I missed the new moon last night. I am writing this in the throes of the Sunday Scaries. I am writing this on the cloudiest day of my school year, thus far. I am writing this after leaving one decade and entering a new one.

I wrote two new poems and learned how to surf. I am behind on my texts and and emails. I am taking my mental health, physical health, and spiritual health even more seriously.

A subscriber did ask a question, and I would love to answer it here: how exactly is the literary scene in Uganda different from that of the US? Based my limited experiences and potential biases, the literary scene feels different in every way. Uganda has a smaller but wider literary scene–a smaller percent is reading more than one complete book per year, but the book topics are more widespread and less formulaic. For context, over twenty African nations declared independence from European nations in the 1960s. During this time, Kampala and Ibadan were arguably the literary centers of Africa. Kampala is no longer a literary giant, but I think it is rising again, especially in the last five years. Comparatively, D.C. is not the literary center of the U.S. or even North America. I believe that title goes to New York City. I mean, all the Big Five publishers’ headquarters are housed in New York, baby!

Ironically enough, there are two UNESCO Cities of Literature in the U.S. and neither of them is NYC. The two centers are Iowa City and Seattle. The only UNESCO Cities of Literature in African are Abuja, Buffalo City, Durban, and Tangier. I have a lot of questions about those selections, but I digress. Uganda and the U.S. have both seen an increase in local book clubs, self-publishing, and digital publishing since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Both nations are incorporating AI into their literature (which is harming the literacy rates), but I think Uganda is doing it at a more alarming scale. I will say, U.S. has over forty accredited, master’s degrees in creative writing but Uganda has none. In fact, the only ones that I could find in Africa, are all in South Africa. I think these graduate degrees, financial resources, and accessibility–or lack thereof–heavily impact the literary scenes in Uganda and the U.S., but that’s also wrapped in capitalism and colonialism.

Friends, I am thinking even more deeply about those last two points. I am increasingly exhausted, partially because of capitalism and colonialism. With every passing year, I am starting to think one of our problems really might be the damn phone.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I have decided to take an indefinite break from writing newsletters. There are a multitude of reasons but I am learning not to explain myself unless someone explicitly asks me. Sharing these slices of life with over thirty people who may or may not read my words is still a gift. If you read this far, thank you so much for your time and space. Feel free to reach out, if you’d like. As the weather shifts and the holiday season encroaches, please be gentle with yourself.