“Everything is an experience that you can use for your writing.”

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I first met Sophia here on Substack, as I’m a huge fan of work on

The Muse Letter

. Sophia had reshared one of my posts, something I always take as an honor— when someone cares enough about what you are writing to share with others. In her restack, she mentioned working in the service industry and how she supported herself in this line of work while she was writing. Since that is what this podcast is all about, I had to reach out and ask her to come on the show, and I was delighted when she said yes!

I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today. Sophia is open and honest about the writing life, making ends meet, and standing up for yourself along the way. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

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“Everything is an experience that you can use for your writing.”

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In this episode, we talk about: 

• Sophia’s experience working in cafes and restaurants in Berlin and Edinburgh. 

• Restaurant work during the pandemic. 

• The challenges and experiences she had in the service industry,  including dealing with difficult customers and the physical toll it took on her. 

• The start and success of her newsletter,

  The Muse Letter
   (including a shoutout from
  Pandora Sykes
  on Instagram that made a huge difference)

• The transition from the service industry to starting her own publishing press and teaching writing classes. 

• Self-publishing two memoirs (with a third in the works)

• Sophia’s experiences with writing and how working in the service industry provided inspiration. 

• The importance of standing up for yourself, especially in work situations. 

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“I feel like because I'm a champion for essay writing and nonfiction–kind of hybrid works—I really love the sort of the space where you're like, is this a memoir? Is this a poem? Is this an essay? I love it when you can't really tell exactly what that text is. And I feel like there's still a huge niche to fill with books like that. So that's the goal of my publishing press. To explore that more.”

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About Sophia Hembeck

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Sophia circa 2019 “working at the Theatre cafe, in uniform in the bathroom, listening to music and clearly summoning up the strength to go through another shift.”

Formally employed at 

• Theatre Cafe (2019/20)

• Coffee stall at Mauerpark Berlin (2015/17)

• Frau Kruger Cafe (2014/15)

• Cafe Amadeus (2013) 

Author of: Things I Have Noticed (2020), and Things I Have Loved (2023)

Favorite writing ritual: Listening to one song, very loud and on repeat while writing 

Favorite cocktail to order from the bar: Averna Sour 

Favorite meal to order: All the starters and anything with mashed potatoes 

What you do for work now: self-employed, running my own publishing press & teaching writing classes 

Bio: Sophia Hembeck is a writer and visual artist based in Edinburgh. She has published two books of essays called: Things I Have Noticed, 2020 & Things I Have Loved, 2023 and currently working on her 3rd to conclude the Things-Trilogy. Her bestselling substack 'The Muse Letter' is published every month, where she wonders about the meanderings of life. She holds a M.A. in Playwriting (Szenisches Schreiben, UdK Berlin) and is teaching creative writing classes since 2020. She is represented by Zoe Martin from JE Literary Agency in Berlin.

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“Everyone comes into a restaurant, everyone comes into a cafe and if you're open to it, you can actually meet the most interesting people with stories. I think especially as a writer, you will most of the time be alone, so use that [time] to connect.”

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