The joys of Substack
or, how I discover great writing instead of scrolling
Happy Friday!
This week I brought a round-up of some of my favorite Substack posts from the last week. Honestly, Substack has been so refreshing for me as a reader, writer, and social media consumer. Instead of scrolling Instagram, which inspires envy and just wastes my time, I spend a few moments throughout the day with some incredible writers. I feel encouraged as a writer to make great art rather than spouting jealous venom into the world—win-win! Thanks
for a joyful and productive reading and writing platform!
Enjoy.
- gave me all the warm feels in her post this week called, Poetry’s Place. If you’ve every wondered why poetry matters then please read this piece.
How to feel grounded from
offers more wise words about navigating this turbulent world we find ourselves in. I love her insistence on listening to our bodies and physically experiencing the outdoors.I’ve been doing something a little different this week by participating in
’s Essay Camp. Because I focus so much on brevity and finding just the right words in my poetry I often feel intimidated by writing longer form essays. This free, community-oriented writing camp is so encouraging and I already feel my writing muscles growing stronger!ICYMI, I wrote a poem called “Masquerade” for
! It was a contribution to their three-part Halloween series on the theme of “mask”. My poem was featured in Volume I (it’s the first one!) but you should also read Volume II and Volume III. I loved reading all the different perspectives on the theme and felt so honored to be a part of this group of writers.
Currently reading.
Set in Richmond, Virginia in 1811, The House is on Fire is “[a] ‘wildly entertaining’ (NPR), ‘gripping’ (The Washington Post) work of historical fiction about an incendiary tragedy that shocked a young nation and tore apart a community in a single night…” // Bookshop.org
Historical fiction used to be my go-to genre, but when I read a few too many World War II novels a few years ago, I reached my limit and needed a break. I’ve barely started this one but I can tell that Beanland’s writing is top-notch; I love the added bonus of knowing the names and locations in the novel because it’s set in my city: Richmond, Virginia! The House is on Fire is my book club’s November pick and I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun talking about it.
What are you reading this week?
Yours in the everyday,
Lori
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Totally agree on the substack vs social media part!! Hoping to start The Guest List this weekend!
Reading: The Yellow Wife, The Revival Season.