Why I’m Not Doing NaNoWriMo After All

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Earlier this year, in June or July, my writing partner Jordan Bianchi and I made the joint decision to pause work on our fiction podcast, which we had been developing together for the past four years. We both realized that, while we were still making slow progress on the script and outline for the podcast, our hearts weren’t fully in it anymore: we needed a break. We wanted to come back to this project when we were refreshed, energized, and ready to finally bring this fantastically wild and complex fantasy story to life for all to hear. With no daily page goals to make, no weekly calls to show up for, and no research rabbit holes to dive down, I found myself with a lot of newly freed up time to work on my novel.

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Appearance on Aurora Airwaves – Ep. 21

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In Episode 21 of Aurora Airwaves, we’re excited to welcome mixed media artist Peter Hanley and writer Amanda Bintz! 🎨🖋️ Peter Hanley, known for his experimental mixed media contributions to the Philadelphia street art scene, discusses his latest project, “We Are Friends! Yes!” We dive into his creative process and explore his ventures into integrating creative writing with different mediums. Peter and Amanda, who are newly engaged, also share their experiences of living together while working on creative projects. They offer a candid look at how they balance their artistic endeavors while supporting each other’s work, including writing stories and workshopping ideas.

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Appearance on Aurora Airwaves – Ep. 14

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Amanda Bintz on episode 14 of "Aurora Airwaves," a podcast about creative well-being and artistic discovery hosted by Jordan Bianchi, a writer, filmmaker, and professional content creator. Together, Jordan and Amanda delve into creating the ideal writing environment, balancing discipline with rest, and the transformative power of vulnerability in storytelling.

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A Five Star Filled with Morning Pages

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On a rainy Thursday morning, I finished my first morning pages notebook.

”Morning pages” is a practice for artists recommended in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (available on Amazon). I have my writing partner Jordan Bianchi to thank for turning me on to The Artist’s Way, which is a self-guided course for artists to reconnect with their creativity while healing their inner artist/child. Morning pages is one of the two main tools recommended in the course.

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How to Start Submitting to Literary Magazines

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Since I started submitting my writing to literary magazines a couple of years back, I’ve had several fellow writers express a desire to understand how submitting works, exactly. I do not gatekeep, so whenever the question comes up I immediately gush everything I have learned thus far, but I realize it’s a lot to take in over one phone call or a round of drinks. Hence, this guide. It includes all the information I would have wanted to know before I started submitting. If you want to start submitting, start here.

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The Women of Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke"

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This afternoon, I saw “Princess Mononoke” at the Philadelphia Film Center.

“Princess Mononoke” was the first Miyazaki movie I ever saw. I watched it on VHS, on a tiny TV with a built-in VCR in my childhood bedroom. I’ve seen it dozens of times in the two decades since, dubbed more often than subbed. (I prefer the dub, for nostalgic and Neil Gaiman reasons—if you know, you know.) This time, in theaters, it was the sub. The immersive, almost magical nature of experiencing this Japanese story in its original language, the sweeping nature scenes, and the swelling music of Joe Hisaishi’s incredible score all contributed to my main takeaway from this viewing:

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