“The stylist swept up my hair clippings. I joked: That’s all my baggage.”

“When I told Nicolene I was traveling alone, she instructed me
to get a small gun, or a rottweiler. She has two.”

“A lot of this trip isn’t going to go as planned. I’m glad.”

In 2019, with a new diamond ring on my finger, I was at a transition point in life. Staring at what looked like my future, I could see raising babies with my undercutting fiancé, an endless loop of traffic to and from work, empty Los Angeles gatherings, and a constant striving for someone to validate my work, to validate me.

I felt disconnected from the world, from my own intuition, and every move felt like an uphill battle.

I told my grandma I couldn’t stop thinking about throwing my life into my car and driving east. She said, and I quote, “Well I guess you better fuckin’ do it.”

And I did.

I knew I would take the southern route, and for my first night, I reserved a campsite in the Grand Canyon. The rest I’d just have to trust myself to figure out.

My mission was to re-center myself, find creative community, and redefine what I wanted my life to look like — if that was even possible.

Originally started as a private blog for my closest friends and family to track my whereabouts on the trip, Coyote Gratitude is my nonfiction cross-country coming of age story. The story is told through photos, poems, personal essays, and short stories — but also unconventional entries like browser history, voice memos, and meditations.

It's our story

We've all been cooped up for quite some time now. If you're missing the world — if you love shenanigans and the momentary wisdom that can only come from chance encounters — if you're at any stage of a personal journey — Coyote Gratitude is for you.

And if you're not much of a reader, that's great: With the longest entry only five pages long, Coyote Gratitude is meant for bite-size reading.

From Emily J, who read an early manuscript:

"Because you were receiving messages from experiences and people, I was receiving messages from the book. When you are available to the universe, that openness yields serendipity. (But it only happens when you are ready to see things.)

I craved the discoveries you were making. And so I sort of willed myself to discover things about myself, and the journeys I myself am on, as I read."

Coyote Gratitude is intended to be experienced, and will be published as:

1. First Edition Hardcover, in full color

This story wants to be held in one's hands, with weight. It wants to be leaned on, used to write notes in. And it wants to give you those exhale moments that only come from seeing something truly beautiful (like a picture of the Grand Canyon), and go "Wow." 

P.S. All first edition copies are marked with a first edition embossment — and will have a handwritten message from me inside.

2. Audiobook, narrated by the author (me), with bonus audio content

Narrating an audiobook has been on my bucket list for years. And finally, I've found the right material — which happens to be 100% in my voice.

In addition to an audio version of the book, there will be additional audio tracks included: Live music from the trip (including my attempts to learn to play the ukulele), soundscapes of various locations, perhaps an audio memo or two... 

And there's more...

Simply selling a book is one thing, but crowdfunding is quite another. By pledging with Coyote Gratitude, you're not just funding the sales of one book — You're getting in on the ground floor to make something a reality, and supporting a message (or perhaps an artist) you believe in. 

I genuinely appreciate you, and I want to continue to share my work with you going forward.

That's why, even after the campaign has closed, all pledges will receive exclusive e-content (a small collection of irreverent poems, pictures, essays, shenanigans), from me once a quarter. Just for you (in fact, password protected). At four times a year, it's simply a gift from me to you.

Other incentives every pledge receives: a social shoutout (with personalized graphic) and a spotify playlist from the trip.

The incentive I might be most excited about is the Vagabond Gift Set: If the book allows you to read/see the adventure, and the audiobook allows you to listen/hear it, this gift set is designed for your other senses.

While the first edition embossed, hand-noted hardcover will only be offered to pledges, this crowdfunding campaign is only the first step in Coyote Gratitude's publishing journey.

Step One: Crowdfund for the first edition pre-sales, and collect enough orders to place a bulk order with a print-on-demand printer.

if that goes well ...

Step Two: Deliver all first edition hardcovers and incentives to pledges. Continue direct print-on-demand sales through juliehaberstick.com (which allows a more direct connection between myself and the audience) — and local brick-and-mortar sales, in a few New Orleans boutiques.

if that goes well ...

Step Three: Add wider online publishing (e.g., Lulu, Amazon, etc.) and continue direct sales through juliehaberstick.com. Brick-and-mortar sales could expand to other cities, especially those with strong "creative communities."

The plan is to gradually reach wider and wider audiences, growing those relationships naturally.

Personal gratitude to you

To the folks who are already part of my creative wanderings — who've already seen or read my work, inspired me at open mics, let me stay with them on this trip — to my friends and family (and even the special folks in outer circles): I feel deeply grateful for you.

And if you don’t know me, or if you haven’t experienced my work before, I hope we can get to know each other — And that I can pay that gratitude forward, to you.

Let me take you on an introspective journey across the country — by coming with me on a journey to put this story into the world. Sending you good vibes,