A letter from the governess

Welcome to your new home

It started with an itch.

After several years writing here, we’ve built a community together. A book-obsessed, crafty, stationery-hoarding band of creative hearts open to sharing. And over the past year, I felt the seams of our former name starting to chafe.

Adding “craft” to our Book Alchemy name helped for a little while, but I knew it wouldn’t hold us forever. So I waited, and eventually, the governess arrived.

She emerged from our love of books and stories and the joy we found in reading Possession together, slowly. She heard about Jane Eyre coming as the next slow read in February and approved. And when we talk about beautiful notebooks, pens, ink, knitting needles, and making things with our hands, like Mary Poppins in Doc Martins, she landed and settled in.

If you’ve ever longed to go back to school, but only study the subjects that light you up and read stacks of books you’ve never seen on an official curriculum, she’s here for you. Rather make something yourself than buy it? She’s got a seam ripper ready, tucked into her sleeve.

What happens now?

We keep building together. With a new name, come new possibilities.

It is my hope that this new name will help us grow even more into ourselves.

We’ll have two slow reads a year with other adventures to suit the studious reader in between. The tattooed governess has guided my shift from miserable office worker to full time creative in Berlin. Those stories, as well as tales of the handmade life, will be part of this new stage. Are you in?

Free subscribers continue to receive monthly Footnotes letters, but for everyone who’s joined the membership, there will be much more to come.

What’s on in January — ALL my offerings

• Friday, 9 January:: Plan your writing year with the governess workshop
  [Paid subscribers RSVP in this post at the bottom]

• January 12:: Your Writing Year writing intensive ONE begins
  [Learn more about intensives here]

• January 16::Live on my favorite 2025 reads and 2026 reading project for the Tattooed Governess members at 8am PT / 11 EST / 16:00 GMT / 17:00 CET
  [details and link here]

• And coming in February, the member Jane Eyre slow read begins

Many thanks

Whenever I’ve announced a change or a shift to this community, you have all been so supportive and open. Because of the trust you’ve placed in me, I have trust in myself to keep experimenting here.

May this next chapter be even more delicious for all of us.

xx,
Caroline