Join 1500+ armchair travelers on a journey to strange new worlds—fictional and non—in this weekly dispatch from sci-fi writer Jessie Kwak.
Something's cookin' 🍲
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Hey there! On Monday, I joined a crew of authors for an open mic night at the Rose City Book Pub here in Portland, OR. It wasn't just any open mic, though—it was organized by my friend Wendy N. Wagner (a local horror author I've mentioned in this newsletter before), and it was meant to be a fundraiser for the Oregon Food Bank. Food insecurity tends to be in the news a lot this time of year anyway, but obviously got even more newsworthy this past month while the US government shutdown threatened the food benefits that many people rely on. This issue is very personal to me—so when Wendy asked me to participate, I said yes in a heartbeat. I grew up on government cheese and free lunch programs. We lived below the poverty line for years when I was a kid, and I even as an adult remember standing at the checkout counter in the grocery store, watching the number climb and mentally calculating which "luxury" grocery item I'd ask the clerk to take back if I went over the budget (cheeks burning with embarrassment). In college I had my fair share of meals out of the Trader Joes dumpster, when most of what I was earning went to tuition. No one in my family ever went hungry, though, because of government programs meant to protect the vulnerable. I'm so grateful to be in a place where I don't have to pay so much attention to the number at the checkout line—and to be in a place where I can kick some down to those who are struggling. It's a very humbling honor to be able to help, even in a small way. Our fundraiser is over (I think we raised over $1500!), but I'd encourage you to take a look at your own budget right now and see if there's room for a donation to your own local food bank. The ability to live without worry of hunger is honestly life-changing, and even a small gift helps. For your TBRSpeaking of food, the new anthology Now I Have a Raygun, Ho-Ho-Ho!: Sci-fi Holiday Stories with Recipes! is still free on all the retailers. You can also download it along with dozens of other great books in these BookFunnel promos: Happy reading, Jessie |
Misadventures in the Multiverse
Join 1500+ armchair travelers on a journey to strange new worlds—fictional and non—in this weekly dispatch from sci-fi writer Jessie Kwak.
Hi there! I've told this story before in this newsletter, but it's been a few years—and I've had a lot of new subscribers since then. Plus, it's been on my mind this week. I grew up with two major cultural influences that shaped my morality: Christianity and Star Trek. The core messages meshed surprisingly well: Care for your neighbor, Do unto others, The needs of the many outweigh the need of the few. These influences have driven me my entire life. They drive me today. They drive my need to...
Hi there! We had some friends over for New Year's Eve, and at one point the conversation turned to our favorite books of the last year. I struggled to recall what I'd read for a moment before I realized that Past Jessie had done something smart. She'd started a list! I grabbed my journal, where I jotted down every book I read each month in 2025, and started waxing poetical about my favorites. I'm pretty sure my friend who asked the question was just hoping for one or two recommendations. I...
Hey there! The weather witches do not seem to be foretelling a White Christmas for Portland, Oregon, but I spent all last week swept away by another kind of Snow. So I guess it's okay. What do I mean by that? Let me rewind. Last month at Author Nation, I was sitting out in the mix-and-mingle area, zoning out on my phone when someone settled on the couch next to mine. "Oh hey," I said, because although we hadn't yet had a chance to meet, I'd exchanged passing hellos with this person multiple...