Today, I turn forty.
Rather than celebrate with a midlife crisis, I've decided to launch a new creative venture, ask the people who've supported my work to consider supporting it financially, and see just how much trouble I can get into.
Welcome to Rogue Railbird.
For those of you who have followed my adventures over the years, you already know that I've worn quite a few hats. Attorney. Educator. Artist. Entrepreneur. Writer. Poker player. Occasionally, a professional pain in the ass.
You know me—a smart-ass artist.
It's been an unconventional journey, to put it mildly. But today, I find myself more confident, accomplished, and comfortable with myself than I've ever been.
And I owe a surprising amount of that to poker.
A Love Letter to the Railbirds
I adore the poker community.
Not because we're particularly agreeable people. Hell no.
We're tenacious, audacious, eclectic, stubborn, brilliant, occasionally ridiculous, and united by a passion for a game that can make otherwise perfectly rational adults behave in spectacularly irrational ways.
Our differences can be vast, our opinions mercurial, and our arguments legendary—at least until next week's scandal gives us something new to fight about.
And yet, somehow, we keep coming back to the same tables.
Over the years, I've had the enormous pleasure of meeting, befriending, interviewing, learning from, and cheering on some truly extraordinary people in the peculiar communities I'm a part of.
That's where the Railbird comes from.I've always loved watching other people chase their ambitions, discovering what makes them tick, hearing their stories, and celebrating their victories.
Success is considerably more fun when you have someone to share it with. And the losses sting a little less in good company.
Poker isn't the only thing that fascinates me, and the stories worth sharing don't always happen on the felt.
A Little Trouble Never Hurt Anyone
I've never been particularly good at keeping my opinions to myself.
My early writing about WSOP reporters managed to set a few passions ablaze. I've been unapologetically vocal about my use of AI-assisted creative tools. And my efforts to help the poker community navigate the 90% gambling-loss deduction change attracted detractors even as I tried to do something beneficial for everyone.
Apparently, even trying to help can get you into trouble around here.
But here's the thing: I like asking uncomfortable questions, challenging assumptions, and engaging with people who are smart enough to make me reconsider my own positions.
I don't aspire to be universally agreeable. Frankly, that ship sailed years ago.
I aspire to be interesting, thoughtful, fair, and occasionally a little provocative.
Hence, Rogue Railbird.
So, What Can You Expect Around Here?
First and foremost, all the poker coverage you've come to know, love, and expect from me you'll get: interviews, opinion pieces, lifestyle features, industry commentary, and stories about the fascinating people who make this community what it is.
But Rogue Railbird won't be exclusively about poker.
I'll also be exploring entrepreneurship and the adventures (and misadventures) of running small businesses and more. Expect reflections on life experiences, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and the wonderfully unpredictable world of creative expression, including some occassional sexual spice if I play my cards right. Occasionally, I will write about some of my favorite fandoms and media.
I'm particularly interested in the intersections between these subjects: how creativity fuels entrepreneurship, how technology changes the way we work and think, and how the experiences we accumulate shape the people we become.
Sometimes I'll introduce you to someone extraordinary. Sometimes I'll share something I've learned the hard way. And sometimes I'll have an opinion that starts a spirited conversation.
I have more ideas than I could possibly pursue in a lifetime, and I'm not particularly interested in squeezing them into one tidy professional category.
I'd rather follow the interesting ones and invite you along.
Forty Looks Rather Good From Here
I've spent much of my thirties building a successful fine art business and discovering just how many directions a curious and sometimes manic mind can wander.
Today, I'm also launching Poker With Sara, my professional home for poker writing, books, and related ventures.
Rogue Railbird is its more free-spirited companion—a place where I can follow my curiosity wherever it leads while maintaining my journalistic independence.
Since leaving Pokerati, I haven't really been earning money from my creative writing in the way I'd like. So I'm taking another entrepreneurial gamble.
Almost everything published here will remain free. But if you enjoy my work and want to help support independent writing, paid subscriptions are available for $5 a month or $50 a year, with founding memberships if you're feeling extra generous available for $111 or less.
Your support helps me keep writing on my own terms. You won't always agree with what I have to say, but you can be damn sure it's what I think.
The Best Stories Are Better Shared
I won't promise a perfectly predictable publishing schedule, a carefully curated niche, or a lifetime of agreeable opinions.
I will promise curiosity, personality, intellectual honesty, and genuine affection for the fascinating people whose stories deserve to be told.
For years, I've found enormous joy in cheering on other people's dreams.
Now, as I turn forty, I'm taking a little gamble on one of my own.
I hope you'll root for me.
After all, what good is going rogue without a few railbirds cheering on?
With love and a little mischief,
Sara
* Made with AI-assistance