what the heck is tucson love letter?

the mission

The mission is two-fold: to help Tucsonans and Tucson’s small businesses thrive. Every story and action is a love letter to the place we call home. Every story and action invests in our community.

about TLL

Through the lens of journalism and a community-first approach, I’ll help you find your next favorite restaurant, an artist to support and something fun to do over the weekend. You’ll be inspired to explore the magic that is Tucson as Tucson Love Letter highlights our diverse community and all the things that make our saguaro-studded Old Pueblo special.

I want to make it as easy as possible to love Tucson — through free-to-read stories, an email newsletter and social media, but also through ways like a months-long calendar, a database of community spaces, physical events to help you find your people, and an open inbox for your niche Tucson-related questions (seriously, email me slide into my DMs!).

But I’m going one step further. Proceeds from advertising, donations and other revenue streams are used to help keep Tucson Love Letter sustainable. The remainder of the proceeds go right back to the community. Tucson Love Letter’s money stays local.

With community at the heart of it all, I work with our neighbors by providing support to the people and places that make Tucson what it is. This will include low-cost vendor and admission fees for events, monetary donations to local organizations, facilitating creative collaborations with small businesses, and brainstorming affordable ways to bridge financial gaps among community members. I will disclose the contributions I make so you know where every dime is going.

Ultimately, the goal is to help Tucson flourish — a Tucson where you’re never bored, a Tucson where you find community, a Tucson where local businesses are supported.

connect with tucson love letter

  • Follow along on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook — I think Tucson Love Letter’s social media is pretty cool. Give it a follow! If you have a super niche Tucson question, my DMs are always open.
  • Sign up for my newsletter — Get a link to the event calendar, plus all of Tucson Love Letter’s stories and other tidbits sent directly to your inbox once a week. It’s not spam, I swear!
  • Submit an event or story idea — Have a story tip or are you organizing a fun event happening next month? Know of a new restaurant or a mutual-aid group doing amazing things? Know of an artist who deserves a shoutout? I’m all ears.
  • Provide your feedback on all things Tucson — I have a community-first approach here, which means it’s important that community members are part of the conversation. Before I started Tucson Love Letter, I sought feedback from more than 80 Tucsonans about all the things they love and don’t love about Tucson. Tell me about the Tucson you see now and the Tucson you want to see in the future — your thoughts are helpful as Tucson Love Letter grows!
  • Make a financial contribution — Your donations help Tucson Love Letter become sustainable, allowing me to continue this work. Your donations help me help Tucson!

When all else fails, send me an email at gloria@tucsonloveletter.com. I'd love to hear from you!

meet the founder

tucson love letter founder, Gloria Knott
Leslie Burbidge Photography

I’m Gloria Knott, the founder of Tucson Love Letter. I was born and raised in Tucson — I tried my first flour tortilla at La Parrilla Suiza, went to Skate Country once a week every summer, fell in love on a first date at Scented Leaf and very fondly remember my first trip to Pop Cycle with my middle school best friend (who is still my best friend today). I graduated from the University of Arizona School of Journalism in 2018 and spent seven years as a reporter and producer for the Arizona Daily Star, including four years as editor of the Star’s sister site, #ThisIsTucson.

Favorite part about Tucson: the community and cactus blooms

Favorite restaurants in Tucson: Baja Cafe, Tacos Apson, Lumbre Pizza, Jun Dynasty.

Favorite thing to do in Tucson: Tucson Meet Yourself, artisan markets and hiking to Sabino Dam after it rains.

Reach me at gloria@tucsonloveletter.com

what does journalism mean to me?

Tucson Love Letter aims to create a more-informed and more-engaged community, where stories are produced with journalistic standards. What does that mean?

I follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, which states to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent. All of those things are true about my reporting and I detail my ethics policy further in the section below.

I studied journalism for four years in college, interned at several journalistic publications and worked full-time for a legacy newspaper for seven years — I am a journalist. With that being said, Tucson Love Letter is different than other forms of traditional journalism.

