Well what a year 2021 has been already. I’m writing this on the eve of the Biden/Harris inauguration, two weeks after the violence at the Capitol, and in the midst of a pandemic that is surging here in California.
Back in May 2020 I wrote a post for the 12x12 challenge about how I was creating during a crisis. Hope was the word I used. And it’s a word I keep coming back to. But hope alone isn’t enough. What actions can we take?
If you’re reading this newsletter there’s a good chance you care about kids and books. So, let’s get books in the hands of kids and make a difference in their lives. If you’re a creator, read on for how I’ve been carving out time to create future books.
Another way to get books to kids is to support nonprofits with that mission. I donated to First Book who distribute books to schools and communities who need them. Here’s an example of First Book’s work:
These actions keep my hope alive.
P.S I’ve moved my newsletter onto substack. I add things regularly to it, not just at newsletter time, but I’ll probably still only send a newsletter monthly for now.
Carving out time to create
How many months have we been at home now? 9? 10? Eleventyhundred? I don’t know. But what I do know is was really struggling to carve out time for myself to get work done. I’ve hit all my deadlines and I’ve even written some new work but it has been so hard to dedicate time and brain capacity to creation.
As primary caregiver, I know all the log ins, set all the reminders, attend all the material pickups, help with all the math, troubleshoot zoom issues, and so on. I am always needed and never alone.
So last week I put in place a new routine. Every day, after I make sure my youngest has logged into her last zoom of the day, I am at work. I shut my bedroom door for two hours and the kids are responsible for finishing their work, having lunch (I prep it in advance) and not fighting (ha!). It’s only been two days but it’s been working so far.
Look at your days and work out where you can carve out time for yourself. I told myself the story that I couldn’t possibly work with everyone in the house all day and when school was in session, but it turns out I can. I know this won’t work for everyone so please don’t feel bad if this is just not realistic for you right now. We’re in a pandemic and a time of huge stress so don’t add to it. As the saying goes, your mileage may vary. And I hope I haven’t just cursed myself like when you tell everyone your baby slept through the night and then the next night they’re up every hour.
This post was inspired by this tweet conversation:
Poetry
If you don’t follow me on Instagram you might have missed my recent poems. Poems are something I do seem to manage to create in the little snippets of time. I write them on my phone and use the Canva app to make them into an image. Here’s a recent one about change:
Lemons ripen in the neighbor’s tree.
She tosses two or three into our yard,
her annual reminder to take some, please.
The strawberry stand returns so
we buy sun-drenched fruit and cling
to summer ‘til the sign says, see you next year.
A pumpkin patch emerges from an empty lot,
orange flags wave against blue sky,
and the cow train kicks up dust.
Red and green replace orange,
pines stand where haystacks towered.
The once wild trees tamed and tied to cars.
In this world where weeks and months swirl,
some in a blink while others never end,
these markers of time remind us:
change is coming.
The Wish Library is opening March 1!
It’s been so fun to see advance copies of The Wish Library making their way around the country.
The first book in the series is Snow Day in May: Raven is having the worst week ever. Her best friend Belle has just moved away, and tomorrow is Voices of History Day. Raven and Belle were working on their project together, and now Raven has to present alone--in front of the whole class. But when Raven stumbles upon the Wish Library and asks for school to be canceled, she faces a whole new challenge--and finds that just maybe she had the bravery she needed all along.
If you’d like your very own copy, preorder details are all on my website.
I think that’s everything for this month. Take care and keep in touch via comments or on Twitter and Instagram.
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