The month of March is at end. With that comes the month end wrap up at Gen X Watch. Before we continue with that… thank you! This year has already featured 3 guest writers and continued growth every month. Additionally, some of the readers here have been so wonderful in their continued support as Patreons, the Indiegogo for Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World, and some of you who went above and beyond to help us by sharing publicity, helping secure sites for the tour, and a great many other little acts of kindness that make a big difference.
Without you, this would be a diary written by a few weirdos, but with you there is a growing site, community, and even a book series! You drive everything and we are grateful for you and beholden to you.
Before we dive into your top three, a little bit of housekeeping is in order.
Hearts of Glass Kick Off
A release in 3 parts! Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World releases next month! To celebrate that release, there is a kick off tour before the main book tour! The kick off tour is happening in 3 amazing spaces, each one containing special meaning!
April 5th-Fountaindale Library-Bolingbrook Il!
On Saturday, April 5th, from 2:30 to 5:00pm we will be at Fountaindale Public Library!
Bolingbrook is where I grew up and where I raised my child from birth until the age of 14. Five generations of my family has been served by this library and it is going to be a sublime homecoming. This library is where I had research help for assignments, has access to resources like typewriters to complete assingments and work on personal projects, attended seminars by storytellers and experts in important fields, and discovered the wonder of books with stories that would inspire and save my life.
Knowing that I get to present there and that a copy of my book will be available for people to check out means everything. I get to be a part of the story of Fountaindale Library! It’s going to be great to be home!
If the Facebook invite is any indication, there will be other people having a mini homecoming that day as well as they attend with their children, and in some cases, grandchildren!
April 17th-Peoria Book Rack-Peoria Il!
“If it plays in Peoria…” The Peoria Book Rack is not only an amazing woman and veteran owned bookshop, their understanding of a sense of community and celebration of books is so strong. Peoria is not only in central Illinois, but it is in many ways the Heartland and crossroads of America. To know that Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World has an opportunity to play in Peoria is too exciting a prospect to resist.
Several readers at Gen X Watch are from the Peoria, Morton, and other nearby communities and it is worth the three hour drive to spend time with them and the new friends I have yet to meet!
April 19th-Frugal Muse Books Music and Video-Darien Il!
We close out the launch with yet another homecoming. Frugal Muse is literally the bookstore down the road from me. For 11 years they have been my primary bookshop. On my bookshelf is 11 books by Hunter S Thompson. Every single one of those have come from Frugal Muse. As I look at my bookshelves, Frugal Muse represents at least a third of my personal library.
To know that the dynamic duo husband and wife team that drive this community hub are allowing me the time and the space to present Hearts of Glass is so meaningful to me on so many levels.
So there we go. The homecoming, the heartland, and my favorite!
Your Top Three Articles for March
You have been reading and sharing this month! Gen X Watch has had it’s largest spike in 2025. We have had a 19% increase in unique readers with an equally amazing 12% increase in pageviews! Gen X Watch is nothing without you. You keep showing what is done here matters enough to you to keep reading, keep commenting, and keep sharing in a time where algorithms make it harder for audiences and small content producers to connect. So now, let’s get into your top three articles!
#3-Storytelling as Resistance-The Power of Jenny’s Words
Jenny has been written about in 2 Fem Friday Features at Gen X Watch and interviewed twice. For the first time, she has written an article about her life and experiences and perspectives on the character based on her in Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World. She also writes about how stories are an act of resistance and the power of our words!
#2 Generational Trauma and Unexpected Guest Writers
The character Cassie is based on two women featured in Fem Fridays. Heather and Kathy! Over the last year I have gotten to know Kathy’s adult daughter. I did not know she was writing this article, she was part of a coup headed by Jenny to Gen X Watch, Hearts of Glass, and me. What she wrote is deeply emotional to me and it meant a lot to many of you.
#1: Still Talking About Uncle Rico and Unhealthy Nostalgia!
We need to talk about Uncle Rico was written Summer of last year and it has dicovered a new life the last few months! The article cuts to the heart of unhealthy nostalgia that keeps you stuck in a moment just like Uncle Rico in the beloved movie Napoleon Dynamite! Diving deep into the core of health and unhealthy nostalgia is a core value at Gen X Watch! To know that one of the articles written about that core value keeps finding a new audience is wondrous.
Trends and Thanks
The original idea of Gen X Watch was not only delving into healthy nostalgia and building bridges with younger generations, it was meant to be driven by other columnists and I would be an editor in chief ensuring the wonderful writers are read, seen, and highlighted. It is still the goal, but this month the readers validated Jenny and Sapphire showing that they want to read the voices of others they would not be able to read anywhere else!
The subject matter you are drawn to in this unique times we are in? Awareness of the dangers of unhealthy nostalgia, the power and importance of stories as resistance and change, and the impact of generational trauma and the hope of healing through stories and multigenerational engagement.
Cant wait to meet some of you on the road with the Hearts of Glass tour!
Stay Totally Awesome!
Stay True to You!
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