Glimmers sparked my second book. I’d been posting vignettes on Facebook, with photos, about the small wonders found on a walk with my first dog. A writer friend told me, “You’ve got a book here.” I trusted her opinion and began to create Starter Dog.
Debbie you are the Lupine Lady IRL!! I loved this piece--I also realized, just last summer, that August can really bum me out. There's something so heavy about the heat and the languid nature of the loose, baggy days. I end up aching for the zip and structure of September, and I feel a twin remorse because 1) I'm not as happy as I should be in that golden, long-awaited month (we named a boy after that month it's so golden and sweetl!!) and 2) I'm just too fxn hot 'n agitated. Last year, we scheduled our (first ever) family trip abroad at the end of June/ July to maximize days my hubby could take off w/ the 4th included. This year, we moved our trip to late August to mitigate some of the late summer heft. I'll report back! This feels like a good topic for a poll!
This was wonderful Debbie! I am so down for the book club & already have a copy of Still Life at Eighty. I love Abigail Thomas! These writing inspirations for the summer are great—and many we share, like reading a poem, looking for glimmers (Jeannine Ouellette calls them shimmers and shards as they’re not always lovely and sometimes they’re sharp & they cut), following prompts from the terrific essays in The Book of Alchemy, writing in notebooks not the computer. But asking your readers to write you a letter! I love that & the response you got!
I’m beyond excited to be heading to Maine Media in Rockport next week to attend Allison K Williams’ workshop. ✍️ I have my work cut out for me for sure ….
yep that's the one. Maine is my happy place (usually I'm up in Bar Harbor https://continuingwonderment.substack.com/p/personal-retreating) But this time I'll get to be Midcoast, and I'm really looking forward to it!!! ( Looks like Stonington is a bit of a hike from Rockport, but I'd love to visit you some day!! )
Such gorgeous photos... and such a beautiful, useful list!
I’m envious of the BATCAVE, and if I didn’t need sleep so badly, I’d join. With Thailand’s time difference, the current sessions don’t sync well with my schedule. Still, I love reading about it... and I even enjoy Alex’s sales emails, which always have my lol’ing.
Something I do that’s similar to glimmers is keep a running list of what’s nourishing me. I record those in real time, then pull from the list for a round-up by the same name that I include in my newsletter, under the My Soulful Life series.
I’m VERY interested in your book club! I’m about to see whether I can order the first book from Bangkok... even if not, maybe I’ll be able to find future ones. Joining a book club has been on my list for a while, and yours sounds like the perfect fit, Debbie!
It’s currently out of stock here... but I’ll keep checking back. No Kindle yet, though I’m considering it... Mail takes a while, and comes with high import fees unfortunately. :(
Dana, what a MARVELOUS reply—thank you!! Love thinking about you on the other side of the world, thinking about the NGBWBC (ha ha first time I tried that). I looked it up: 11 AM EDT is 10 PM in Thailand… so might work. That’s 8 am on the West Coast & don’t want to go earlier for those folks, which includes Erin.
I love these creative and [b]old ways to spend the summer, Debbie! Thank you so much for sharing! Fun fact: Carl Sandburg's home (now a historical site) is about thirty minutes away from where I live, here in Asheville, North Carolina! Also, I LOVE that you brought up glimmers, and I love the practice of writing them down--I think I'll have to take you up on that idea! Glimmers made a cameo in one of my archived essays. The title is "Where I Seek Refuge." You can find it here (if you're intrigued): https://open.substack.com/pub/katrinadonhamwrites/p/where-i-seek-refuge?r=3cnvg1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false.
Thank you Katrina! I checked out your essay and found this bit from you fascinating:
"Not long ago, I learned about "glimmers," as defined by the Polyvagal Theory. Erena DiGonis, a complex trauma therapist and advocate, explains the concept:
“[Glimmers] refer to micro-moments of connection, safety, and positive engagement that can shift our nervous system’s response from defense to calm. These experiences activate the social engagement system, fostering feelings of safety, trust, and well-being. Glimmers can be both subtle and profound, and they play a pivotal role in our overall emotional and physical wellness.”
I am forever fascinated by the human mind, particularly as it experiences and processes trauma. Thank you for reading, Debbie! I appreciate you taking the time. :)
Summer for those of us in the South U.S. brings hellacious heat and humidity. And mosquitoes - which should be our state bird. My reading shifts indoors for these nine months of summer.
