Personal Stuff

Dear Reader,

First, thank you for being a reader of my twice-monthly blog. I appreciate you being part of my ongoing conversation about food writing and blogging.

For the past few years, I have featured guest bloggers on the blog, rather than my own essays. You heard from dozens of experts on topics ranging from cookbook promotion to keyword writing for blog posts to increasing your productivity as a writer.

Over on Substack, I write a free monthly newsletter, which I originally launched in 2005 as a way to keep in touch with students and clients. It’s grown quite a bit since then, and writing it has been fun and rewarding. I want to dedicate myself to it now, to create the best possible content. As a result, I’ve decided to pause the blog to focus on the newsletter.

But I want to keep up the conversation with you! If you are not already a subscriber of the newsletter, soon you will receive it. I figure that, since you originally signed up for this blog to hear from me, you will enjoy hearing from me again.

If you already receive my newsletter, thank you. In that case there will be two fewer emails from me in your inbox.

I also have a paid version of the newsletter that comes out mkidway through the month, with different additional content. So far I’ve included interviews with the superstars in our industry about how to write for them or what they’ve learned as high achievers. I have plans for more and lots of other content that will be useful to you as a food writer. Please consider signining up. It’s only $2.50 per month, about the cost of a cup of coffee. To do so, click on the Subscribe button in the free newsletter you will receive soon.

Again, thank you for being a blog reader. Maybe there are a few of you from 2009, when I started my blog. (Now I’m feeling nostalgic!) I hope you enjoy my newsletter and I look forward to hearing from you on Substack!

— Dianne

Photo by husband Owen Rubin, whose main job now is to wait on me.

Hello Dear Blog Readers,

Thanks for sticking with me through some challenging times. I missed getting a blog post out recently due to moving to a new house for the first time in 26 years. We had two weeks. And then I broke my ankle by slipping on some gravel. Last week, during surgery, the doctor inserted a plate and six screws. Next week she takes the sutures out.

Now I have been immobile for weeks and will be this way for almost two months longer. That’s what I want to write to you about today: my inability to cook.

I figure that you, like me, love to get in the kitchen. How odd then, to not do so because it’s too hard logistically. I can hop in with my walker, but then it’s difficult to pick up things because [Read more…] about No More Cooking for Now