Welcome to Catalectic! My name is Alicia. I’m a writer and third-generation Washingtonian. I’m also a former cocktail waitress, bra fitter, and reality TV talent. I stumble when people ask me “what do you do?”; my favorite party trick is pretending I’m a lawyer. I’ve dabbled in storytelling and stand-up comedy. On any given weeknight, you might find me at The Moth.

The broad theme for this newsletter is “thoughts inspired by things I’ve read” — literary fiction, mostly — something I hope leaves room for both critique and commentary as well as neither-here-nor-there digressions, personal essays, anecdotes and stories.

On other corners of the internet, you might recognize me as an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform. I tend to think we’re all a little broken and am a strong believer in second chances, mercy, and grace.

Elsewhere on Substack

If you’d like to say hello, I can always be reached at: aliciamkenworthy [at] gmail.com. Some of the guest posts I’ve written on Substack are:

“Little Spoon” on “Just Enough to Get Me in Trouble

“On Process” on “Only Connect”

“The Man of the Woods” on “Eclecticism”

“Thank U (Niece)” on “Nicci’s Notes”

“Still Beautiful” on “Inner Life”

“Love in the Time of Incarceration” (Book Review Context Winner) on Freddie de Boer

On Subscriptions

I publish this newsletter bi-weekly (ish!) and occasionally send out more intimate, paywalled reflections to paid subscribers. If you do take out a paid subscription, it’s best to think of it like you would a donation to NPR. Paid subscriptions gift me the time and space to bring this newsletter to life on a regular basis. (Thank you!)

“Alicia's writing is honest, funny and somehow both off-the-cuff and super polished all at once. ”

Alex Dobrenko`, Both Are True

“Gorgeous, vulnerable prose with a sultry dash of sarcasm.”

Amran Gowani, Amran Gowani's Field Research

“Entertaining life observations mixed with smart creative writing.”

Mark Dykeman, How About This


Subscribe to Catalectic

ii. incomplete; partial; not affecting the whole of a substance

People

I love words and making people laugh