Hey there. If you’re new to this Substack, this is the post for you. Grab a cup of coffee and make yourself comfy in the thoughts spewing from my brain to your eyes.
My name is Mackenzie. Friends (and foes) call me Mack. I used to be an avid Facebook user. Anytime something big happened to me, near me, about me, or around me, I would write out my thoughts in an overly long Facebook post. As I entered college, these posts became something called “Dialogue of a College Freshman.”
Dialogue of a College Freshman (DoaCF, for short) included amused musings on independent life as an eighteen year old. It grew and evolved as I did. Soon, I was no longer regaling the average Facebook person with my idiosyncratic way of life. Instead, I was sharing more thoughtful posts about faith, politics, and other such topics.
Dear friends kept telling me to start a blog. Upon further reflection, I think they were gently telling me to stop posting drivel on Facebook. No one wants to read my thoughts, anyway. Fast forward through years of time and personal growth, and, turns out, no one wants to read my thoughts anyway. Facebook was, and has always been, a bit of a dumpster fire. I made a Wordpress. A few treasured family members and friends read it. In lieu of paying for the web domain any longer, I decided to move the thoughts to a free Substack.
As I moved the posts from WordPress, I realized an introduction of sorts is in order.
So, who am I?
I am a college graduate. I studied Chemistry during my undergraduate years and loved every minute, however difficult, of my college years. I graduated early and I wish I knew to smell the roses when I was amongst them.
I am a convert to Catholicism. This happened while I was in college and is a very large part of my identity. I understand how polarizing an admission of faith can feel to non-religious folks. Therefore…
I am deeply committed to open dialogue and being comfortable with the unknown. I am not here to preach, condemn, judge or change anyone. I am here for deep conversation and mutual respect.
I am an aspiring lawyer currently in law school! (What a relief to type this in 2023.)
I really like coffee, reading, Harry Potter (as in, pre-2020 era Harry Potter), politics, philosophy, theology, laughter and TV shows.
I want this newsletter to be a place of connection with people who feel like they need space from everything. I started writing this in 2020. Everything was (and remains) difficult. I wanted to cultivate a space that people can opt for rather than avoid while on Facebook. In short, I made a Void to shout into. Welcome to the Void.
What’s the title all about?
I am effectively rebranding this space. I want the chance to discourse and discuss my one true love in this life: reading. I am so tired of attempting to have deeply nuanced conversations while hiding behind a keyboard. If you want to talk politics, theology, or…literally anything else…just send me a message. What I am more interested in discussing is BOOKS that discuss all these complex topics behind the protective screen of fiction.
Truth lives in the grey spaces. Let’s find that truth together. And, yes, just because something is fictional does not mean it is untrue.