One year of Nostalgia Trip!!
eeek!
It’s been over a year since I got the idea for this newsletter and the thought of it filled me with so much excitement. I imagined a space where I could shed off the all too familiar pressure that clung to me like a second skin every time I sat to write.
With this newsletter, I decided to create a place where I could be as messy as I needed to be. To have fun with writing, do things my way, and try my best to show up as myself. For the past year, I’ve enjoyed writing so many of the pieces here and that’s a huge feat for me. I’ve also inevitably been consistent with writing.
Although I’ve struggled with feelings of inadequacy, envy, and bouts of unhealthy and overwhelming cravings for external validation—I’m only human after all— I’m content with all this newsletter has been this past year. Proud even. I’m grateful for myself, this newsletter, and the people who read it. I’m so thankful you feel that I’m worth reading and worth being alerted when I write. It’s amazing really, and I’m grateful for you. You make me feel seen and heard.
So as Nostalgia Trip marks one year, there are going to be some changes that I’d like to inform you of. And in the spirit of celebrating one year, I’d like to share some of my favourite pieces I’ve written so far along with some reader favourites.
Updates
Content & Schedule
This newsletter largely revolves around nostalgic themes for me and while I love that and will continue to explore it, there will be times my mind leads me to explore ideas beyond that. So occasionally, I might write pieces that have absolutely nothing to do with the past, just because. What I write won’t be limited solely to nostalgic themes.
Secondly, I’m scrapping the ‘recs’ section of the newsletter unfortunately 😔 When I started, I was excited to share things with you but over time, it felt like a chore and soon I felt the pressure to impress or share cool stuff when I didn’t have anything to share. It wasn’t fun anymore and it didn’t feel authentic either. It has been too performative for my liking. If I discover something I desperately feel the urge to share with you, I’ll find a way to share it. But there’ll be no more editions of recs.
This means you’ll no longer hear from me thrice a month. From now on, I’ll publish twice a month. That seems to fit my schedule and capacity at the moment. You’ll still get The Reading Nook on the last day of each month, but the Nostalgia Trip newsletter should arrive in your inbox by the middle of the month, probably between the 15th and 16th, and no longer the 7th.
Speaking of The Reading Nook, I’ve realised some people are (unfortunately) uninterested in books, or reading my rants about books, and might want the option to not receive this section of the newsletter. That means they’ll hear from me once a month and that’s fine. So, if you no longer want to receive The Reading Nook in your inbox, you can turn it off here in your account settings. It should look like this:
Am I turning on paid?
No, I’m not. I don’t want to (and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t because they hate us in Nigeria and most African countries and anything having to do with payment through the internet is a hassle) because I’d like anyone who might be interested in this newsletter to have access to it regardless of whether or not they can pay.
Also, to me, this newsletter is a pressure-free zone, as I stated above, and I feel monetising it would make me feel pressured to give more than I can or want to because I’d be obsessing over whether what I share is enough. So I don’t plan on turning on paid ever—except if future Fatima changes her mind.
But, I will be sharing a link so that anyone who enjoys this newsletter, feels moved to and has the means can tip me. Of course, this is no pressure and solely replying to my emails privately or commenting are a huge deal which I appreciate. Doing any of these will be a form of encouragement in a world where creativity isn’t exactly championed if it isn’t bringing immense views or monetary value. So whether you tip or not, it’s appreciated.
That’s it with updates. Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate you. I hope you enjoy this new year of the newsletter :)
Favourite Pieces
Here are some of my favourite pieces that I loved writing from the newsletter in its first year (along with some reader favourites):
Nostalgia Trip
I wrote about one of my strangest and weirdly amusing experiences from boarding school and how it has forever made an indelible mark on Halloween for me. I had such a good time writing this:
I love journaling. I’ve been doing it since I was around seven or so. I talked about how keeping lines of communication open between your past and future selves is important through journaling and letters to your future self. I dug up my old journals to write this piece and it was a simultaneously fun and cringey experience:
I interviewed my older sister, who is basically an old Nollywood films aficionado, for this and sprinkled in some Yungnollywood memes in this piece. It was so fun:
I wrote about my relationship with K-drama which started in boarding school, how I used to be ashamed to identify as a K-drama girlie, as well as some of my all-time favourite K-dramas and why I love them. I found so many fellow K-drama girlies in the comments!:
Recs
The Reading Nook
That’s it for today! Again, thank you for being here. I hope this letter brings a smile to your face or inspires you in some way. If you’re a book lover, I’ll see you at the end of the month and if not, I’ll see you next month. Bye <3
Congratulations on one year!! I look forward to new editions of your newsletter and I’m excited for what’s in store 💝🫶🏾
Happy birthday NT!