Get in, it's time to underline
New brand, same vibes 😎
I have long been an underliner. I’m a note-taker, a highlighter, a big user of sticky tabs. The better the book, the more distressed it looks when I’m done with it.
At the end of 2020 I began a practice that made my devoted underlining more valuable: I selected the 20 most beautiful sentences I had read that year and wrote about why they struck me.
In my fifth year of this practice, something clicked. People went crazy for the beautiful sentences. Months after sharing the 24 most beautiful sentences I read in 2024, I’m still hearing from readers. They’re still taking the time to say how much they loved reading all those lovely passages together and — even better — sharing their own underlines with me.
A reader whose name has escaped me1 and whose comment has been buried by all the chatter about the beautiful passages said something like That’s so powerful. The underlined.
I responded to her: The Underlined. Dare I rebrand?
I dared. It made so much sense to name my newsletter after something I do without thinking: underlining my books. Do you know how many times I’ve made my bed in the morning and found a pen or pencil buried in the sheets? Do you know one of my white fitted sheets has blue ink marks all over my side?
I’m an underliner. It’s always been my brand and now it’s official.
Introducing: The Underlined
As of today, Words on Words is now The Underlined. While the packaging is new, the cadence (Thursday mornings) and content (books! books! books!) remain. The purpose — a place for readers to discuss what we love about literature — also remains. All that’s changing is a name that fits and branding I really love. That, and I’m taking The Underlined to Instagram, sharing what I’m reading and, of course, passages I’m loving.
I’ve learned a lot since launching this newsletter late in 2023, and by far the most moving takeaway is that there are thousands of readers out there who also love to celebrate the beauty of literature. Let this be your place to share what you love.
Welcome to The Underlined.
What are you reading? What are you underlining?
What I’m reading: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
What I’m underlining: “First, I got myself born.” (The iconic first line of Demon Copperhead. I was seduced immediately.)
Love, Kolina
If this is you, please come forward! I dug so deep trying to find our interaction and came up short. I want to thank you for the inspiration. The Underlined — what a perfect name for this publication!
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The Underlined is a great title. I'm an underliner too...though my husband thinks it's terrible to write in a book. At the moment, I'm reading Maya & Natasha by Elyse Durham and underlining many beautiful lines!
I'm a fan of the new brand, Kolina! I don't underline a ton, but maybe I'll start doing it more- you're reminding me how satisfying it is! My go-to is those little sticky flags to mark a line/section of a page I want to come back to. But it's not as precise as underlining. :)