North of Normal: Written & Read
Welcome North of Normal Written & Read, featuring personal stories, observations, and lessons from Amanda McKeen on business, community, leadership, visibility, and life in Northern New Hampshire.
The Crack in Our Community
What does it really mean to feel connected to the people around us? After hearing Meghan McPhaul describe the “community living room” she experienced in Ireland, Amanda McKeen reflects on belonging, the role social media plays in our lives, and what we may be missing in our communities.
The Leap the North Country Needs
This week on North of Normal: Written & Read, Amanda McKeen shares a dream she had that may prove to be uncomfortable and controversial, yet she’s sharing anyway. This week’s blog The Leap the North Country Needs is Amanda’s latest writing, read here in her own voice.
Locked Out: Social Media, Survival Mode, and the Northern Flicker
I couldn't sleep. It was a Sunday night, and I was laying awake worrying about the future of humanity. There had been a sudden surge of news on my feed about AI developing faster than humans can contain it. I had read an article...
Three Days and Nights in a Potato Hole
Originally written in September 2025, Three Days and Nights in a Potato Hole began with an old newspaper clipping Amanda found while gathered with her family after the loss of her grandmother. The story, about her McKeen ancestors sheltering underground during a devastating storm in Stoneham, Maine, sent Amanda thinking about resilience, family, belonging, and the strange ways our lives can carry us back toward home.
How Much of You Is Really You?
Something new from North of Normal.
In this Written & Read episode, Amanda McKeen reads her latest personal reflection, How Much of You Is Really You?
It began with a conversation after the microphones were turned off and led to a much more personal question: How much of who we become is truly us, and how much develops as a way of protecting ourselves from being hurt?
This is Amanda’s original writing, read in her own voice.
The Cost of Staring at What Makes You Angry
Amanda reflects on how the things we focus on can quietly shape the direction we’re headed, even when we believe we’re only reacting to what’s in front of us.
The Coffee Pot Is Still Here
Amanda reflects on her conversation with Jean McKenna and what The Coffee Pot reveals about the lasting power of connection, belonging, and making people feel seen.
Remembering Levi
In reflecting on the loss of Levi, Amanda McKeen writes about depression, the pain people carry quietly, and the importance of letting someone walk beside us when the load becomes too heavy.
The Little Village That Learned to Listen
Through a fable set in a small White Mountains village, Amanda McKeen explores what can happen when a community stops shouting long enough to truly listen to one another.
Where I’ll Find Me: The Risk and Decision of Being Vulnerable
After revisiting her conversation with author and risk expert Ty Gagne, Amanda McKeen began thinking about vulnerability as a form of risk.