Hi! Tomorrow, March 30, is the one-year anniversary of From Boise.

1 year. 52 weeks. 104 newsletters. Whew.

When I sent the very first newsletter, it was to 250 subscribers and I was freaking out. I was soo nervous about it. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing and like I wouldn’t know what to write about. I was nervous about the commitment of twice a week.

It all just felt very big, and very public, but at the same time it felt so exciting and fun and challenging. Looking back, I’m so glad I focused on the fun and not the fear.

As we wrap up the first year of From Boise, I thought it was time to tell the story of this newsletter and the people who run it.

Meet Marissa

I’m the person who writes to you every week! In all honesty, I feel very uncomfortable introducing myself publicly like this. I like to be behind the scenes and fly a lil under the radar if you know what I mean.

Most of all, I just don’t want this newsletter to be about me – because it’s not. It’s about Boise and the people and places that make it so wonderful. I am simply the messenger.

Stories have always been a big part of my life and it is the way I make sense of the world. I grew up on a wheat farm in Eastern Oregon with my big sis Taylor. Tay is a voracious reader and she started reading to me pretty much from the first day my parents brought me home. We did not have a TV growing up. Instead we had lots of books, and art supplies, and acres upon acres of wheat fields where we spent long hours playing, making up stories about old tin cans we found or epic battles fought in the irrigation ditch by our house.

I struggled through high school and couldn’t wait for the fresh start that is college. My mom and I visited Boise for the first time in October of 2010, and I vividly remember being blown away by the beauty of this city. The trees were so bright and the weather was lovely. We ditched the BSU campus tour halfway to walk the Greenbelt and through downtown. We hiked and rode bikes and ate on every restaurant on 8th Street. I looked at one other college for like a minute and told my parents I wanted to move to Boise.

I arrived in Boise in August of 2011. I entered Boise State studying nursing, following my sister and mom’s footsteps. And then I promptly failed every single class except my communication classes. I felt horrible and stupid, like a total failure, but then I switched my major to communication and it literally changed my entire life.

When I graduated in the winter of 2014, I had no plan. I was 21, had student loans, no job, and had no idea what kind of job I even wanted. The family I had nannied for told me to apply for an entry level opening at a PR agency in town. I did and I got the job. This was the first time that I realized I was a writer.

During my time at the agency I wrote a lot of things. I wrote websites and blog posts and social media copy. I wrote white papers about education and talking points about legislation. I wrote proposals and communication plans. I wrote scripts for ads and speeches for elected officials. But my favorite thing of all was writing about Boise.

I had a client that did all economic development work. I didn’t even know what economic development meant when I started, but I was immediately interested. We had a started a blog-style website that was all about growth and business in Boise and I was given the task of running this website. I would scour local news and republish interesting and inspiring news stories. I interviewed business owners who were moving their businesses to Boise. I went to grand openings and listened to discussions at City Club. I started a series called “Office Envy” where I went to cool offices and then wrote about why they were interesting and different.

During this part of my life I fell deeply and uncontrollably in love with Boise. I covered more ground in the valley than I ever had before and I had this intense energy driven by interest in my surroundings. I was so eager to learn more, and more to learn just kept coming at me.

Nearly four years into this job, I was ready for a change. I was single and only owned a cat and a laptop. I dreamed of traveling the world and doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Mostly, I just wanted to write about things that I was excited about and I wanted to write those things in a setting where I felt best in that moment. Sometimes I wanted to be outside in the sun, in the corner of a coffee shop, or even out in the middle of nowhere. But all the time, I wanted to be able to choose the structure of my day for myself. So, I left to be a freelance writer.

Fast forward to early 2021, I said to my partner, “This year I want to find a client that will let me write about whatever I want.” He laughed because this sounds so far-fetched ya know? Like yeah, wouldn’t we all like to get paid to do whatever you want. But then I saw Nathan’s tweet and a few weeks later, I was writing the first From Boise story.

From Boise is by and large my dream activity. I didn’t say job, because it doesn’t even really feel like a job most of the time. I really, really love learning more about Boise and revisiting places and things that made me fall in love in the first place. Also, I just really like to have fun and meet people haha.

The responsibility of sharing others’ stories is something I carry close to my heart, always. I feel energized and excited about where I live with each story I write, and I hope that you feel that energy with each one you read, too.

Meet Nathan

Nathan is the reason why From Boise exists. If Marissa is the voice of From Boise, Nathan is the brain.

Nathan was born and raised in Boise, and has had a live of adventures. He is the creator of ConvertKit, which is the platform that this newsletter is run on. He's also an author, speaker, creator, husband, and a father.

Nathan guides the strategy of From Boise. He's the one driving ideas about advertising and growing our audience. He recently wrote a blog on his personal site about growing From Boise over the last year, and you can learn more about him there too.

If you are a creator looking to grow your audience, listen to Nathan. He knows what's up.

How From Boise started

In December 2020, Nathan was hanging out with his family at a cabin in the mountains brainstorming what a local newsletter for Boise could look like. He was a fan of the Capital Daily for Victoria, BC and he loves Boise at least as much as Andrew Wilkinson loves Victoria.

But Nathan did not have time to run a newsletter. So he sent out a tweet.

A few days after the new year, my former boss sent me this tweet with a note, "this would be perfect for you!" I applied and after a few zoom calls, we were off and running.

I met my friend Taylor Walker for a work date and we brainstormed names. She came up with the name From Boise, With Love, which we eventually shortened to From Boise.

Nathan started collecting subscribers. I started brainstorming and eventually writing stories. On March 30, 2021 I sent a story titled "what's going on in Boise these days?" to 250 people.

Today, this story is sent to nearly 10,500 people, including you <3

I love when y'all write to me and tell me that From Boise has become a place for you to find fun ways to spend your time. My goal with From Boise is be a resource for you to continue to learn about your surroundings, regardless of how long you have lived here. I hope that From Boise allows you to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for Boise. I hope that you feel excited and proud to live here. I hope that From Boise brings you closer to your city and the people you share it with. I know it sure does for me.

Now that you know a little bit about me, I'd love to know you a little bit about you, too! I don't ask for any info when you sign up for From Boise. But I'd love to know who is reading, so I can make sure my stories stay interesting and helpful. Will you answer a few questions for me?

Thanks so much for reading! Much love to you all.

With love from Boise,

Marissa

​

Love this newsletter? I'm so glad! You can keep it going by supporting it here.