subscriber guide
i wanted the darkhouse about page to be very short, very cutesy, but i also wanted all of the information and links in one place. so, this is the darkhouse subscriber guide.
last updated september 23, 2024.
i talk about myself in pieces, but here’s a little bit more about me.
i’m asa. i’m 33. i was born in august. i’m a virgo. i’m an INTJ-T. i’m an enneagram 5w4. i wear glasses and collect them. i’ve been writing poetry since i was 7. i stay up too late—til’ the sky turns dark blue. my favorite day is sunday. i was a scientist for twelve years. i like long walks around the bookstore. my notes app has a never ending supply of half empty thoughts—or half full thoughts, depending on your perspective. i’m obsessed with soup.
my substack is named darkhouse because as a kid i moved every year or two, and i never really felt at home. i was raised as an only child. i don’t have a childhood home to go back to for the holidays. my parents are divorced, and i don’t know what to say when people ask me where i’m from. i lived in nine different states and went to twelve different schools before i graduated high school. i don’t remember the names of the streets that i lived on, or the names of a lot of the friends that i used to play with—everything was always changing and i guess my mind couldn’t keep up. i look at pictures and it’s like i wasn’t even there, and i know these are the things that most people are glad they’ve forgotten, but i feel so untethered to myself at the roots—at home—that it’s dark. but, with this substack, i’m exploring the rooms of this dark house, with you by my side.
there are many ways to support darkhouse, whether it’s a free subscription, paid subscription, or a follow. here’s more information to help you make your decision:
free subscription
as a free subscriber to darkhouse, there’s a lot for your consumption:
darkhouse is a somewhat weekly newsletter—sometimes every ten days. most of the free essays are a combination of poetry and non-fiction, reflecting on my experiences in womanhood, in motherhood, in love, in life. as a free subscriber, you receive all of these posts, for a limited time, as posts lock over time.
the darkhouse-related podcast, yearning mommy, is a somewhat philosophical, somewhat deranged bimonthly podcast. here, i talk about my experiences, observations, hypotheses, and raise more questions than i come to conclusions—and it’s free. you can listen through substack, spotify, or apple podcasts.
i remember sitting at the family computer, completely destroying it with thousands of limewire downloads to make playlists. i would handpick the perfect songs, arrange them strategically for maximum wow factor, burn the songs onto a cd, and then handwrite a seemingly arbitrary, yet, meaningful title. a playlist is an act of love. thankfully, now we have spotify. i put the same amount of love into these playlists for you, and they’re free. follow me on spotify to listen with me.
the sunday update is the free darkhouse weekly update that i put in the substack chat. the sunday update includes any newsletter updates, random notes, a few of my personal weekly reflections, and a picture of the texas sun.
paid subscription
as a paid subscriber, you can consume everything above plus the following paid subscriber exclusive perks to thank you for helping me buy food and books.
soup of the month is the darkhouse dark, poetic-ish, monthly girl blog for paid subscribers, only. soup of the month is a more personal recount of my month including personal photos, books that i’m reading, wine that i’m drinking, songs that i’m obsessed with, monthly observations and hypotheses, and more.*
soup of the month, october the yearning mommy monthly q&a episode will be for paid subscribers, only. submit a question, an observation, or hypothesis of your own and i’ll record my response. i’ll try to respond to all of them. (anyone can submit a question, but only paid subscribers will hear the episode.) to submit a question, click here.**
for free or non-subscribers, the darkhouse posts archive and lock over time. paid subscribers have unlimited access to all of the darkhouse essays.
*the first soup of the month will be published on october 31, 2024.
**the q&a episodes will depend on if i get any questions, so send them in.
sans subscription
to support darkhouse without or in addition to a subscription, there’s a few options:
to give me a tip on buy me a coffee, click here.
consume me on other platforms. each platform has a different project currently in progress—so, if you don’t see any posts, they’re coming. follow anyway, please.
for 50% off a paid subscription to darkhouse forever ($3.10/mo or $31/yr), click here.
thank you for being here.
talk to you soon,
asa