I've just hit my epiphany stage in writing, so I'm loving that. I've never been one to write outside or at a Starbucks like some of my friends.
As part of my "Exploring the Laureates" work, I'm reading Sinclair Lewis' ARROWSMITH, which is quite lovely. Lewis has me thoroughly confused on where he's taking the story, so I'm very happy about this read.
I'm traipsing through the Pulitzer Prize novels right now. So far, each has opened a tiny door to an America I have not seen.
Many of them are available through Project Gutenberg. I linked HIS FAMILY on my Wednesday post. It was a good read - surprisingly relevant considering it is over a hundred years old.
I'll go first! YES, writing, and reading, DO feel different in the summer. I'll address reading: the long, light-filled days seem full of possibility. They make me want to read more, and to read contemporary fiction. I just finished HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige, and loved it. I'm looking for my next "domestic thriller" and welcome any suggestions.
Glimmers sparked my poem today! I’m big on glimmers🩷 Ooh so many lovely things in this post! I always mean to read poetry before doing anything else but I’m a sucker for Substack, although I might land on a poem instead of something about the orange lunatic.
And yes to not publishing anything for a week and yes to reading that book, snd I want to order that one ajout journaling etc.
And I’m going to finish my crocheted bedcover and work on my novel.
![[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i8Z0!,w_80,h_80,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdaaca764-d8d6-4a1b-bf58-61dbb72810fc_842x842.png)
![[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!i8Z0!,w_36,h_36,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdaaca764-d8d6-4a1b-bf58-61dbb72810fc_842x842.png)
![[B]OLD AGE with Debbie Weil](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fEcd!,e_trim:10:white/e_trim:10:transparent/h_72,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F95ad4442-e435-4ebc-a8d2-9c9b89a8bdb6_2100x400.png)
Glimmers sparked my second book. I’d been posting vignettes on Facebook, with photos, about the small wonders found on a walk with my first dog. A writer friend told me, “You’ve got a book here.” I trusted her opinion and began to create Starter Dog.
Rona, I absolutely love hearing this. Kudos on your marvelous book, of course; kudos also to your friend for pointing out the obvious!
Debbie you are the Lupine Lady IRL!! I loved this piece--I also realized, just last summer, that August can really bum me out. There's something so heavy about the heat and the languid nature of the loose, baggy days. I end up aching for the zip and structure of September, and I feel a twin remorse because 1) I'm not as happy as I should be in that golden, long-awaited month (we named a boy after that month it's so golden and sweetl!!) and 2) I'm just too fxn hot 'n agitated. Last year, we scheduled our (first ever) family trip abroad at the end of June/ July to maximize days my hubby could take off w/ the 4th included. This year, we moved our trip to late August to mitigate some of the late summer heft. I'll report back! This feels like a good topic for a poll!
Isabel, definitely a good topic. Can't wait for our mid-August LIVE!! I'll post more details soon.
This was wonderful Debbie! I am so down for the book club & already have a copy of Still Life at Eighty. I love Abigail Thomas! These writing inspirations for the summer are great—and many we share, like reading a poem, looking for glimmers (Jeannine Ouellette calls them shimmers and shards as they’re not always lovely and sometimes they’re sharp & they cut), following prompts from the terrific essays in The Book of Alchemy, writing in notebooks not the computer. But asking your readers to write you a letter! I love that & the response you got!
I'm deep into The Book of Alchemy with my own alchemical journal, and am writing posts about my journey... https://continuingwonderment.substack.com/p/an-alchemical-update
I’m beyond excited to be heading to Maine Media in Rockport next week to attend Allison K Williams’ workshop. ✍️ I have my work cut out for me for sure ….
Ooo Karen, how lucky you are! I've been wanting to take one of their workshops for ages. I read up on yours with Allison: https://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/item/scene-character-dialogue-bring-your-writing-to-life/
yep that's the one. Maine is my happy place (usually I'm up in Bar Harbor https://continuingwonderment.substack.com/p/personal-retreating) But this time I'll get to be Midcoast, and I'm really looking forward to it!!! ( Looks like Stonington is a bit of a hike from Rockport, but I'd love to visit you some day!! )
P. s. There’s still room in the workshop , Debbie…!!!! 🙂
Such gorgeous photos... and such a beautiful, useful list!
