hi, thanks for coming.

🌽🌽🌽

Here at The Noble Try, I write about my inner-conflicts. The friction of opposition is rich material: how can I be a feminist, if I’m this happy in a traditional life? How can someone hyperactive feel so drawn to contemplation? How do I hold my ambition alongside my faith in the creative unfolding?

Sunday nights, I find a thread of tension and I follow it—mine and those culture made for me. The topic might be kids, trees, Botox or death, though I’ll never feature trauma-dumping or complaint. Sometimes these essays are mordant, sometimes they’re tender, but they always end in uplift. And I hope they’ll make you laugh.

about me (& my inner conflicts)

I’m a full-time literary novelist. Until our second son was born—we have four—I worked as a domestic violence prosecutor at the Brooklyn DA’s office. It was a thrilling job, but I enjoy writing, running in the woods, and fart-scented carpools even more.

I grew up in a haunted farm house in rural Connecticut. I haven’t seen a ghost in thirty years, and even though they sometimes scared me, I miss those years when the veil was thin. I lost access to those realms when I hit puberty and became self-conscious. I’m trying to get innocent again.

what’s in a name?

‘The Noble Try’ is corny. Every day, I plot to change it, until I remember that I, too, am indefatigably corny. Best not to flinch.

Anyway, The Noble Try has two meanings:

First: the process is the point, so don’t quit your dream. There’s dignity in our tries and in our aspirations. “Noble” is a stretch, but I was in a Zen phase when I started this newsletter, trying to meditate away the heartbreak of twenty-four rejections on a manuscript.

Second: the effort is the answer to our most vexing qualities and questions. There is no arrival point; no singular answer. The path through the tension is the truth, and it’s noble to keep looking, you corny thing, you.

what to expect

Paid subscribers

  • A weekly, Sunday evening reflection—moving from mess to uplift. Like Chicken Soup for the Substack soul (+ Franks Red Hot).

  • A monthly live Ask Me Anything—rapid-fire, no holds barred

  • Access to all videos: Substack Lives, readings, etc.

Free subscribers

  • Occasional long form posts

acknowledgements

These writings would not be possible without Cherry Louisious and Samantha Luzietti, who spend time with my children so I can write.

Thank you also to my husband, Christopher, for reading every draft three minutes before I publish.

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mining my inner conflicts: motherhood & autonomy ⚡️sovereignty & culture ⚡️ambition & surrender. mordant...with uplift.

People

Author, mother to 1,000 sons, former NYC prosecutor. Always late, usually wrong & gleefully conflicted. {Middle name sounds like “coals.”}