Wild Cozy Free Roundup #1
What's coming up this September
Welcome to the inaugural Wild Cozy Free Roundup! Another shoutout to
for helping me conceive this idea. You can expect a monthly roundup in your inbox at the beginning of each month, outlining what’s come up on the blog + what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and writing!Who I’m Speaking To…
This month, you’ll hear conversations between me and my friends
and , on the What Authenticity Means To Me podcast.During my chat with Kelsey, we talked about how to listen to your intuition, what it’s like to carve your own path, and alllll things human design!
During Mika’s episode, we’re diving into what it was like for her to leave her job after almost a decade, how she started her substack, and how she has built such an incredible community here.
What We’re Talking About in Authenticity Office Hours…
I created Authenticity Office Hours - formerly known as Authenticity Tuesdays - because I wanted a (virtual) space to come together and have real, authentic discussions about a range of topics like friendship, emotions, rest, intuition, gossip, and more.
This month we’ll be discussing comparisons and community.
On Monday, September 9th, we’ll discuss comparisons.
On Tuesday, September 17th, we’ll get into the relationship/intersection between the two.
And on Tuesday, September 24th, we’ll reflect on both topics and how they connect, impact one another, and intersect! (ex: How do comparisons impact your experience in a community? What has being in community with others taught you about comparison?
All discussions will take place for an hour on Zoom at 5:00 PST/8:00 EST, and I’ll always send out the topics + a zoom link on the day of, through the chat feature + email!
To learn more, check out how it all began in the post below.
And to view some of our past discussion prompts, check out the highlight on my Instagram page.
What I’m Listening To…
I can’t tell you how excited I am about Rachel Platten’s long-awaited album. Chills.
I also can’t express how obsessed I am with Normal Gossip. It was so hard to pick just one episode to link here.
What I’m Reading…
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good was a great quick read of eccentric short storeis. I bought it the first time I visited San Diego, at this very cute bookshop in Coronado, and read it during the first few weeks I moved here.
I bought Goodbye To All That at one of my favorite bookstores (The Strand!) the weekend before I left New York. I’ve only read the first essay so far; it’s been a bittersweet read — as a writer who has loved and now left New York.
For more on my move, and my new life in San Diego, consider becoming a paid subscriber of my new newsletter - A New Yorker Goes West! The first post is free, to give you a sense of what you’re signing on for.
What I’m Watching…
If you are in the San Diego area, you have to see VELOUR: A DRAG SPECTACULAR. It was so life-affirming and beautiful. Drag has so much to teach us about authenticity.
*Fun fact - Sasha and I both went to Vassar! She and one of my favorite professors, Amanda Culp, were in the same class.
“Drag reveals that who we ‘really are’ and how people see us aren’t fixed realities; they can be changed… perhaps just for a night, the length of a song.”
-Sasha Velour
In other, equally exciting news, I’ve started watching GOLDEN GIRLS from the very beginning, after only catching the occasional episode now and then. This show is iconic. These women are iconic. I want to move in and be the fifth roommate immediately.
I am also of course rewatching GILMORE GIRLS because it is fall and it is necessary.
What I’m Writing…
I’m finally trying to recommit to my novel, working on weekly pieces for A New Yorker Goes West, and will definitely publish a personal essay here at some point this month, when the mood strikes! My therapist inspired the title for an essay I started working on today and I’m very excited about that one.
One Last Thing —
I’ll write more about this over on A New Yorker Goes West, but I also wanted to share here that I’ll be walking in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk next month, here in San Diego! I’m so excited to raise both funds and awareness for Suicide Prevention. It is a cause near and dear to my heart, that I’ll likely write about closer to the walk. If you’d like to donate, click below. Any amount is greatly impactful.
Okay, that’s all for now! Comment below and let me know what you’re watching, reading, listening to, and talking about! Any overlap with what I wrote here? Something totally different I’ve never heard of? I want to hear it all :)
This is awesome Alexa, so much good stuff ahead! I'm sorry I can't make it to Office Hours because I'm in the clinic but I'm sure it will be helpful. The drag show looks SO good, I love the quote you shared from Sasha. It's brilliant!
Thank you so much for having me! Can’t wait to listen to your other interviews too!