Talking to Strangers
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Every morning for the last ten days, I’ve had the same routine: I get up, feed the cats, pour my tea, and log on to a Zoom room of strangers. I wave and they wave back. Then I hide Zoom, open Scrivener, and write 1,000 words.
The people in the Zoom room mostly live in the Midwest; we’ve chatted a bit on Slack, but I don’t know the sound of their voices or how old they are or what their jobs are or if they are vegetarians. I know pretty much nothing about them.
But together, even together with strangers, we can be more. It’s pretty amazing the things we can accomplish with accountability, encouragement, and community. Because of a person I don’t know in real life, but whose work I admire, I will soon be in possession of ~15,000 more words than I had on May 31, words that may not knock anybody’s socks off but ones that can be honed and sanded and polished into something better.
If you are ready to take charge of your writing practice, to explode words every day, I’m here for it. Summer Writers Club, which starts June 21, will give you prompts, pep talks, and the push to create and sustain a writing practice that feeds you. And if you’re feeling a little jagged reentering in this brave new world, join me on June 24 for Embody, Embolden, Embrace, a yoga and writing workshop that will ground and ready you for adventures ahead.
Whatever you get up to this summer, I hope your days are filled with rich conversation and connection, reunions and retreats, and of course writing and reading.
J.
Summer Writers Club starts June 21! Every Monday for 6 weeks, you’ll get an email with writing prompts for fiction and nonfiction, two flash readings (one fiction, one nonfiction), and some of my thoughts on writing technique and practice. You’ll also be invited to share your work with me if you choose. The Summer Writers Club is an asynchronous offering, perfect for those who want to build and maintain their writing practice alongside summer adventures. You’ll get inspired by a wide variety of readings and writing tips that will boost your skills and confidence. If you’d like to make writing part of your summer fun, register now.
Summer, a time to bloom and expand, is almost here. In this yoga and writing workshop, we will explore our intentions for this season through writing and use movement to embody those aspirations. This is a wonderfully connective and restorative offering that will help you declare your desires and show up this summer as your best self. Learn more and register here (early bird registration ends June 17).
Creative Writing for Teens
There are still a few spots in the creative writing camps I am teaching this summer for teens 13-17. The virtual class starts June 21 and the in-person on July 12. Perfect for any teen who wants to spend a week writing their brains out and hearing me tell boring stories about when I was their age.
Reading Material
Since I last wrote you, I read two wildly different books back to back: Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward and Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. You should read both as soon as you can.
If you need something to engage you while you wait for these books, watch this video of Mike DeStefano at The Moth. His story is about addiction, AIDS, Catholicism, and Buddhism, and a whole lot more (content warning: there is discussion of suicide.) I first heard this story in 2009 and I still think about it, perhaps because it hits my sweet spots: life, death, and honesty, with puh-lenty of vulgarity.
To Go Poems
Speaking of summer:
Vacation by Rita Dove (Another airplane poem!)
Morningside Heights, July by William Matthews (A place I lived!)
Jet by Tony Hoagland (I love Tony Hoagland!)
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