Reader!

I put this distinguished portrait of Small Friend Frankie here back when this was a half-baked blog just for friends and family, and now I can’t bring myself to remove it. But I assure you that I am not, in fact, the ghost of my late cat - I am a living human woman named Tania.

So. Hello.

I started this Substack to amuse my nearest-and-dearest with my Ausländer exploits, back in 2019 when I had just fled New York City for Berlin. These days I use it mostly as a creative sandbox, which means monthly(ish) essays on whatever strikes my fancy. The rest of the time I’m doing the work that pays the rent, or trying to get my own fiction writing practice back in shape so I can actually finish a novel (you do NOT want to know how many novels I started and abandoned between the ages of 25 and 35).

If you like my writing, I hope you’ll subscribe! I do have a paid option but right now, none of my writing is paywalled - especially since my Substack strategy is more “do it when I feel like it” rather than “run a one-woman newsletter empire.” On the other hand, you are welcome (and encouraged!) to make a donation via Buy Me A Coffee.

With immense gratitude for letting your curiosity lead you this far -

Tania