Coffee & Words isn’t just a business—it’s my memoir being written in real time.
It began with a simple realization during a New Year’s reflection: the things that bring me the most joy are coffee and words. Not in an abstract way, but in the deeply personal ritual of morning coffee that became the anchor of my healing journey.
The three-year coffee journey
For three years, I’ve been exploring the local coffee culture near Amelia Island in Northeast Florida, documenting each discovery, each moment of connection, each perfectly crafted cup. These weren’t just coffee runs—they were chapters in my story of rebuilding, rediscovering, and reclaiming joy.
As a newspaper editor and designer with the Florida NewsLine family of newspapers, I work with words professionally every day. But the words that emerged during those morning coffee rituals were different. They weren’t news stories or headlines—they were something more personal, more distilled, more essential.
The birth of Word Story Style
Through trial and experimentation, I discovered that exactly 17 words fit perfectly on a mug—not 16, not 18, but 17. This technical constraint became a creative signature. Word Story Style was born: dictionary-style definitions that transform ordinary words into emotionally resonant stories, limited to precisely 17 words.
Each definition stands alone as a beautiful design, but when stacked together, they create complete narratives. Just like life—individual moments that become meaningful when you see how they stack together to tell your story.
Three voices. One vision
Life isn’t one-dimensional, and neither is Coffee & Words. I write in three distinct voices:
Meaningful: For the moments that touch your heart, the gifts that say “I see you,” the words that feel like a warm hug on a difficult morning.
Whimsical: For the playful spirit, the imaginative soul, the person who finds magic in everyday moments and doesn’t take life too seriously.
Uncensored: For the real talk, the raw honesty, the person who likes their coffee strong and their words unfiltered. Because sometimes healing requires profanity.
The Coffee & Words promise
Every mug in our collection represents more than a vessel for your morning coffee. It’s:
Our mugs are intentionally 14 ounces—slightly larger than standard competitors—because your story deserves room to breathe.
Beyond the mugs
Through our What’s Brewing blog, Coffee & Words founder, Tracy McCormick-Dishman, continues documenting her journey, pairing coffee discoveries with word stacks and sharing the stories behind the mugs. Each post is another chapter in the ongoing memoir, another invitation to slow down and savor both the coffee and the words.
Your story matters
Whether you’re buying a mug for yourself or gifting one to someone you love, you’re participating in this belief: that ordinary moments can hold extraordinary meaning, that words have power, and that the ritual of morning coffee can be an act of self-care and healing.
Connect with me
Coffee & Words is my calling to document this journey. I’m honored that you’re here to share it. I’m Tracy McCormick-Dishman, and this is my story—still being written, one mug at a time.
Email me: whatsbrewing@coffeeandwords.com
