An Introduction

This project, which I am calling Printed Works, has been bouncing around my brain for quite a while. I have a tendency to do this — I let an idea sit for what some might argue is far too long. I want it to be perfect before it exists. I want to have thought of every idea, every iteration, every avenue it could possibly take. It’s silly, really, to think you can know the end before it even begins.

So while I have allowed myself to sit with this idea for a long time, I have also tried to leave room to allow it to grow and change along with me. Who knows, maybe it’ll be the one who changes and I’ll be the one who gets to grow alongside it.

Either way, the heart of this project is literature. As it always is with me.

I have loved books since before I can remember loving anything.

Very early I learned that if I couldn’t be understood by those around me, I could be understood within the pages of a book. And the rest is history. I cling to words. It is not uncommon for my conversations to be littered with the phrase, “I read something once…” or “There’s a quote that says…” So much so that I annoy even myself. But I can’t help it. I really did read something once.

This blog is a way for me to talk about literature. From the books I read to the quotes I collect to the places I travel (because yes, I do visit a city solely to have a drink at an author’s favorite bar), this is where I intend to chronicle the ways literature has and continues to shape my life. The hope is that this project might shape yours, in some small but tangible way. There will be curated recommendations, essays, and travel stories. There will be postcards. There will be other surprises as well—it isn’t called Printed Works for nothing—and I’m excited to share those with you.

For now, let me just say, I admire anyone who can craft a sentence that cuts me. This place is for anyone who feels the same, or maybe just needs a good recommendation for their next read.

I got you covered.