What's Happening This Week
Monday, August 3, 2026
Happy August everyone! Here’s what’s coming up in Mastermind For Food Writers and The Food Writers Business Lab.
Two weeks at a glance:
Coffee Break Chat with Mira Dessy: Substack LIVE, Thursday, August 6, 5:00pm EST
DIY Cookbook Proposals with Kelsey Erin Shipman: Friday, August 7, 1:00pm EST
Mastermind For Food Writers Meeting. Free for all to join but registration is required. Wednesday, August 12, 11:00am EST
Coffee Break Chat with Laurie Mucha: Substack LIVE, Thursday, August 13 at 11:00am EST
The Heart of Your Brand with Rebecca Blackwell: Thursday, August 13, 5:00pm EST
Platform Building Q&A with Stephanie Moon: Substack LIVE, Friday, August 14, 3:00pm EST
Paid Subscribers: Register for the August Business Strategy Meeting here!
A quick note about recommendations
One of the ways Substack encourages cross-promotion is through Recommendations: The “also subscribe to…” prompts that appear when you first subscribe to a publication or upgrade to a paid subscription. These prompts are built into the platform and cannot be disabled by publication owners.
The recommendations for Mastermind For Food Writers are made up of rotating groups of 4 or 5 paid subscribers. Each month, I update the list with a new group of publications, giving different members the opportunity to be featured. It’s one small way I can say thank you to those of you who support this community with an annual subscription.
Coffee Break Chat with Mira Dessy
Coffee Breaks are 30-ish minute chats over Substack LIVE with the paid members of this community. It’s a chance to learn more about them and their work and talk about some of the real challenges and opportunities as a food writer today.
The first Coffee Break chat is with Mira Dessy on Thursday, August 6 at 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Please join us!
Mira is, without a doubt, one of the kindest, gentlest, generous people I know.
She comes to every conversation with deep insight, experience, and knowledge that she offers freely but in a way that makes you feel truly seen. She is a gift and I am grateful to kick off this series of Substack LIVE Coffee Chat conversations with her this week.
DIY Cookbook Proposals
In this two-part workshop, cookbook collaborator and book proposal consultant Kelsey Erin Shipman will walk you through every section of a cookbook proposal, using a her proprietary Book Proposal Checklist, developed after years of writing and consulting on dozens of book proposals.
You’ll leave understanding not only what belongs in each section, but why publishers ask for it and how to write it in a way that strengthens your overall project.
Part 1: Learn. The first session will be a recorded instructional workshop with an in-depth homework assignment to help you put the material into practice.
When: Friday, August 7, 1:00pm-2:30pm EDT
All recordings of Food Writers Business Lab workshops, including this one, are available for paid subscribers to watch whenever they like. So, if you are a paid subscriber and are unable to attend this workshop in person, you will receive access to the recording.
The August Mastermind For Food Writers Meeting
This month will be an open-forum-style meeting. Bring your questions, challenges, roadblocks, and requests for feedback. This is your chance to take full advantage of all the brain power and expertise in the room!
*Meetings are free to join but registration is required.
Wednesday, August 12: 11:00am, New York (Eastern Standard Time)
Meeting hosted by Rebecca Blackwell
Follow this link to register for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/o9ceFG9dSUCkkPKOWWMRTg
After you register for the meeting, you will receive an email that will allow you to add the meeting to your calendar in your time zone.
*Liza Debevec, the facilitator for the Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific Meeting, is taking a much deserved break in August, so there will only be one meeting in August.
Coffee Break Chat with Laurie Mucha
Laurie is an American who has been living in Europe for over a decade. She currently splits her time between London and Lake Annecy, France.
I’ll Have What She’s Having is Laurie’s free monthly newsletter where she writes about books, travel and food. She also hosts creative retreats and literary supper clubs.
Join me on Thursday, August 13 at 11:00am EST to talk with Laurie!
The Heart of Your Brand
Your loyal readers aren’t there because of what you write. They are loyal because of how your recipes, stories, and words make them feel.
In this workshop, we’ll uncover the central idea that gives your work meaning and makes readers feel connected to it. You’ll learn how to identify the feeling that people return for, articulate why readers are naturally drawn to it, and create a strategy for clearly communicating that message across your entire brand.
I could tell you this workshop will help you build a stronger brand. And it will. But, more than that, it’s about finding the language that makes every piece of your business feel unmistakably, authentically yours.
This class is taught by Rebecca Blackwell and scheduled for August 13, at 5:00pm EST
All recordings of Food Writers Business Lab workshops, including this one, are available for paid subscribers to watch whenever they like. So, if you are a paid subscriber and are unable to attend this workshop in person, you will receive access to the recording.
Platform Building Q&A with Stephanie Moon
Join Rebecca Blackwell and Stephanie Moon on Friday, August 14, 3:00pm EST for a Substack LIVE Q&A all about Platform Building.
We’ll be talking about what platform building actually is and Stephanie’s perspective on audience growth based on nearly two decades working in book marketing and publicity.
Remember that the Mastermind for Food Writers chat is a great place to ask questions, get feedback, share ideas, and connect with other food writers on Substack.
Have a wonderful week!
The goal of Mastermind for Food Writers and The Food Writers Business Lab isn’t simply to gather more information. It’s to build a better business alongside people who genuinely want to see each other succeed.