WHAT WE'RE PRINTING
THE MUSES' MUSES
BY LOREN, SHUMMY & MEAGAN MUSE
The Muses’ Muses is a heartfelt, hilarious collection of life lessons passed down through generations. Written by three sisters—Loren, Shummy, and Meagan—this book blends laugh-out-loud anecdotes, timeless advice, and tender reflections on parenting, growing up, and navigating the messiness of life.
From “You can’t pour from an empty cup” to “The loudest duck gets shot first,” every chapter captures a nugget of wisdom shaped by their parents’ 61-year marriage, their Southern upbringing, and the real-life experiences of raising children (and being raised themselves). Along the way, you’ll find stories of triumphs and mistakes, kindness and chaos, and moments so relatable you’ll feel like you’re sitting at the family dinner table.
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Practical, humorous, and deeply human, this book isn’t just about one family—it’s an invitation to reflect on your own. Blank pages are included so you can add your family’s stories and musings, turning the book into a keepsake to pass down.
Growing up across three different cities—Charlotte, NC; Chattanooga, TN; and Lilburn, GA—Loren, Shummy, and Meagan don't claim to have been the picture-perfect family. Like most, we've experienced our share of challenges, triumphs, setbacks, and achievements. Nevertheless, through it all, we proudly upheld our shared values and ethics. Our upbringing was quintessentially middle-class, filled with sports, church activities, school engagements, and community involvement. We remain deeply grateful to our remarkable parents for giving us the freedom to make choices, face consequences, and steadily build our independence. Ultimately, our intention in sharing these reflections is simply to make the world feel a bit lighter and perhaps appear a bit brighter.
THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT BY ERIN CAMPAGNA
One’s early to mid-twenties, while arguably the most formative, are commonly referred to as “the trenches.” A cocktail of grief, guilt, and gratitude lifts the inhibitions we had as cautious kids and begins morphing into boundaries that protect our future. Campagna knows this as well as anyone—facing the loss of her best friend, broken bones, and the start of her career all in a matter of months. She bravely and brilliantly shares how these experiences have shaped who she is becoming, to remind us that love and loss, while inseparable, are sufferable and strengthening.
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We all have unique stories of how we’ve become who we are, but we’re also all tugging on the same thread of humanity, hoping to keep our balance. Some stories provide stability and reinforcement, while others sit with you in the physical and emotional pain of each fall. But no matter the ending, this time will be different.
Erin Campagna was born in Chicago, Illinois and studied creative fiction writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2022, she won an Honorable Mention in the Max Steele Prize in Fiction for her Honors Thesis, And So We Exist, which was then published as her debut short story collection. Her writing has also appeared in Cellar Door literary magazine. When not reading or writing, she can be found hiking, crocheting, dancing, thrifting, collaging, and ardently waiting for another Taylor’s Version album to be released. She lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina.
THE BARISTA THOUGHT MY NAME WAS MELANCHOLY BY MCCAULEY
The Barista Thought My Name Was Melancholy is an ode to the bittersweetness of life. One hundred pieces of poetry and prose that alchemize pain into purpose.
This book explores the utility of contrast in the pursuit of greatness. How we wouldn't know love without loss, gratitude without grief, or optimism without depression. Death is what gives life meaning, and the threat of regret is precisely why we take risks. Darkness is necessary for the moon to shine.
Thank you for your curiosity about this work. It exists thanks to the kindness of others. All love.
Raised in a laissez-faire household in a small North Carolina town, as a little kid McCauley packed her own lunch, did her own laundry, and was often the only girl in her karate classes and t-ball teams. Her father stressed independence; her mother demanded kindness. The only other rule was to make your own.
All four of her grandparents were alive, married, and living within 45 minutes of her childhood home until she was 19, which she considers to be the greatest blessing of her life. Much of her work is inspired by the stories and wisdom they shared, along with mental health and addiction patterns she’s observed. She now lives in Seattle, where she peacefully blends into a sea of introverts, spending most of her time writing in coffee shops.