ONE CANDLE
What a Year of Writing Taught Me
This month, I turned one year old. Not me, exactly. Something I made that I wasn’t entirely sure I could make. ONWARD — this little corner of writing and expression — is one year old now. And I find myself in that strange, tender place of wanting to mark it without overstating it. So here’s my attempt.
It started simply enough. I wanted to connect with folks outside of traditional social media and those damn algorithms that decide what we see and when we see it. I also wanted a place to put my discontent and disgust and dismay and determination as we entered the second presidency of Donald Trump.
A good woman I knew helped me turn my attention to Substack. That good woman was Joy-Ann Reid. Joy was the only person I knew on the platform at all! And with characteristic generosity, she connected me with folks here who helped me find my footing.
My very first post on ONWARD was a year ago this month and it was an interview with Joy. She welcomed me in, making space for my voice and holding my hand through how the hell you post on this thing!
So it felt like a full circle moment, when I got to interview her on ONWARD’s little anniversary. I also felt like we were celebrating the remarkable year she’s had in building what I can only describe as her own digital media empire. She moved from national on-air anchor at MSNBC to something entirely her own, walking bravely into new territory via Substack and YouTube and beyond. I’m grateful she took the time to talk with me last year and this month. I’ve reposted our conversation here.
Over these past twelve months, ONWARD has been a place where I’ve listened and chatted live with a bunch of fascinating folks — from current NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and current LA Mayor Karen Bass , to journalists Katie Couric and Terry Moran, to filmmaker Julie Dash, comedian W. Kamau Bell and scholar Timothy Snyder, to name a few. Every convo has added something to my own education and understanding. And hopefully yours too.
And then there’s my own writing. I didn’t know when I started, what I would find worth saying here. A year later, I can look back at a collection of essays that surprise me pleasantly. There was the morning I woke up thinking about Audra McDonald and the “Power of Quiet Excellence,” wondering what it means to simply do the work with uncommon skill while the internet argues around you. There was the piece on Elon Musk that I called “The Illusion of Genius,” born from the memory of sitting in a room with him years ago and leaving with a clarity I’d never quite put into words. There was “The Optics of Power,” written after I walked the streets of Los Angeles during the protests and watched the news try to tell a story that bore no resemblance to what I saw with my very own eyes. There was “The Narrative War,” written for the hero Alex Pretti. There was “Three American Witnesses,” a meditation on what we lost within the span of three days when Jesse Jackson, Frederick Wiseman, and Robert Duvall left the earth as we know it. There was “Perfect Vessels” the essay on Dolores Huerta’s disclosure about Cesar Chávez and what it costs us to hold complicated truths about the people we’ve made sacred. And just recently,“ Selma Undone,” early and inarticulate writing about the tragic gutting of the Voting Rights Act.
In between all of this, ONWARD itself went through its own evolution. For a time, it lived behind a paywall, which never felt fully right to me. When I made the decision to open it up and make ONWARD free for everyone - with no tiers and no gates - it felt much better. I felt less pressure in the writing. Enjoyed it more.
Today, I just wanted to send this quick note to thank folks for reading and commenting and sharing and being part of ONWARD. If you’ve been a subscriber for this first year and want to mark the occasion with us, send a direct message to Onward Team so I can send you a one-year subscription to MasterClass on the house, while supplies last. A small token of appreciation for riding this little wave with me
There’s more to write and more to witness. I’m grateful to have the capacity to do it. And a place to share it with you. Thanks, Folks! And… ONWARD!
ONWARD is now free for everyone, all the time.
Every subscriber has access to everything.
No tiers. No paywalls. One conversation.
Congratulations. Your writing always evokes so much emotion in me. May you and Onward celebrate many more years to come. Thank you for the work and truth telling that you do. It’s been a pleasure to read your stories. 🎂
Whenever I hear or see the name Ava DuVernay, I can almost be certain that something thought-provoking, groundbreaking, or culturally significant is about to be created or discussed. Congratulations on Substack-versary and thank you for consistently giving deep thinkers a relatable and meaningful platform to connect, reflect, and engage through your work.