Maybe I should be unbiased, but I’m not. I’m a human before I’m a journalist. I’m going to be honest about my personal beliefs, even if they’re beliefs you may not share.

Tucson Love Letter is meant to be a positive corner of the internet — highlighting the wonderful things I love about Tucson — and it will continue to stay that way. While I won’t write think pieces about political candidates I’m voting for, Tucson Love Letter is about and for community and humanity more than anything else. I intend to provide a space for marginalized communities. I intend to create awareness about mutual-aid groups and ways we can help people who are actively being harmed.

At the end of the day, maybe this goes against what you feel journalism should look like. Maybe you see me more as a content creator or a blogger and not a journalist — and that’s okay. Journalism should lessen harm and that’s what I hope to do.

ethics policy

I do not accept gifts, free items or donations in exchange for coverage. When covering a restaurant, I pay for all the food or drinks I consume. I only accept free admission to activities if I plan to work during the experience. Coverage is not swayed by the offer of free items or gifts, and I only cover restaurants, events and activities when they align with Tucson Love Letter’s mission. On the occasions when I do accept free admission, I make that clear in the story or social media post. All of Tucson Love Letter’s ads and sponsored content are clearly marked as such.

On some occasions, organizations or businesses provide Tucson Love Letter with items that I do not keep but instead give to readers. Tucson Love Letter can accept gifts or discounts that are available to the general public.

I do not pay for interviews. All of my coverage is selected and written based on Tucson Love Letter’s mission. Donors do not have a say in content. I follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.

On Instagram, you might see that Tucson Love Letter uses the “collaborator” tool, which means the accounts tagged will appear as co-authors on certain posts. I use this tool as a way to tag relevant accounts and share Tucson with a wider audience. Unless noted in the caption, the accounts tagged do not have a say in the content I create. The above ethics policy applies.

business model

Tucson Love Letter is a one-woman show. Donations and advertisers help Tucson Love Letter become sustainable — but your support also helps others in our community. Money raised goes toward overhead costs such as publishing tools, marketing fees, a rainy day fund and eventually a salary for myself. The remainder goes back to the community to support small businesses and local organizations.

Revenue streams:

  • Financial donations, sponsorships and grants from community members, businesses and organizations. Donors, large and small, have no say in the content Tucson Love Letter publishes. In some cases, I accept in-kind donations.
  • Advertising, publishing ads from organizations that most align with Tucson Love Letter’s mission. Ads are clearly marked as such. I do not accept ads for political campaigns. To learn about advertising with Tucson Love Letter, find a media kit here.
  • Collaborations. Small-business owners are often stretched too thin and unable to implement the creative promotions of their dreams. I help small-businesses organize those projects, which are helpful for them but also fun for the community. Get in touch at gloria@tucsonloveletter.com.
  • Some of the events I host are free to attend and not profitable for Tucson Love Letter. Others charge an admission fee and help fund Tucson Love Letter. I also make money from merchandise.

After Tucson Love Letter’s first fiscal year, I’ll link a financial report here so you’ll know where the money is going. Tucson Love Letter launched on Oct. 2, 2025.

thank-yous

Thank you to the dozens of community members who took time out of their busy schedules to share their insights and feedback with me, allowing me to better understand the Tucson we love. Thank you to my wonderful mentors, friends, mom and partner who have helped me get to this point. Thank you to Christian Revel for this beautiful website that is everything I could have asked for and more. Thank you to Rachel Rausch of Juju & Moxie for creating a stunning logo and accompanying artwork that make me squeal every time I see them.

land acknowledgement

While Tucson Love Letter celebrates today’s Tucson, it’s important to remember that Tucson sits on stolen ancestral land and territories of Indigenous peoples — Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui — who were removed violently and unjustly. Tucson has been home to Indigenous peoples long before 1775, which is what’s known today as Tucson’s modern founding. Tucson Love Letter’s coverage and mission aim to reflect and help our diverse community, including Indigenous artists, business owners and community members.