#105 Accepting The Moths, Finding Light In The Darkness, Getting Real About $$$
Today’s poem came from the great purge of 2018 in which my mother foisted upon me almost every scrap of everything related to her decades long career as a professional harpist and teacher.
Along with the two full file cabinets of classical sheet music, and two suitcases of harp strings (new AND used), came eight high-end three ring binders full of folk and church music.
I call them high-end because they are made of sturdy nylon, contain those plastic sheet protectors, and a zipper round the edge for closing tightly.
So tightly that, apparently, when left open for a while, the moths who thought sitting on the pages for a brief rest might be a good idea, were startled to find themselves firmly imprisoned when the whole contraption was snapped shut and zipped up.
To be discovered by me, in between the pages, neatly pressed like a delicate wildflower, months, or perhaps years, later.
And so, in the spirit of the gift my mother thought she was giving me, I took the dead with the useful.
A brief service was held.
Followed by some flushing.
Copyright© 2025 Anne Morse Hambrock All rights reserved.
Finding Light In The Dark
As I mentioned in issue 104, I will be giving a talk that is open to the public in late May. I really appreciate the description that was written up for me by the folks at the White Lilac – they got right to the heart of what I try to do with these talks.
Date and Time: Sunday May 18th 3:00 p.m.
Location: White Lilac 5029 6th Ave Kenosha WI
Tickets: $20 available online here
Description from the White Lilac Website:
“A talk with Anne Morse Hambrock: Finding Light in the Dark
Join us at The White Lilac for a moving and memorable afternoon with Anne Morse Hambrock, as she shares her powerful and often humorous insights on navigating grief, loss, and the deeply human moments that connect us all. In her talk Anne draws from her personal experiences and creative work to explore how we can hold both sorrow and laughter in the same breath. With a warm and candid style, she reflects on illness, death, and the beautiful absurdities of life—offering comfort, connection, and a reminder that humor can be a surprising companion in even the darkest seasons.
Audiences often tell Anne that this is the message that stays with them long after the show—the one they come up to talk about when the lights come on. Whether you are navigating your own losses or simply want an evening that feels real, uplifting, and deeply human, this is an event not to miss.
About Anne Morse Hambrock:
Anne Morse Hambrock is a writer, cartoonist, and speaker whose work weaves together wit, wisdom, and emotional truth. She’s the creator of Anne & God, a comic that pairs poetic reflections with unexpected humor, and she’s been featured in literary and art publications across the country. In addition to her writing, Anne is an accomplished harpist and founder of The Kenosha Festival of Cartooning. Her live performances blend storytelling, spoken word, and genuine heart—reminding us that even in the face of grief, there is room for laughter and light.”
Help Me Make Music! Round 2
As I mentioned last week, I’m “group sourcing” input on a musical composition. (Click the link if you missed the previous music samples and would like to hear them.)
I thought it might be fun to have you all help me build a piece. Some of my work is what is referred to in musical circles as “through composed” but much of what I do is improvisatory. I usually start with small musical blocks and ideas and swirl them around in different ways looking for what I like, and may like to play again, and what I can do without. Sometimes the building blocks are a standard chord progression that devolves over time as I add harmonic U-turns and unexpectedness.
Because I primarily improvise when I play, each piece I “write” is a truly unique series of notes but I do capture bits of structure that I return to as I perform the piece. Usually that structure is in the form of the harmony choices and/or bass line patterns as the treble material ebbs and flows in the moment.
I took all the input I received last week and decided to focus in on one spot of the first recording - the part that sounded sort of Spanish. Today I added a Latin themed backing rhythm track to see where that would take me.
As I move forward, I will probably go back an revisit the original two samples and pick different things to experiment with.
For today please let me know your thoughts on this musical “doodle” - thumbs up, thumbs down, or indifferent. It’s all interesting to me and helps me make choices as I move forward. (A reminder that these clips are all spontaneous - warts and all.)
From The Garden
My grandmother always had hyacinths in her garden - this is one of those fragrances that always takes me back to the age of eight.
