Welcome to Joy Ride, a monthly dose of joy, good things, creativity prompts, and gratitude by writer Jennifer Chen. If you like it, please share this newsletter with someone who might like it too.
Your Pep Talk 😎
If you haven’t been introduced to the wonders of Mychal Threets, let me share why I love seeing him pop up into my Instagram feed. He’s a librarian, full of joy about reading and meeting fellow library lovers. He has a tattoo of Arthur’s library card and wears colorful clothes with a big Afro.
He makes me happy. But some people were not interested in this delightful person and trolled him. In response, he continue to bring joy and now is working with several different reading outlets, including PBS Kids to bring his love to more places.
I share this because the truth is not everyone is going to enjoy your joy. Even someone as wonderful as Mychal got bullied for being who he is. It’s not right. But he shared his mental health struggles, shared his joy, and people came to his defense.
I’m here to say that being true to who you are and what you love is the best you can offer this world. Don’t ever dull your light because someone else wants you to shine less. Like Blake says in this video supporting Mychal, “Check yourself out for as long as you need…so long as you return without any damage, I promise there will be no late fees.”
My Latest News 🌴
For the Writer’s Digest March/April 2024 issue, I interviewed 13 writers about how they got a Tiny Love Stories published in the New York Times.
I was named a finalist for the LANDO Grant from the deGroot Foundation (award winners will be announced at the end of March).
I’ll be moderating a middle-grade fiction panel on April 20 from 2-3pm at the Los Angeles Times Festival of books. If you’re in LA, I’d love to meet you there!
I saw the cover for my second book—which I can’t reveal just yet—but I absolutely love it and think you will too!
This month, I’m launching a paid subscription to my newsletter. For $5/month or $50/year, paid subscribers will receive a monthly Zoom chat with me, a check-in email, and will be entered to win a $20 gift card to an indie bookstore of their choice!
Check Out This... 💪🏽
WORKSHOP: Embracing Imperfection with journalist L'Oreal Thompson Payton and certified mindset + leadership coach Sam Cartagena. I’ll be tuning into this free interactive workshop on March 19 to work on my perfectionist tendencies.
ESSAY: My friend and author Emily Barth Isler wrote a beautiful piece for Oprah Daily about “The Secret Superpower of OCD,” and how swimming unlocked her creativity and quieted her mind.
BOOK: Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra is a sweet read about choosing between what you love and disappointing your parents. I loved every moment of this YA romance, and be prepared to be hungry for delicious pastries!
FUNDRAISER: Help combat book bans in North Carolina by supporting Firestorm Books, which took in 22,000 books rejected by a Florida school district, and customers are now buying the books to be sent to organizations to support reading. (Here’s a gift to the Washington Post article that chronicles the story.)
I'm Grateful For... 🐶
Ziggy and Zoey, my sweet pugs. My family (minus me) has been sick this month with a nasty cold. Ziggy and Zoey did their best to nurse everyone back to health by snuggling on the couch and making sure they got rest. You can’t ask for a better snuggle companion than these two smushed face loves.
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