What is Skin of Our Teeth?
Skin of Our Teeth (or “Skin” for short) is a weekly newsletter. Every other week I share a personal essay that focuses on something I’ve been thinking about or struggling with — the kind of stuff that makes me feel like I’m just barely hanging on by the skin of my teeth. Sometimes the topic is timely. Sometimes it’s timeless (motherhood). And sometimes it’s downright trivial (packing a suitcase). As I explained in this essay, writing doesn’t just communicate ideas, it generates them, so this is how I process what’s going on in my life and the world. Chances are, you’ve been thinking about a lot of these things, too. Here are a few of my readers’ favorites:
On alternate weeks, I share 10 links to things I’m reading, watching, eating, or otherwise consuming.
Who am I?
I’m a writer and editor. I began my career in publishing — first book publishing and then the magazine world. After becoming a mom, I worked as a freelance writer and published stories in the pages of Fit Pregnancy, Coastal Living, Southern Living, Cooking Light and other magazines. I took about five years off to stay home with my kids in my 30s. Unfortunately, during that time, the publishing industry imploded, and when I decided to go back to work, I had to completely reinvent myself.
I became a consultant who focused on digital content strategy. I worked with clients big and small, eventually focusing on helping scrappy startups use content to support their business goals.
Nearly a decade later, the publishing landscape had evolved again. Longform was enjoying a revival and Substack made it possible for me to return to my first professional love: editorial work. I was thrilled by the idea of my words being the product instead of using my words to sell a product (like software), so I started Skin of Our Teeth with a soft launch in June 2022. Today, I focus on this newsletter and my work as an editor at Cognoscenti, the ideas and opinion page at WBUR (Boston’s NPR station).
My kids are mostly grown. One is a recent college graduate, one is in college, and one is in high school. They take up less of my time, but still dominate my thoughts. So I write about them a lot.
There are several ways you can support my work:
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Thanks for reading,
