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I think this sounds great! It’s masterfully pared down to the most cogent, curiosty-piquing and heartstring-tugging details. I love how you create a sense of urgency here to show why this is important — it’s not just about the stink. I bet a lot of people don’t know about the health hazards of scented products. I also like seeing how you talk about the kinds of experts you’ll speak to without actually naming anyone. I may “borrow” some of your wording in future pitches ;). look forward to seeing how this goes!
Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I look forward to hearing about what you’ve worked on and your plans for the week!
Week of 07/21/2025: Send my olive oil piece! After that, draft a pitch about an amazing rice restaurant and make a list of potential publications for a recipe pitch I sent to Cake Zine and received a positive rejection for.
Why I’m stoked: I want to get this olive oil piece out of my hands – it’s really weighing on me.
Concerns or challenges: I’m really noticing my fear this week with the olive oil piece. I’m finding it so hard to decide it’s ready. As for the pitches, it’s so hard to just choose one or two ideas to focus on. I always feel the pull of all those other ideas in my bookmarks and brain, taking my focus away. I think I should maybe slow down and set aside an hour or two to look through my ideas and pick 5 or so that make me feel especially excited or that seem particularly timely right now.
Did the magic happen? [END-OF-WEEK ACCOUNTABILITY CHECK]
Thank you so much for this, Amanda! Is there any way you could configure the platform to send us an alert when something new is published? Or perhaps one place we can look to find any new messages in any section? Or maybe there is such a place, but I haven’t found it yet? It can be hard to find new posts. (That being said, I’m happy to get away from Google and Meta.)
I have a question about the Writers’ Market. I got my first assignment many years ago, in an antiques magazine, after thumbing through that amazing resource. Sadly, it looks as though they haven’t published a new one since 2021. Do you think that one’s still relevant? Have you found anything that comes close?
Thanks!
J’Nai, Amazing! What a wonderful surprise to see that you’re the other student in this inaugural Badger Den! Everything you write resonates with me. I have not been diagnosed with ADHD, but I certainly have a highly circular way of going about life in general and get sidetracked very easily. I’m excited to hear what you’re working on and to support you in any way I can, Ansley
That sounds great, Amanda! I remember your shatio idea from the pitch class. It’s helpful to see how old ideas we’re particularly inspired by don’t have to die as long as we keep looking for fresh news hooks/angles. That’s my main focus here in the den.
Week of 7/7:
• Have a close-to-final draft of my olive oil tourism piece for the Olive Oil Professor. I’ve made some amateur mistakes on this one and am spending a lot of time condensing and cutting. I feel mired in it.
• Start a draft of a Murcia travel pitch inspired by a women-led conference I went to in May.
Why I’m stoked: I’m grateful for this accountability. My life has been extremely chaotic over the last year, too, and it still is in many ways. I’m trying to figure out ways to make room for my writing goals despite this chaos. I realize it will never be the perfect time.
Concerns or challenges: Making productive use of limited time. I’m definitely struggling with feelings of fear/inadequacy, too.
Did the magic happen? [END-OF-WEEK ACCOUNTABILITY CHECK]NAME: Ansley Evans
OCCUPATION: Freelance translator and writer
PRONOUNS*: She/her
AGE: 50
HERITAGE: Norwegian-Welsh-Italian-Floridian
LANGUAGES: Spanish and French
HOBBIES: Reading, hiking, baking bread, making ice cream,
HOMETOWN: I was born and raised in Orlando, FL, went to college in Colorado and then lived in Portland, Oregon, for 10 years. I worked in Avignon, France, for two years, where I met my husband. I followed him to his hometown—Murcia, Spain—in 2009 and have been there ever since.
CURRENT LOCATION: I live in Murcia, Spain, with my husband and 11-year-old son. My parents recently moved here, too. I’m still adjusting.
WRITING EXPERIENCE: I specialize in food and travel translations and have translated over a dozen cookbooks. Last year, I translated a comprehensive book about cheese. I also translate for the Louis Vuitton City Guides. As for my own writing, I’ve kept a journal forever and have long dreamed of getting more bylines. Many years back, I published an article about magic lanterns for an antiques magazine, and I recently wrote about the Cartagena (Murcia)-born liqueur Licor 43 for The Alcohol Professor. I’m currently working on a story about olive oil tourism in Spain for The Olive Oil Professor. I particularly enjoy writing stories about Spanish traditions that reveal connections across cultures.
FAVORITE WRITERS: Some favorites among the ever-growing list: Zadie Smith, John Steinbeck, Zora Neale Hurston, Elisa Gabbert
GOALS FOR THE COURSE: I’m thrilled to be in this space, sharing challenges and providing each other with support and accountability, which I realize I need to make any progress on my abstract writing goals. I’m very good at accumulating (hoarding) ideas in my bookmarks tab, read-later app, phone notes, journal and elsewhere. But I’m finding it harder and harder to slow down and look back. I rarely read the articles I’ve saved to read later, I keep charging forward without taking the time to start turning these ideas into pitches or essays, partly due to fear. I hope this course will help me establish a routine, quieting all the noise, resisting the urge to keep plowing forward, and taking the time to choose an idea or two and write a pitch or start an essay. I’d love to hear any strategies you have for organizing your ideas in a simplified/streamlined way. I’d also like to discuss researching and reporting efficiently, and how you decide when a piece is “done” enough to hit send.
WRITING AMBITIONS: I really love the kinds of essays they publish in Orion, especially in the Foodways section. That’s a dream publication for me. I did get a positive rejection from them last year. In the shorter term, I’d like to get out several pitches with ideas I feel passionate about and have been contemplating for a long time.
WEBSITES & CONTACTS:
Website: https://ansleyevans.es
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ansleysevans/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ansleyevans/
