Adventures In "Journalism" by Sari Botton

2 months ago | adventuresinjournalism.substack.com | Sari Botton |Neko Case

Last fall, after receiving several requests for an audio version of my memoir—from people who prefer audiobooks, as well as people with sight issues—my publisher and I decided to go for it. We booked a week’s worth of sessions at Split Rock Recordings, where audio engineer Jason Sarubbi spends most of his days recording audiobooks for the Big Five. (The author after me was .)I thought it would be fun, and I was right.

Jan 31, 2025 | adventuresinjournalism.substack.com | Sari Botton

I’ve decided to make my shit list its own thing…Winter. I fucking hate North East winter. I’ve now been through 59 of them—this one is technically my 60th, as I approach the completion of 60 years in October—and while here and there some nice things have happened in the colder months, for the most part, every winter of my life has largely sucked. I’ve sampled enough winters to know that they are just not for me.

Jan 9, 2025 | adventuresinjournalism.substack.com | Sari Botton

Lately I’ve been fortunate to garner lots of new subscribers here. A) Welcome, and thank you! B) I’m a little behind on posting here, on what is essentially my personal blog (as opposed to my twomagazines). I have a few pieces in the works, but the world has been so brutal and heartbreaking lately, I’ve struggled to focus, and to know exactly what it is I want to say. I’m not interested in putting out half-baked work, so I’m going to take a little more time with those.

Dec 19, 2024 | adventuresinjournalism.substack.com | Sari Botton

Because the night before we got on the plane, we went to a party and slept over at an old friend’s apartment on the L.E.S., and there was, shudder…A CAT. 🙀 I am terribly allergic to felines (and shedding dogs and other furry beings). I hadn’t realized one would be there. As soon as we arrived, Brian and I ran back out, hitting Duane Reade for both Claritin and Benadryl. In an act of desperation I took both, rendering me somehow both wired and tired.

Dec 4, 2024 | adventuresinjournalism.substack.com | Sari Botton

Aunt Margie and Uncle Lloyd were early adopters of the adjustable bed. In the winter of ‘69/70, when I was 4, I spent the night at their house in White Plains, and watching them manipulate their undulating mattress with a clicker before my captivated parents’ eyes, as they dropped me off, was the main event. I was so excited about it I couldn’t sleep. I was also kept awake by fear, because I was staying in a relatively unfamiliar home, without my mom and dad.