Good morning, friend!

This is the first Letter (with the capital “L” because it’s a THING) so I’ll introduce myself. My name is Maggie. Pronounced… Maggie. Or May-ghee if you are from Seattle like my freshman year college roommate.

This is significant because I have had more than one (actually, many) person(s) in my lifetime ask if I was from Seattle. I apparently have some sort of Seattle (sometimes Portland) vibe happening. It’s not because of the way I pronounce my name I can tell you that much.

If anyone has any idea as to why I should be from Seattle, let me know.

Which obviously leads us to singing, writing, and making music and creativity accessible in more of life’s ordinary moments. Which is the actual bread and butter of The Letter.

Want to watch me do something amazing?

I am a musician. I am a songwriter.

Those words. They are still a little hard to say out loud without feeling like an imposter. For this gal who didn’t start “doing music” until well into her 30s (more like approaching 40), and only after her fourth child was born. For this gal who, up until this point, had never in a million years (or at least in 30+ years) thought that she would be SINGING in front of actual people.

What a plot twist!

And since you’re here, I’m wondering if you might say this about yourself, too. Or at least want to:

I am a musician. A writer. A poet. A creator of beautiful things worth sharing.

Does any of that feel even just a little bit right… or weird… to say? Yes? Well, we are cut from the same cloth, you glorious human. I hope you stick around.

We’re gonna work on this.

→ Folklore From the Brave-ish.

Have you ever gone to, or thought about going to, an open mic? How actually terrifying this was for me the first time I went. It's a really funny story looking back on it now, but my wish for you, if you've ever had open-mic aspirations, is that your first experience doing such an awesome thing unfolds a little more smoothly than mine did. (don't worry - it has a happy, happy ending! And was totally worth all the effort!)

The story actually inspired my idea to begin Folklore From the Brave-ish: A collection of inspiring writings, poems, and true stories, penned by both myself and others, of imperfect courage and everyday music-making.

The following is an excerpt from my own story - Head Full of Doubt (title borrowed from an Avett Brothers song). You can read the full version - including how The Avett Brothers magically cheered me on - here.

A flood of music hit as I swung the front door open and repeated my silent, mental refrain… “you belong”.

It then only took perhaps 15 seconds to realize.

This was no open mic. Not an open mic. “MAGGIE, THIS IS NOT AN OPEN MIC.”

No. Oh no. This was not the night where my folky, vulnerable, awkwardly-sung song would leave my lips for the very first time and float softly to the ears of a group of equally vulnerable people who would then tell me how brave I was for trying such a darn scary thing. This was…

a hip hop concert?

I froze as my brain glitched and I tried to sort out my next move. What is a stay-at-home mom holding a guitar in the middle of a hip hop concert supposed to do now?

→ I'll interrupt here to ask if you're okay? Are you okay? Because I wasn't.

Until I tried again.

I did indeed end up at that same place another week, another night, when there was an actual open mic happening. And that night… that night - my folky, vulnerable, awkwardly-sung songs left my lips for the very first time and floated softly to the ears of a group of equally vulnerable people who told me how brave I was for trying such a darn… scary… thing.

→ From the Department of Things Your Ears Need

​Eva Cassidy - "Over the Rainbow", Live at Blues Alley (1996)​

Eva helped fund this live recording herself after her music career had stalled - she was a local artist, working at a plant nursery and doing what she could to invest in her own music. How beautiful and brilliant she was ✨

Maggie Pope is the Creator/Founder of Fire & Sound.

She's also a musician, songwriter, mother, retired olympic hopeful, was a zookeeper, and lived in a funeral home.