Dear Reader,
Hello!
There is a gust of newsletters out there, so thank you for finding your way to mine. I'm Ani, a writer subscribed to deep thinking, books, good films, and travel.
By way of introduction, my visible roots known as heritage: I was born in Yerevan, grew up in Moscow, and am spending my time these days hopping between Los Angeles (where my family and I immigrated to) and New York (where my heart does its most ardent fluttering). In what feels like a past life, I studied foreign policy/international relations at UCLA and Columbia, and figured I might as well get a law degree. Some know me as @ani_elizaveta by way of Instagram, maybe four of you know me as someone with a bookish YouTube page, and still others as a person who has this thing called a newsletter that everyone's been doing these days.
What is this newsletter?
It's my attempt to be life-affirming in our absurd, modern world.
Weekly Bookmarks
Every Friday, I send out a [glorified? humble? you pick the adjective] list of what I've been exploring over the past week. This is a curation of links, recs, and tidbits mapping out where my mind has been, and an invitation to think deeper. It will also house book recommendations and what I’m reading, watching, and listening to.
Essays
In addition to the above-noted weekly roundup of links, I write personal essays and notes on literature, which I aim to send out on Sundays. I have imposter syndrome with regard to writing, and it's constantly lurking, justifiably so, perhaps, because I've called myself a writer and yet haven't created a disciplined schedule, or a mental bandwidth for it (here is where I ask myself if Instagram captions count). As in, I haven't really produced much writing. And that's because I haven't glued myself to a desk to write. And that is because I've romanticized and feared the process to the point of paralysis. So, I would like to experiment with, if I may, the idea of using this corner of the internet as a home for writing. I don't really have rules on topics I'll cover, but here are some invisible wooden beams for this tiny home and what these personal essays will look like:
- a contouring of roaming thoughts
- a spot to gush about books
- a questioning of givens
- a proof of curiosity
- a (public) diary
All in all, I hope this newsletter brings you the feelings you’d feel after a four-hour conversation with a kindred spirit at a coffee shop; you know, the kind where time stands still and you’re left smiling at the life-affirming splendor of being human. (Why four hours? I like the number four, and no, it’s not associated with Tim Ferris.)
With love,
Ani
