I don't know about you, but 2020 can go take a long walk off a short pier.

The backstory... 2020 started with my attempts to distract myself from feeling dangerously raw and vulnerable. The previous year felt like a rollercoaster and I was losing trust in the world, life, people...

My mom's emergency brain surgery, glioblastoma brain cancer diagnosis, watching her learn to walk, eat, do radiation, chemo... Travel from TN to CO to TN to WY to CO to WY to TN to almost immediately leaping into 45…

I recently released my new single Dr. Ford — I've performed this song in my live sets for 2 years and every time I do, someone walks up to me after the show to thank me for playing it. It's also still an emotional challenge for me to perform without crying and breaking up the song.

So anytime a songwriter releases a new song, especially one like this, we hope it's well-received by as many people as possible. This is why I was absolutely floored and deeply honored that ACLU So Cal featured my so…

Note: This episode might contain triggering content for some audience members.

This month in The School of Bravery we've been focusing on the bravery ingredient of POWER OF CHOICE, while last month we covered VULNERABILITY. Both topics relate to what I want to bring up with you today...

Cyberstalking.

This is one of the rawest and un-edited podcast episodes I've ever published. There is crying in this episode, but you'll also hear hope and thankfully, power of choice.

I've been silent on th…

This is @lecalethicia. She's a phenomenal harpist here this week at #Marrowstone2016. High schoolers and college students from all around the world audition to become students and symphony members under the tutelage of world-renowned faculty who also come from long distances to be here!

Every day for 14 days, the Western Washington University's performing arts building is soaked in Brahms, Bach, Tchaikovsky, and more. There are more kids than practice rooms. and the music and rehearsal schedule…

This is a hard blog post to write.

I've been feeling really rough lately.

At first, I thought it was my incessant "artist struggle" to get bills paid and pour myself out for all to see. I thought maybe it's that gosh-darned low grade depression which follows me around from time to time... (It very well might be.)

But as the gloom presses down upon me further and further, my detective-brain hunts furiously to get to the bottom of it. Perhaps it's just the continued life changes I've endur…

This may not be what the sky looks like tonight (it's from a couple nights ago) but it's how I feel right now. 

As a sophomore in college I spent over a semester living in Ankara, Turkey.

My time there was filled with *way* more serious things than your typical study abroad shenanigans. Turkey happened in the midst of my first year in recovery from my eating disorder. It was my first months of Prozac. It held an attempt at forgiveness. It broke down a lot (all?) of my internal barriers against…

Not many people get to see the "other" Seattle skyline: ferris wheel, stadiums, port paraphernalia, and Mt Rainier.

I got to call my dad while looking at this view sitting in traffic on my way home from teaching music.

My dad's a teacher too - a professor who wears bow ties, elbow patches, and gives exorbitantly long answers to simple questions. He's the one who taught me how to ask questions, sell lemonade, and be a feminist #girlboss.

My dad's pretty great.

Happy Father's Y'all!

Did I know when I woke up this morning that I'd be going to Portland today?

No, no I did not. 

Did I know at 12noon I'd be going to Portland today?

No, no I did not. 

Did I know at 2pm?

No, no I did not. 

Did I know at 4pm?

No, no I did not.  

I made the decision at 4:30pm to arrive at the train station at 5:30pm.

I can hear you saying, "Oh my god. Emily, you are insane."

Don't worry, I'm not.

I was furiously packing to catch the last train of the day and *simultaneously* talking my…

In the lulls between songwriting, album-making, and concert performing, I've been slowly working on writing a book.

Well, actually re-writing a book.

My plan is to completely overhaul a previously (and quietly) released version of a book I put together last year. The old version is currently unavailable to purchase, because it will be re-released newer, better, bigger, and more wonderful all-around. So you'll just have to sit tight and hold your horses.

Until today, this total overhaul proces…