What is love?

Hey my friends,

I have some exciting news! And a quick story about why.....

When I signed up to take Bernadette Jiwa's Story Skills Workshop, back in 2019, I knew I wanted to be able to tell better stories.

From the outset, my attempt to close the elusive gap anyone mastering a skill faces, between where they are today and where they want to be, started to close. I learned tips and received feedback that helped me hone and craft better stories.

But what I didn't count on finding in that workshop was the amazing community of storytellers who have become some of my most valued companions.

So when the call went out in Story Republic, the forum where we continue to practice, to anyone who wanted to be part of a new group project to produce our first collection of stories - aside from the fact I'm always all about doing anything as a collective - it was a no brainer for me.

And so, after a real team effort Here it is. The soon-to-be-released, inaugural (this was so much fun I'm sure there will be more) short story collection.

The theme is one of my favourites: Love

These stories explore the nature of love and how it has shaped who we are to the core. Love as a force for good, parental love, romantic love and even love in a business meeting.

The stories are from tellers who span the globe, which goes to show that love is universal. Love really is everywhere if you look for it. By the end of reading the final manuscript, I felt held - like a warm hug or a kind message from a friend just when I needed to hear those exact words. It's our hope for our readers that you'll feel just the same.

Whether it's a gift to yourself, or you hand it to one of your favourite humans and tell them you bought it as a reminder of just how much they matter to you, we hope you love it too.

And the best news? All the profits from the sales will go to CAMFED a non-profit organisation that supports girls in Africa to learn, thrive, and lead change. One act of kindness in buying this book sends a ripple of love out into the world.

The book is lucky enough to have its own website where you can find out more - big thanks to one of my favourite humans, Enrika Greathouse for building the site and for the beautiful cover design.

And speaking of thanks, now is the time to extend big love to our editor-in-chief Rumi Tsuchihashi whose own books inspired this one, and who did a tremendous job of nudging us all into shape.
It's been a real honour to be amongst such like-hearted people to bring this book to life.

If you think you might like to explore telling your own stories, the next round of The Story Skills Workshop kicks off next week.

You can preorder and find out more about our book here:

So I'm curious. What does love mean for you?

Much love,