A Little About Me
Shedding some light on the person behind the blog.
I’ve been avoiding writing something introducing myself for a while.
The first piece I uploaded to Substack was very personal; the only readers I expected to engage with it were people who knew me or had met me in real life. Those readers all had a perception of me as a person, even if it was an outdated high school version of myself or the overly friendly Emily you meet in line for the bathroom at a party. I didn’t need to explain myself or my qualifications when it came to writing about family and how I processed my emotions, especially if my social media following was the only audience. Now that I’ve started to branch out into commentary on music and readers who only know me from a few pieces of writing have subscribed, I figured now would be a great time to share a little about myself. If I wait any longer, I might seem rude.
Let’s start with, Hello.
I’m Emily, a 23-year-old Libra who loves writing, music, and overthinking.
I was raised in the great state of New Jersey, where I am currently based. My parents are New Yorkers, but if you were to ask, “Where are you really from?” I would force an awkward smile and say my mom is Puerto Rican (grandma) and Chinese (grandpa), and my dad is Black, with roots in North Carolina.
I graduated from Hunter College in 2023, which I still consider recent, Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Africana, Puerto Rican, and Latino Studies, as well as a certificate in Arts Management. While in undergrad, I conducted research through the Mellon Public Humanities and Social Justice Scholars program focusing on Jazz, the politics of Respectability, and Black feminism. If you’re interested in that work, you can watch my thesis presentation or talk and concert event. I was also an active member of Hunter College Radio, WHCS, as a Disc-Jocky, hosting a weekly show called Songs I’ll Never Get Sick of.
Currently, I work as a reporter for WBGO 88.3 FM. Where I cover stories about arts, culture, and music. Growing up, WBGO was constantly on in my house, so it still feels surreal to contribute to the station. Outside of WBGO, I am interested in Black culture, specifically Black American music and the pop culture of the 20th century, which you’ve likely gathered from my previous post on Substack. I enjoy commenting on whatever sparks my interests on this blog, sewing (as shown below), listening to music, and spending time with friends. Right now, I hope to go to graduate school and obtain a PhD so I can read, write, and learn more about Black American music and its importance to the world.
Those are all my serious-sounding facts and qualifications. However, as you may have gathered from my previous posts, everything circles back to the personal, and my studies and career hopes connect to things that interested me as a kid.
Growing up, music was always an essential outlet for me. I sang whenever I could and didn’t care if it bothered anyone. My dad was the music lover in our house, and his taste has greatly influenced me. When I was finally old enough to have an MP3 and eventually trusted with an iPod Nano, he would always load music on it for me, much of which were songs he liked and hoped I would. I didn’t have a rebellious reaction to this; I enjoyed all of it, which made my taste eclectic for a kid. I distinctly remember my submission song for the entire fifth grade to sing at our moving-up ceremony was Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration.” We sang it, and I had a solo. During my first year as a college DJ on Smith College’s WOZQ 91.9, I had a two-hour block entitled “Songs from my Father,” where I played some of the tunes I loved most.
Writing and storytelling became an interest of mine less immediately. As a girl, I struggled with reading, writing, and spelling. I never liked to write because I was scared of making mistakes and still feel that way sometimes. Despite having a hard time getting my ideas on paper, I always had various things to talk about and found that articulating myself orally was my greater strength. I had support from teachers who recognized my intelligence many years before I ever would and found myself writing short stories I never finished in notebooks and enjoying fictional worlds more and more.
In high school, I became a jazz nerd. I was playing trumpet in my school’s band and became a student at a local jazz education program called Jazz House Kids. This is where my relationship with music changed. I was becoming more knowledgeable and surrounding myself with fantastic young musicians who were becoming serious about music as a career and more than a hobby. I was learning about music from incredible professionals and felt so excited by the rich tradition of Black American music. Even then, I knew being a professional musician wasn’t for me; I hated practicing, but I knew I wanted to continue to surround myself with music and Black Culture and have a hand in shaping conversations about it.
The challenge with introductions that don’t occur naturally or without a mediator is deciding what things about myself I want people to know. What are the necessary details and fun tidbits that make me seem interesting? It’s almost like making a dating profile. Try to put in all of the good and glaze over the bad. One’s narrative is also in constant flux. What feels accurate right now? Even if it will be embarrassing later. Answering those questions has completely stumped me and been a big part of my avoidance. Introspection isn’t the most enjoyable pastime. And we don’t often get to curate a specific image of ourselves. First impressions can be tough, and through my writing, I’ve made a good enough impression to gain a few dozen readers. I hope this brief post helps demystify and reaffirm that I am an actual person. I also hope it isn’t a huge disruption from any preconceived ideas, though, to be honest, I am interested to know what everyone who hasn’t met me assumed. Am I older or younger? Do I give off New Jersey girl energy? Am I a surefire libra? I do think I come off as much cooler, more thoughtful, and more intelligent on here than in real life, and that my internet persona, though somewhat different than who I am day to day, is actually a great representation of what is central to me.
Here’s hoping I’ll get to know a little more about you readers, too, and that after this brief hello, you’ll stick around for whatever comes next.
Until soon,
Emily