All posts tagged: ANCESTOR TROUBLE

Musings & Meanderings: Kristin Keane chats about her unconventional memoir, AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BENDING TIME, plus the season of summer, calls for submissions, writing with kids, what I’m reading, Maud Newton in conversation with Ann Leary TONIGHT via the Center For Fiction, more

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By Leslie Lindsay A curated newsletter on the literary life, featuring ‘4 questions,’ reading & listening recommendations, where to submit, more Leslie Lindsay|Always with a Book ~MUSINGS & MEANDERINGS~ Hello, Friends! How’s summer going for you? I know we’re barely dipping our toes in, but let me just say–it’s been pretty good so far. Summer might be loaded with lots of ‘shoulds,’ you should be happy, you should be outside, you should be taking time off, playing; you should be flourishing. But sometimes you’re not. Summer is a time when everything is exemplified, made bolder. There’s a shimmer to the landscape, the colors are brighter, things are in bloom. What if maybe you’re questioning everything? Maybe you don’t like the stimulation? As a writer, who also ‘moms,’ I find it really tough to be ‘all in’ for either job. My mind often drifts to the kids when I’m writing (even though–especially though–they are teenagers), and when I’m in writerland, I worry I am not doing enough for them. This isn’t just a teenage thing, it’s …

Musings & Meanderings: Leslie Kirk Campbell talks about her debut collection in our ‘4 Questions’ chat; hint: memory, time, bodies. Plus, how to pick your creative project, mental health awareness, where to submit, links to interviews with Maud Newton, Kim Adrian, and new CNF

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By Leslie Lindsay A curated newsletter on the literary life, featuring ‘4 questions,’ a mini-author interview, reading & listening recommendations, where to submit, more Leslie Lindsay|Always with a Book ~MUSINGS & MEANDERINGS~ Hello, Friends! Folks always wonder how to know if they’re making the right choice creatively when there are so many possibilities. I get it. There are a million ways a project could go, a million first lines, each offer a unique structure, too. We must move past indecision and lean into our work. Choose your project. Choose your ideas. Chose your sentences. Choose your ending. It’s not easy. Did anyone say it would be easy? They were wrong. How’s it going? Respond here in a comment, or find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. xx, ~Leslie : ) There’s more to this newsletter…keep scrolling! What I’m Distracted By This really resonated… “[My wife] was a teaching assistant for kids with disabilities and they had put a butterfly sanctuary in their classroom. … She said that in order for the butterflies to learn how to fly they …

Creative-Care is Self-Care: Insights Gleaned from my Time in Guatemala, plus what I’m working on, upcoming interviews, recently published fiction, more

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~WHAT I LEARNED IN GUATEMALA~ I recently returned from a writing workshop/retreat in Guatemala. Let me just say this: the scenery was stunning. The location and people were warm, colorful, and in most cases: inspiring. Reflecting on my time there has generated this list of things I wanted to be sure to share. The idea of a retreat is to: Renew, recharge, reconnect. We’ve been running ninety-to-nothing for a long time now. We’re pandemic-weary, covid-fatigued, and anxious to connect. A retreat should afford us the opportunity to do that. Self-care might be a big buzz word these days, but… What about creative care? We must take care of our creative person, the vessel who does all of this inventing. My Reiki therapist recently noted my sacral area (the seat of creativity) was ‘ping-pinging’ with activity, but was eclipsed by something dark–a sheathe. That’s a problem. That darkness…well, it needs to be lightened. Her suggestion? Meditation. It doesn’t have to be long or involved. 5-10 minutes is all. A deep breath. A few moments alone. Releasing …