Kick off!
what's to come, a summer list, and a sweet treat
Hi! I am kicking off my Sunday Night newsletter today (Monday, go figure). I’ve sat on this Substack for a minute, wondering exactly how I wanted to use it. All the while, I‘ve been consistently having a conversation with YOU in my head about things I wanted to share. Books, radical teaching and educational content, art, food, and more.
So, I am just doing it - no more overthinking.
I aim to share a free newsletter on Sunday nights with a wrap-up of topics that inspired and piqued my curiosity during the week. I am lucky to interact with a diverse group of students, creatives, and neighbors, so I am usually in a state of wonder at something someone shared. In addition, there are options to subscribe at higher levels. The next level comes with a weekly prompt (art, film, or text) and ideas on how to engage - they will be good! And at the sustainer level, monthly salons are included. They will focus on generation and feedback for writing and ideas in general. I have one planned on sustaining a creativity practice based on a webinar I recently hosted at Quinnipiac. Also, I wrote a few role-playing games that are perfect for introspection and generation. If you are new to RPGs, I am ready to dig in with you. And don’t worry - we are not dressing up or talking in weird voices. This is gold for intro and extraverts. I am eager to share with you!
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In the past, I have run a summer journal jam, and one of the first things we would do was create a vision for summer. Today, I invite you to spend some time thinking about the shift in seasons and what you might want to create.
You can do this as a vision board (just collage images from a magazine or digitally that speak to the feelings you want to manifest). Or, my favorite way is just to create a long list, simple and not too aspirational, of activities that would create happiness over the summer. It is important to me that this list does not include work projects (I have a separate list for that), including creative projects (like novel revision). I want this summer list to be pure joy with no expected outcome.
Write it up, print it out, and hang it somewhere to remind you to schedule the fun!
Include others who live with you or share your life, and see if you can alchemize your collective energy.
Food
This week, I made an ice cream sandwich cake, which has been on my list to try for a while. It was easy and a tasty treat to have in the fridge. It is so customizable! Here is what I did:
You need:
24 ice cream sandwiches
2 tubs of Cool Whip
Chocolate sauce
Caramel sauce
Sprinkles
To do:
Line the bottom of a cake pan with 12 ice cream sandwiches
Add a drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauce
Spread a tub of Cool Whip over the top
REPEAT
Decorate
Read
I just picked up Model Home by Rivers Solomon and am digging in today. It is a haunted house/horror story where I believe metaphors of racism, suburbia, and middle-class aspirations are explored. I am teaching a class about the concept of home this fall, and this is prep!