Hi.
I’m Patti Digh—author of Life Is a Verb and seven other books about creativity, mindful living, and social justice.
I published my first op-ed when I was 12, calling out Nestlé for endangering babies in developing countries by providing them with powdered formula that required clean water, which wasn’t available there. I didn’t know then that I was beginning a lifetime of writing toward justice. I just knew words mattered.
They still do.
For more than two decades, I’ve sent From My Orange Desk into the world—essays about paying attention, telling the truth, making art, resisting injustice, and living awake in complicated times.
This is not content for scrolling.
It’s writing for staying.
“Damn, girl. You write good.” -Lee Hancock, Dallas Morning News
If you’re hungry for depth, for courage, for imagination—pull up a chair.
Why Subscribe?
Subscribe, and each Monday, an essay arrives directly in your inbox. On Wednesdays, a poem. On Thursdays, a set of curious internet links to ponder. No algorithms deciding what you see. Just words, delivered.
Why Become a Paid Subscriber?
When you are a paid subscriber, you’ll also get my Friday essay and access to the whole archive of my writing here on Substack.
Paid subscribers are also entered in a monthly lottery to receive a free 5x7 linocut print, hand-carved and hand-printed by me. A gentle heads-up: I am a beginner block printer. Which means… each print comes with “personality.” And possibly evidence of learning. These prints will be equal parts hope, learning, and ink.
If this work steadies you, challenges you, or reminds you who you are, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Your support:
Sustains independent, justice-rooted writing
Unlocks the growing archive of past essays
Helps build a community that values depth over noise
In a loud world, this is a quiet, intentional space.
If that matters to you, your support matters to me.
Love,
Patti Digh