I’m envious of the BATCAVE, and if I didn’t need sleep so badly, I’d join. With Thailand’s time difference, the current sessions don’t sync well with my schedule. Still, I love reading about it... and I even enjoy Alex’s sales emails, which always have my lol’ing.
Something I do that’s similar to glimmers is keep a running list of what’s nourishing me. I record those in real time, then pull from the list for a round-up by the same name that I include in my newsletter, under the My Soulful Life series.
I’m VERY interested in your book club! I’m about to see whether I can order the first book from Bangkok... even if not, maybe I’ll be able to find future ones. Joining a book club has been on my list for a while, and yours sounds like the perfect fit, Debbie!
P.S. Dana, maybe I could mail you a copy of Abigail Trafford’s STILL LIFE AT EIGHTY - ? What about Kindle?? The book is extraordinary.
It’s currently out of stock here... but I’ll keep checking back. No Kindle yet, though I’m considering it... Mail takes a while, and comes with high import fees unfortunately. :(
Dana, what a MARVELOUS reply—thank you!! Love thinking about you on the other side of the world, thinking about the NGBWBC (ha ha first time I tried that). I looked it up: 11 AM EDT is 10 PM in Thailand… so might work. That’s 8 am on the West Coast & don’t want to go earlier for those folks, which includes Erin.
I think that’ll be too late for me. Sorry, Debbie!
I love these creative and [b]old ways to spend the summer, Debbie! Thank you so much for sharing! Fun fact: Carl Sandburg's home (now a historical site) is about thirty minutes away from where I live, here in Asheville, North Carolina! Also, I LOVE that you brought up glimmers, and I love the practice of writing them down--I think I'll have to take you up on that idea! Glimmers made a cameo in one of my archived essays. The title is "Where I Seek Refuge." You can find it here (if you're intrigued): https://open.substack.com/pub/katrinadonhamwrites/p/where-i-seek-refuge?r=3cnvg1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false.
Thank you Katrina! I checked out your essay and found this bit from you fascinating:
"Not long ago, I learned about "glimmers," as defined by the Polyvagal Theory. Erena DiGonis, a complex trauma therapist and advocate, explains the concept:
“[Glimmers] refer to micro-moments of connection, safety, and positive engagement that can shift our nervous system’s response from defense to calm. These experiences activate the social engagement system, fostering feelings of safety, trust, and well-being. Glimmers can be both subtle and profound, and they play a pivotal role in our overall emotional and physical wellness.”
“Glimmers” are basically the opposite of “triggers.” -- from Katrina's essay: https://katrinadonhamwrites.substack.com/p/where-i-seek-refuge
I am forever fascinated by the human mind, particularly as it experiences and processes trauma. Thank you for reading, Debbie! I appreciate you taking the time. :)
Summer for those of us in the South U.S. brings hellacious heat and humidity. And mosquitoes - which should be our state bird. My reading shifts indoors for these nine months of summer.
I've just hit my epiphany stage in writing, so I'm loving that. I've never been one to write outside or at a Starbucks like some of my friends.
As part of my "Exploring the Laureates" work, I'm reading Sinclair Lewis' ARROWSMITH, which is quite lovely. Lewis has me thoroughly confused on where he's taking the story, so I'm very happy about this read.
I know I should pick up some classics too!
I'm traipsing through the Pulitzer Prize novels right now. So far, each has opened a tiny door to an America I have not seen.
Many of them are available through Project Gutenberg. I linked HIS FAMILY on my Wednesday post. It was a good read - surprisingly relevant considering it is over a hundred years old.
Mimi, we lived in Atlanta for a while, and then 30+ years in DC; so I know exactly what that heat feels like!
How I envy you the Maine you've written about in this post! It felt like a picture postcard.
I'll go first! YES, writing, and reading, DO feel different in the summer. I'll address reading: the long, light-filled days seem full of possibility. They make me want to read more, and to read contemporary fiction. I just finished HEARTWOOD by Amity Gaige, and loved it. I'm looking for my next "domestic thriller" and welcome any suggestions.
Glimmers sparked my poem today! I’m big on glimmers🩷 Ooh so many lovely things in this post! I always mean to read poetry before doing anything else but I’m a sucker for Substack, although I might land on a poem instead of something about the orange lunatic.
And yes to not publishing anything for a week and yes to reading that book, snd I want to order that one ajout journaling etc.
And I’m going to finish my crocheted bedcover and work on my novel.
Lots to do! Joyful🩷🙏