Thank you
Today is the eighth anniversary of the first episode of the podcast. Eight years ago, in January, I soft-opened by creating its social media accounts and starting to post. On April 28, 2017, I said “I can’t believe I am doing this” out loud and read both Edgar Allan Poe and Virginia Poe to you. That episode is linked below, naturally.
When I was young, people used to call radio stations and ask the dj to play a song in honor of someone else, then the dj would give a shout out over the air. We also played in the street. There was no internet. It was wild and wooly. Anyway…with love, here’s my old lady dedication to you, in thanks for eight years. I am both dedicator and dj. For those too young to recognize it, it’s tied to the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack (time to rewatch, and yes, that is Elvis/Moulin Rouge/Great Gatsby Baz Luhrmann.
Eight years later, I’m now a quietly successful podcaster, which is all I wanted. It’s hobby-level, which is all I can do with my health. I was courted by my wonderful host, Spreaker, which was and is an honor, and courted by GetVokl as well, another honor (who should return from their hiatus soon, and so, so shall I). Both blew me away, as did my being honored twice by Podchaser as best podcast of the month. That’s my idea of a good eight years, especially while fighting chronic illness and new-onset disability. I deeply wish I had more under my belt than 99 episodes; you deserve so much more. But I tell myself this is why I don’t work. If I could do more, I could still be a therapist as well, so I shouldn’t beat myself up. Just know I always wish to give you more than I do. Chronic pain and fatigue and a medical life…well, it’s 24-7, and more complicated than I could ever imagine. I have all these ideas and plans and stories trapped inside a no. That’s the gist of it. But I will keep on keeping on, if you will stay with me and keep the irregularly scheduled faith. I'm just going to keep stubbornly doing this as long as I can and as long as you're listening to my finding the strangest connections and suggesting the most delicious books.
I have a treat for episode 100. My co-author and friend, horror author Bob Ford, will be joining me for a wonderful talk and a reading as well, if I’m betting on my persuasion skills. So here’s your homework while we wait for Bob to pound enough Red Bull to keep up with my zip-zap always-making-connections mind: read some (more) of his stuff. Good for you, it’ll put hair on your chest.
The God Beneath My Garden: The Collected Short Fiction of Robert Ford
And please, wear your sunscreen. 🧴 With all my gratitude.
🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁🧁
Carla Pettigrew
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