Dear hopeful reader,
Please don’t mind the gif meme from The Office. I’ve been rewatching it for the umpteenth time. And all day long all I want to do is quote the show. I’m sorry to those who have been bombarded by The Office scenes from me lately…Not!
Anyways, the point of this post is to tell you I’ll be visiting my family for a month in Montréal. I’ll be working, but I won’t be on Substack much, if at all. I want to spend time with my parents. The last time I’ve seen them was last October, and before that, before the pandemic. To say we have a lot of catching up to do would be an understatement.
I want to read books, graphic novels. I want to write poems, work on my long-overdue chapbooks. See my grandmother’s grave, grieve her. Watch classics with the family. Have deep conversations with my mama. Play video games with my dad. Sightsee, take photographs of nature. Do nothing. Take a mini break from here.
I’ll miss you all though. But I’m just an email away if you need anything, or just to chat. I always look forward to hearing from you all. I’ll still be ‘around,’ and you’ll be in my thoughts. And in the meantime, I’m recommending some stuff for you to read while I’m gallivanting.
Also read: “Catch you guys on the flippity flip!” — Michael Scott
Guest posts
I highly recommend you check out the phenomenal writers and artists I got to feature on “when hope writes.” They have been:
- of with “Saved”
- of with “Enter Label: Failing upward with inspiration from Ross Ulbricht, Moses, Anne Lamott...”
Ruthie of Ruthie Writes with artwork
Pat Foran with “Your Heart, in a Thimble and on its Way to the Thinnest Home in the World”
- of with “Funeral Blues, or Farewell, My Dear Teacher”
- of with “Tarkovsky, alone.”
Ana Prundaru with collages
Emily McElwreath with “Cheryl Strayed: Put Yourself in the Way of Beauty”
Michael Chin with “The Bionic Elbow: On Fathers, Sons, and the American Dream”
- of with “you must take the olive, you must shoulder your Dead.”
Rehan Qayoom with “Anaïs in London”
J.A. Pak with “Vocal Frying the 2nd POV”
I’ve been doing guest posts since mid-March. I’ve reached out to fellow creatives and have received messages from others as well. Featuring writers and artists has been a fulfilling, rewarding experience for me, especially if it means their work got more exposure.
If you want your work to be featured, please don’t hesitate to connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or my website. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
Other recommendations
There are other extraordinary Substack writers you must absolutely read. Give them love and money:
- of , particularly “Brae’s meteorite”
- of , particularly “Futures”
- of , particularly “When You Say Anthropology...”
- of , particularly “Being Vulnerable | 392 days to go”
- of , particularly “Paranoia Agent, Satoshi Kon, 2004”
- of , particularly “The Detritivore (A New Testaccio)”
- of , particularly “Flamingos and Me: Perspectives in Pink Aesthetics”
- of , particularly “A reprint”
- of , particularly “SMALL FAVORS & Rude Lessons”
- of , particularly “Introducing ‘And in the Dark They Are Born’”
- of , particularly “Thoughts on Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
- of , particularly “bone song”
- of , particularly “The Recall”
- of , particularly “Late bloomers, labors of love, and other ‘L’ phrases”
- of , particularly “expat in Paris | must reads”
- of , particularly “The adventures of a Florida boy (part 1)”
- of , particularly “Emotional Realism vs. Plot Holes in Film & TV”
- of , particularly “This week is that week”
- of , particularly “10 Things I learned from Video Games”
- of , particularly “Can You Adapt RPG Modules into Short Stories To Save Time?”
There are so many more Substacks I want to recommend. I’ll give more shout-outs in another post!
Greatest hits
If you’re new on my Substack or you want to re-read something by me, the following posts seem to be my most popular ones for whatever reason.
One-hit wonders
While these aren’t my greatest hits, I did work hard on these posts—some of them anyways. If you’re curious, take a peek. Maybe they’ll finally get some attention posthumously.
Thank you
I want to thank everyone for reading my work and supporting me on my writing journey. It doesn’t go unnoticed and it means everything to me. I especially want to thank a special reader
who has been so generous, encouraging, and gracious since I started my Substack. Engaging with you, Obed, has been pure joy!Ending on a poetic note
Three years ago I wrote an appreciation poem to a dear friend who lives across the pond, but digitally the distance feels almost inexistent. Somehow it seems fitting to share it with all of you today. It’s how I feel about each and every one of you. Thank you, friends.
friendship lore
we are each other’s suns / when skyline is but / always / darkest hour / we are the dainty whisper / songs / wind carried / to each other’s hearts / we scattered seeds / of greenest vines / bridging gaps / ungapping bridges / we cross midway / at night / i hear your soul / echo / locating / back to me / no rifts / no ethers / no distances / a / matter / i hear / you’re here / you’re here
I’m not saying goodbye.
Only—yours hopefully,
Nadia
Going through your other guest writers - I mean- Tarkovsky mention by lonely that's amazing. Great group of writers and readers here!
Enjoy. Rest. Connect. Play. I hope your time away is peaceful and soothing for you.