Everything I’ve Learned About Starting New Things…

Hello friends!

It’s been a moment since I sent my last newsletter, so I wanted to share some exciting news about Ursa, a new audio company and podcast I’ve been working on with authors Dawnie Walton and Deesha Philyaw. 

The podcast is called Ursa Short Fiction, it’s hosted by Dawnie and Deesha, and it’s all about celebrating short stories from underrepresented voices. We’ll feature author interviews, book club discussions, and immersive audio stories from some of today’s most thrilling writers.

I wrote a bit of a #longread on Twitter about how Dawnie and I first started working together on Ursa. And I’ve learned so much on this journey already. But here’s one big lesson: We live in a social media world that’s all about personal brands and individual content creators, but I work so much better when I’m collaborating with other people. I’m not a solo artist. I like to be in bands. I think I’m not alone in that feeling. So if you want my advice, go join a band!

It’s been such a joy to work with Dawnie and Deesha and be in this band with them, and to get to work with many other writers, artists, and producers whose work you’ll hear and see in Season One. 

I want to also send a special note of thanks to our advisors, investors, and partners who’ve helped us get here, including Lit Hub Radio, Franklin Leonard, Sharon Mashihi, Fran Hauser, and the folks at Coil.

If you like the show, leave us a comment and review in Apple Podcasts. And if you’d like to get involved with Ursa, join us! Drop me a line at mark [at] ursastory [dot] com.

Thanks for listening. 

-Mark