month of May.

• Just in time for Mother's Day, I put down my thoughts on why assuming all women want to be mothers is damaging for the nuturer in all of us.

• I also reflected on the super-fancy lodge my husband and I booked for our honeymoon

• My go-to location for my favorite local coffee chain permanently closed while we were away, and I became briefly obsessed with the fact that the chain didn't acknowledge it online

• My anxiety found a new outlet in the form of the free one-card tarot readings I've been dropping into our Little Free Library, so I wrote about why I think that is

• Panic! at the Disco's long dormant Instagram account showed some action in late May and I got excited about what it almost definitely means--new music!

• The Best Books of the month column at Your Book Friend is back after our April hiatus, and I had so much fun running through my favorite reads of the month.

Whew! Going back through the month made me realize I was more productive with writing than I felt like I'd been.

Thank you for being here and for following along with my writing month-to-month. I appreciate your support, as always! We'll see you in June for more musings.

It's March, and I'm turning 30 in a few weeks! I like to celebrate all the days leading up to Saint Patrick's Day aka my birthday, which means plenty of shamrocks and hashtag treating myself are in store.

February always feels so short (because it is), but I felt relatively productive, writing-wise. All those cold winter days keep me inside and thinking about life, the universe, and everything.

Let's take a look at the words I put out into the web this month, shall we?

• I capped off January's Skyrim obsession by writing a piece about the game's impact on my relationship, as well as the current front stoop décor the Breezehome is sporting in my universe. Thanks for FanFare for publishing "Skyrim's Courier is Obsessed With Me," which is my favorite thing I've written recently, if I'm honest.

• The Bengals were in the Super Bowl for the first time in my entire life, which I took as a good excuse to write yet another little love letter to my hometown of Cincinnati.

• My latest morning ritual involves a quote from Spider-Man, surprising no one. Shocked and pleased that Age of Empathy took on my reflection about the personal nature of rituals, "The Power of the Sun in the Palm of My Hand."

• I recently had to buy new bras because the girls were tired of that B cup life. I wrote about my complicated feelings re: my boobs for Breast Stories.

• Your Book Friend put out plenty of new reviews and bookish goodness this month, which you can find on our publication homepage.

Thanks so much for checking out what I've been up to! I'd love to hear what you think. And if you're interesting in throwing a little birthday month love my way, maybe buy me a coffee?

Until next time, friends!

Hi, all!

January was an interesting month, as my partner and I both got COVID (thankfully, relatively mild and we're doing much better now). I played a lot of Skyrim and took a lot of naps, but I still managed to crank out some writing, as well. Here's a few highlights of my words from the web in January:

• Speaking of COVID, while sick I attempted to order groceries for delivery. DoorDash, however, had other plans and brought me someone else's order, instead.

• I penned an essay about why it's been hard to write new essays, called "The Place Where My Stories Live Feels Hollowed Out and Empty." It seems to have resonated with people more than I expected!

• Your Book Friend has reached 90 followers on Medium and our readership has definitely increased. The most popular posts this month were my January TBR and my post about 2022 book goals.

In total, I put out 13 new stories on Medium, which is a pretty good start to the year!

November was a slow and steady month for me, as the weather turned colder and the semester reached its height. I managed to type away at the memoir a bit, though less than I hoped, and took a needed step back from reading quite so much.

Here’s a few of my favorite pieces to hit the interwebs in November:

• I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Josie Silver’s upcoming release, One Night on the Island. The review lives over on my book blog, Your Book Friend.

• After watching Free Guy, I felt compelled to point out that it’s actually kind of a romantic comedy. No, seriously.

• Since I dedicated a few hours to my farm in Stardew Valley I wrote a little reflection on why I’m drawn to these kinds of games in the fall and winter months.

• The tree that helped me pick my undergraduate university was cut down, and I wrote about how we can grieve the little things, too.

Between grading and keeping up with the day job, November went by in a flash, and I’m really pleased I managed to tap into the creative muscles a few times throughout the month. Here’s to the winter holidays and to the best possible version of the last month of 2021!

As the summer passed me by and we jumped into the school year, I fell away from doing these updates because, to be frank, I was too busy to remember I even had an author’s website to maintain.

That doesn’t, however, mean that the writing stopped. Oh, no, the writing has continued, more or less.

Since it’s been a bit, I’ll skip the small talk and jump in to a few favorite pieces from the past few months.