Mine have been blooming reliably every spring for over a decade so, if you are looking for a nice bulb you can count on, I recommend these.
Books
If you like my work there are two book collections for sale.
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Note: Lately I’ve been getting book orders that seem to have fraudulent payment methods so my store is not letting those orders through. If you have tried to order a book without success please reach out to me and we will dig into the problem. Either reply to this newsletter or message me via substack.
Archives And New Subscribers
If you are just joining us I’m so happy you are here!
Consider poking around the archives - there’s some fun stuff.
Tip Jar
If what I am doing is helpful to you please consider dropping a little something in the tip jar.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated! It really helps me keep going.
Keep The Messages And Comments Coming!
I appreciate the feedback and knowing how often I have struck a chord with your lives.
Let’s Talk About $$$
For 14 years, from 1991-2005, my husband created comic strips and shopped them to syndicates. The internet was barely a thing for most of those years, and what there was of it was out there in the open without paywalls, and my husband was not doing this project just for his health. He wanted to get paid for his creative efforts. So, for anyone who wanted to make a living from a comic strip, syndication was really the best path to pursue.
Or so we thought.
By the time he finally got a contract in 2005, and the strip launched to newspapers in 2006, the internet was sneaking up on all of us and hollowing out what was left of an already dying print newspaper industry. I’ll leave the comic strip syndication thing there because it’s worthy of a whole dedicated post. (Maybe a whole dedicated Substack.)
Suffice it to say that by 2010, when I began my first blog, my perception of how much a syndicate could do for you in this new digital world had changed significantly. My spirits were extra dampened when I asked my husband’s syndicate editor if there was any chance for syndication with my humor column. His response: “Columns are a tough sell. Humor columns are an impossible sell.” Another high profile editor mentioned that her most popular humor columnist (who was also at that time one of the nation’s leading humor writers) was in less than 100 newspapers.
Less than 100 newspapers barely feeds your cat.
Let alone you.
So I contented myself with writing humor columns for my local newspaper and some semi-regular blogging.
I don’t know really what I was hoping to achieve but “mommy bloggers” were the hot new thing. (FYI it’s how The Pioneer Woman got started.) Probably on the edge of my brain was the hope that somehow my sparkling wit would go viral and the cash would start rolling in.
Yes, well.
Over the years new social platforms would come and go and folks creating online content tried to gain traction with whatever seemed to be working best at the moment.
One of those was Patreon.
Patreon was very different. It actually was one of the first ways for a creator to get paid directly for their work rather than making all their money off merchandise like T-shirts or mugs. (BTW the profit margin on merchandise is teeny teeny tiny because the T-shirts and mugs themselves - and then the shipping costs - eat up most of what the consumer is paying. Unless you sell your mugs for at least $35 each. And I certainly don’t pay $35 for a mug. And don’t know anyone who does.)
I looked into Patreon and decided it was going to be exhausting. And probably not a good fit for me.
Because it wasn’t as simple as just having people pay you for what you were already doing. For Patreon to work, you had to add all kinds of extra special perks for the folks who were paying. I was already using just about every bit of creative energy I had to produce my regular material and could not imagine where I was going to find extra hours in the day to come up with an additional layer of special stuff for subscribers.
Which brings me to the main reason I have not turned on the “paid” feature here on Substack. I’ve been thinking of it like Patreon. As though I have to come up with a lot of secret bonus material if I start charging.
But one of my subscribers set me straight by pointing out that Substack has become more like a magazine or a streaming service where people are happy to support you just for whatever you choose to publish. They aren’t necessarily interested in extras. They just like being part of a community that values creative people doing creative things.
It was because of this subscriber that I went ahead and added a tip jar. (Which is working out pretty well - my continued thanks to those who take time to tip!)
A few of you have graciously gone ahead pledged annual support for if I ever DO decide to go ahead and fire up paid subscriptions. And for that I am extremely grateful.
I still have no current plans to go paid but it’s been really nice to know that what I’m doing here is resonating enough to encourage me further with a financial contribution or pledge.
I love the harp piece. You took my favorite part of the original 2 clips and sent it soaring!