Welcome to Notes from the City!

Hi, I'm Nnenna! Pull up a chair and let's get to know each other ✨

photograph by Gabi

After months and months of toying around with the idea, I finally decided to go for it and launch my Substack. Welcome and thank you for being here!

If you’re coming over from my Instagram or TikTok, thanks so much for joining me on another platform- you’re the best! 🫶🏿

And if this is your first time coming across my content, hi, I’m Nnenna and it’s nice to meet you! I hope you’ll stick around!

Get to know me a bit better!

I’m a 30-something who’s lived in NYC for 13+ years. I lived in Manhattan for my first 8 years, then crossed over to Brooklyn when I moved in with my now-husband. I loved living in Manhattan and being right in the thick of things, but I also love living in Brooklyn and how neighborhoody it feels.

I’m actually originally from California (Bakersfield specifically), so I like to say that both coasts have my heart. I don’t see myself leaving NYC anytime soon, but if I ever did, I wouldn’t be surprised if I moved back to California.

I’m definitely a homebody and an introvert. Catch me inside, especially as these temperatures continue dropping! I love being snuggled up on my couch with a cozy blanket and my current read, with my cat Milton on my lap, and my husband by my side.

I’m definitely a girly girl as well. I love the feeling of a fresh manicure, I can’t resist a pretty dress, and I’ll throw on some lipstick when I want to feel more polished and put together. My current obsession is bows and don’t mind me as I find ways to work bows in everywhere!

Outside of reading, I enjoy getting crafty and my main hobby is probably journaling. I’ve been journaling since I was a little girl, and most recently I’ve been very into junk journaling (which got a shoutout in Vogue).

I’ve always loved sharing bits of my life online, starting with a blog back in 2010, then a YouTube channel in 2014 and bookstagram in 2015, TikTok in 2021, and most recently Threads in 2023. I would say I’m chronically online, which is pretty funny as I’d also consider myself a fairly private person!

Why I started a Substack

Blogging was my first love and I missed creating long-form content. Sometimes you just can’t fit all of your thoughts into the caption of an Instagram post, you know?

Substack feels like the perfect space to dive deeper in the the topics that interest me, including books, style, and journaling, and to share more about my life in NYC.

So, what can you expect to see here?

My plan is to publish a biweekly newsletter on Wednesdays and a monthly book round-up (so at least 3 posts a month). In the biweekly newsletter, I’ll write about the books I’m reading, the outfits I’m wearing or items on my wishlist, recent journal spreads and journal inspiration that’s caught my eye, and highlights from my daily life + links to things I find interesting.

I also have some ideas for other things that I’d like include down the line, including author interviews (coming in the near future!) and personal essays, so stay tuned for that.

In the future, I may consider putting certain things behind a paywall, but for now, all of my content will be free! If you enjoy my content here or on my other channels and want to support me monetarily regardless, you can show some love here. Thank you so much for being here!

This or That

To wrap up this post, let’s do a fun little This or That!

• Summer or Winter?

  Hands down, summer! I prefer the warmth and I love being on the beach. I feel like I thrive in the summer and hibernate in winter lol.

• Physical books, ebooks, or audiobooks?

  I’m mostly a physical book reader, with the occasional ebook and audiobook thrown in. Love an audiobook when I’m doing something where I can multitask, such as walking on the treadmill, and ebooks are perfect for when I’m traveling.

• Coffee or tea?

  It’s exclusively tea for me these days! I stopped drinking coffee several ago when I was having some stomach issues and never went back. Tea is definitely part of my daily routine and I typically have at least one cup a day.

• Savory or sweet?

  Definitely sweet. One thing about me is that I’ve got the biggest sweet tooth (and I’ve got the fillings to prove it 😅)

• Halloween or Christmas?

  Christmas all the way! Christmas is my favorite holiday and I think there’s something so magical about the holiday season. Give me the Christmas music and holiday romance movies/books- I’m here for it all. Catch me fa la la la laing around the city from now until December 31st!

Now it’s your turn!

I’d love to know more about you. Introduce yourself in the comments and/or tell me your answers to the This or That above!

Since I have a bit of time at the moment, I think I might post a little more frequently this month! See you back here on Wednesday for the first edition of Notes, my biweekly newsletter!