• I got a little bit vulnerable about my evolving spiritual practices in this piece about nudging a toe outside the so-called “broom closet”

• After one of my daily walks with our dog, Azula, I penned this piece about how she’s shifted my understanding of our neighborhood

• I earned my first semi-viral piece and plenty of internet trolls by ranting about why I don’t watch Wonder Woman with my students anymore

• As orientation approached, I put my thoughts about being emotionally out of office into words

• On the book blogging front, I wrote about how I learn of new and upcoming book releases

• I’m back into video gaming and reflecting on the carefully animated, swaying breasts in Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance

This is just a snapshot of all the words I’ve been putting out in the world, and I’m so grateful for everyone who’s checked out my work over the past few months. I’d be remiss not to mention I received some generous support on my Buy Me A Coffee page this month, as well!

April has been a challenging month for me personally, for a number of reasons. Yet I’m very proud to say I met the goal I set at the start of the month of publishing at least 20 stories on Medium!

With so much work hitting the internet, I’m excited to whittle it down to some of my favorite articles from the month of April. Per usual, I will break it down by category so you can find the work that most matches your interest areas.

I know they say we should fit ourselves into niches as writers, but I believe we all contain multitudes and should write about the things that speak to us. And so, without further ado, here’s some of what I felt drawn to write about this month.

Mental Health/Chronic Pain

• I reflected on the last time I rode a rollercoaster prior to receiving the diagnosis that makes it medically unadvisable for me to ride them ever again, accepted by Invisible Illness

• I penned some thoughts related to body image and diet culture in my first article for Write Like a Girl

Travel

• Remembering my cross-country Greyhound trip to Idaho and the events that transpired in the Sawtooth mountains in my first for World Traveler’s Blog

• Azula, Andy, and I went backpacking a few months ago for my very first time, which I wrote about for World Traveler’s Blog

• I returned to my Ohio roots in this reflection on my first trip to Hocking Hills post occipital neuralgia diagnosis, also for World Traveler’s Blog

Books & Reading

• I reviewed Sarah Penner’s The Lost Apothecary for the fabulous new Medium publication, Coffee Time Reviews

• After buying yet another Reese’s Book Club pick, I went down a rabbit hole exploring what other celebrity book clubs are out there for this roundup posted in Books Are Our Superpower

• Coffee Time Reviews published this reflection on why we can never really read the same book twice

Running

• I’m back on the run after a hiatus, which is always an interesting experience, as outlined in this article

• As summer approaches, I rounded up my favorite summer running essentials for In Fitness and in Health

Identity/Self

• This reflection on my history with coffee (or lack thereof) sparked more conversation than I expected

Whew! That’s just a small sample of the things I wrote about this month, and boy does it feel good to reflect back on what went right after this past month.

Before I go, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that I’ve started a page on Buy Me A Coffee, where you can support my creative work if you feel so called. One of the perks on offer is access to behind-the-paywall friend links to all of my posts. So far, I have a whopping 0 supporters, so you could say it’s going pretty well.

Happy “it’s gonna be May” and happy reading, my friends! I’ll see you next month with my next writing recap.

Recently I’ve starting putting out more content on Medium in addition to my personal blog.

As part of this uptick in writing and putting my work out into the world, I wrote a little About Me Stories article about what kind of work I plan to put on the site & a little bit of personal info about me.

Check it out here, and follow me on Medium for articles & essays about fitness, health, self, and more!

In May 2019, Amanda officially completed her MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Chatham University by defending the thesis How to Tell a Love Story.

This work comprises a series of memoir and personal essays exploring the interplay between romantic relationships, pop culture, and grief.

A few essays from this collection have been published. They are:

• ”The Lonely Planet Guide to Grief” in bonfires

• “The Process of Unraveling” in Razor LIt

• “What Happens at White Castle” in Hoosier Lit

Currently, Amanda is taking a brief pause from putting her own romantic escapades and grief under the microscope, but plans to return to this essay collection and transform it into a book-length manuscript.

The latest issue of The Hemingway Review features an article I co-wrote with my undergraduate professor, Dr. Mark Cirino! We began working on the article when I was a senior in college, so it's a joy to see it in print at last. 

Thank you to The Hemingway Review for giving our ideas a home. I had no idea my offhand comment about Hemingway's vague treatment of menstruation would lead us here.