This is so exciting. As a voice in this industry for over a decade, we've watched the face of the reading community evolve, the decline and re-emergence of book stores and friends become household names. "Romance" isn't just for lonely, cat ladies (and we embrace that title these days, TYVM!). COVID changed the world and it reminded us to take time to read. Take time to read. That's a huge takeaway, because by taking some time to explore interests and dragon- and gryphon-filled war colleges, we're opening new doors for the next generation to take time for creativity, for self-expression and for self care. A book encourages all three. Congrats, Rebecca Yarros. This is so insanely well-deserved! <3
I'm just a gal, giving a presentation to her work colleagues, about the meteoric rise of the romantasy genre. You read that right. Five minutes to talk about complex world-building, BookTok, and our ??, Sarah J. Maas. Allow me to explain. Earlier this week at an Atlassian offsite, a handful of teammates prepared and delivered a short presentation on their topic of choice. Here's why this was such a brilliant exercise: ?? These talks inspired. I learned about becoming a Purple Martin landlord, how to tag a great white shark, and what it was like working as a NYC nightlife photographer in the 90s. Some of my most creative ideas come when I'm exploring something completely unrelated to comms, and these talks fit that bill. ?? They broke up more intense work content and lifted the group's energy (is there anything that boosts collective energy faster than laughing together?) ?? I hate public speaking yet this provided a safe environment to practice. What's more, when I got back from the offsite, I was sent thorough notes on the strengths and weaknesses of my presentation (along with visuals to demonstrate physical tendencies). These notes were so helpful and will improve my next speaking engagement (thanks, Abbi Tatton. truly). ?? I learned something unexpected about my colleagues, and as a result, feel closer to them. When you witness someone share a piece of themselves, you are more willing to do the same. The conversations I had at this offsite were deeper than others, and I think these talks were a catalyst for that. ?? Talk about bringing your whole self to work. It was a joy to share my passion with others and have it met with acceptance and enthusiasm. So tell me, if given a chance to present on any topic to your work colleagues, what would you choose?