the hurricane of more
Dear reader,
“I’m feeling burdened by all the opportunities there are for fun this summer,” a friend recently shared, and we both burst out laughing. How incredible our human minds are, to make a problem out of abundance like that! Her words have been swirling around in my head for weeks, because yes, I am also feeling burdened by all the fun there is to be had this summer. I am very bad at saying no and always have been; I don’t know my own limits until I’ve passed them and I’m suddenly cranky about having to go hang out with my dear friends in a beautiful place and eat ice cream while watching the sunset, or something like that.
This week’s snail mail letter is about the vortex of more—the hurricane that’s impossible to avoid if we ever use social media, or email, or the internet at all, or work in almost any industry these days. Probably this hurricane has been forming since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Probably earlier. I’m not an expert on the topic of the attention economy (though I have a number of books to recommend by people who are), but the long and short of it is that we have never had so many demands on our attention and our resources as we do today, and it does more than leave us paralyzed and despairing—it’s changing the very way we think, the way our brains work on a very practical level. I don’t have solutions, but I do dig into how this culture affects our creative practice and how we can dare to carve out moments of stillness and depth.
This email is one of the many things that demanded your attention today. If you’re reading this, thanks for being here with me! I’m going to spend the rest of this email sharing a whole bunch of other things—events, classes, books, etc—that you can also give you attention to, if you choose. My hope and fervent aim is that I offer things that stretch time out for you, that serve as antidotes to scarcity mindset, that deepen your experience in the here and now.
Join me on the snail’s path:
I’ll be donating 20% of every paid newsletter subscription to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
Patchwork Literary Salon — July 16, 7:00pm, Sisters
If you aren’t yet familiar, Patchwork is a monthly event (free and open to all!) where I bring 3-4 writers across genres and stages of their careers together for brief readings and wide-ranging conversation. I’m so excited to welcome Amber Dawn, Carmen Maria Machado, and Alice Sola Kim to the series this month! Doors at 7pm, readings at 7:30; come early to snag a spot and chat with other readers and writers before the programing begins.
UPCOMING CLASS!
I’m planning on running a day-long, in-person capsule retreat in August or September, designed for writers and artists looking to (re)invigorate their creative practice or learn how to realistically build creative practice into their lives. If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, you probably fall under this umbrella! This offering will be priced on a sliding scale basis, and my paid newsletter subscribers will get an extra-discounted rate as a thank-you for being a supporter of my work. The day will involve guided reflection, creative prompts, group discussion, delicious food, time in nature, and the opportunity to connect with fellow like-minded creatives.
If you’re interested in attending something like this, which date aligns best with your schedule?
According to my Substack stats, this newsletter is read across 20 states and 10 countries (!!!) but 67% of you are in New York, hence the decision to hold this offering locally in Brooklyn. I may offer an adapted online version in the future if there’s enough interest. Stay tuned!
Our trip to the PNW was impossibly lovely. Jet lag woke me up at 6am every day and I hit my #1000wordsofsummer goal before we hit the trails each morning. We saw ferns bigger than our bodies and rainforest moss on ancient trees and explored tide pools on the rocky Pacific and touched mountain snow and picked wildflowers and got rained on. This world is a gift!
Cool happenings on my radar:
My friend and literary person-about-town
is teaching his Book Proposal Generator course again—if you’re mystified by this daunting first step in the publishing process, let Greg demystify it for you. He is a delight.- is leading an offering called Make Time—generative morning sessions to help you carve out a soft space for creative practice! It sounds amazing and it starts tomorrow!
If you’re based in NYC and want to try something new this summer, the Parks department is partnering with different orgs and businesses all over the city to offer free fitness and movement classes! They’ve got zumba, they’ve got pilates, they’ve got line dancing??? Yay free public resources! Yay Parks department! I signed up for a dance fitness class in the spirit of trying something new.
Books I read in June: City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, Here for the Wrong Reasons by Annabel Paulson and Lydia Wang, Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang. I was all over the map genre-wise but I would recommend them all for different reasons! Yes, even Iron Flame! I read straight romantasy on my own time, now! What has our podcast done to me!!!
See you soon in the real world❣️
🌱 Nadine
You’re just the absolute best.