Welcome to Tamia Talks

the first post of all posts!

Dec 31, 2023

If you've made it here, you recently read or heard that I have a Substack.

There is a high likelihood that an Instagram post, a thoughtfully curated collage of memories from the passing year, instructed you to visit a link in my bio to read my sprawling thoughts. If that is the case, welcome to Tamia Talks, my new Substack endeavor where I talk (mostly write) about whatever I please when my head and heart call me to do so.

On December 31, 2022, I languished over a long list of resolutions in the final pages of a journal to write (and eventually track) my goals for 2023. To my delightful surprise, this morning, I revisited the notebook to find many items ready to be checked. However, buried at the center of my scrawling, was one simple, disastrously uncheckable statement: “Start a Substack.”

The internet has made clear through many tweets and TikToks that 2023 is (and was) the year of “standing on business.” So, in true journalist fashion, I am meeting the moment on a tight deadline with this here Substack, some thoughts and reflections on a lovely 2023 and a dream for what this creation will become.

I can say wholeheartedly that writing this post alone was daunting. I made this account in October and proceeded to not write a single word until today, the last day of the year, despite optimistically writing “Substack” on my to-do list at least 17 times over the past three months. I had a lot of different ideas for what I could, would, and will write about, but having faith in the value and viability of my thoughts and words was where I faltered. A friend and I recently talked about how every person in their early 20s goes through a brief (or extended) moment when they dream of being “a writer.” However, the haunting image of being perceived, making mistakes, trusting their gut, and/or appreciating their interests is usually where they decide to close the doors on the big, scary haunted house they dared to consider entering and decide it's likely best to just stay silent. Today, despite those worries, I am taking a small leap.

This year, I often found myself saying to my friends, “That’s such a good idea! You should start a Substack.” In part, these pleas are genuine because I happen to be friends with many talented writers whose brilliant ideas and most fascinating thoughts flow into my ears with great eloquence and wisdom (thank you journalism). But I’ve also learned that these quiet suggestions might be a sign of something greater, that our soft urgings to other people to do the things that we love and enjoy can often be a signal that the little dreamer version of you that rests inside your chest is beating at the cage of your ribs, begging to be granted a voice.

On this account, blog, newsletter, and page of the internet, I plan to do a little bit of all the things I love most.

Talk about culture and the happenings of the world
Interview people who inspire and interest me
Provide thoughtfully edited written versions of all of the grad school, internship, and journalism advice that I have been asked to dole out in my DMs, over Zoom calls, and on panels over the years
Make lists of things I love

AND

Write and create with full confidence and hope that it will help me grow

2023, for me, was a year of abundance and blessings. I lived in three different cities, finished grad school, published stories in Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, Essence and Blavity, landed my first job at my hometown paper, met my heroes, surrounded myself with lovely friends (old and new), went to karaoke more times than I can remember, museum’d to my heart's content, hit my 250 day Duolingo streak (hola, cómo estás?), hit my Goodreads reading goal for the first time since I created my account (in 2021), took pictures of every gorgeous flower I saw on the street, ate LOTS of ice cream and saw Reneé Rapp perform at the Apple store (big deal).

I am grateful for every moment and every lesson and am beginning to realize that maybe this particular Substack post is just an extension of my usually long end-of-year Instagram post, appreciating what I have and am grateful for. I love that too.

So, if your interests are piqued and you want to subscribe to my newsletter “Tamia Talks,” that would be cool and great and you are welcome to do so. If not, thank you for getting to the end of this first post and joining me as I take my first step into a new year.

OH! Also, here are my ins and outs.

In

playing a game of four square in the hot summer sun
re-entering your percy jackson era
dancing (with rhythm) at parties
chess
achieving your 2024 goodreads goal
adding glee covers to every playlist
local news
sending kind notes to your besties
calling the midwest “the central north coast” even though there is no sea
collaging, pottery class, and crochet
theatre kids
stanning pop queens
saying what you feel

Out

imposter syndrome
dehydration
stack of books you haven’t read
degrading our dear planet earth
not reading the news
thinking nobody cares what you have to say because we are all “just teeny specks in a big universe.” (“i care” - beyoncé)
hating musicals
refusing opportunities for petite fun in each day
fear of being perceived
uncomfortable shoes
forgetting to soak up the sun
neglecting your inner child