My full name is Elizabeth Nadine.

I’m a storyteller who’s lived all across Missouri, from the urban core of Kansas City to its suburbs and now in rural mid-Missouri. Here, I untangle the stories of my ancestors and connect them to the systems that still impact us today.

But you can call me Betsy.

I especially like to write about my paternal grandmother, Nadine, who raised ten children while navigating poverty, Catholicism, domestic violence, and a rapidly changing world in urban Kansas City during the 20th Century. By examining her life before mine began, I explore the larger forces that shaped her world and, in turn, my future: gender roles, religion, race, public policy, and the Midwestern culture that wove through it all.

I try to connect the dots between policy decisions and the lived realities of working families. Nadine’s story, and stories like hers, help show why that matters.

Here, you’ll find reflections, research, family history, historical fiction, and political analysis — sometimes all in one post.

If you enjoy my writing and want to help support this work, you can buy me a coffee. It helps me to dream a little bigger for the future.

If you choose to subscribe to my paid plan, you will receive access to a weekly series called Inside the Cedar Chest, which offers a deeper dive into the people, places, and pivotal moments that shaped Nadine’s life. You’ll also get early glimpses of what’s ahead: ideas in bloom, stories in progress, and projects made possible by your support.

Thank you for being here!