sunday strands

what to read when you don't want to read the news

Because, in this time of breaking (bad) news, there’s always another way to see the story. And so, inspired by my writing group and my trip to Mexico City, here are a few that have kept me company since January:

I don’t remember who recommended I read The Lacuna before we went to La Casa Azul, but I’m forever grateful for the ways it allowed me to take up residence in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky. It’s a story of a writer pulled between two nations, both inventing their modern identities, and equally giving pause to all twists we are living through in these current times. Trust me; you don’t need to be planning a trip to CDMX to appreciate the fullness of this story (but if you are planning a trip, I have some suggestions 🌮💃🎨).

I’m pretty sure I was the only person reading The White Album poolside during the White Lotus phase of our holiday. This was actually a reread, but again, as Didion writes of fires raging in LA, the political unrest of the 60s, and the aftermath in the 70s, it felt as fresh as when it was written.

Matthew Zapruder’s memoir intertwines the evolution of writing a single poem with what it means to be raising a son with an autism diagnosis and the unexpected sorrows and joys of being with both:

Maybe the point of writing through these feelings here, and in poems, is not to capture him in words, or to present him to anyone, but to record the ongoing experience of being alive in relation to difficulty, which is really the situation we are all in, whether or not we acknowledge it. Maybe it is to truly consider the nature of a spectrum, not just in relation to my son but in all aspects of life and artistic practice.

I’m still savoring the last few pages of The Story of a Poem, but I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

Okay, I’ve read a lot of Virginia Woolf, but somehow, I never read Mrs. Dalloway—so glad it was my book group’s April read on its 100th birthday, no less! There is something so timeless about exploring the secret deposit of exquisite moments, the fleeting nature of the everyday, and a cast of characters pressing against one another in their passing, both in person and in memory.

and last but never least, Rebecca Solnit. In Recollections of My Nonexistence, she explores what it means to find one’s voice as a writer in a society that prefers women to be silent because:

the struggle to find a poetry in which your survival rather than your defeat is celebrated, perhaps to find your own voice to insist upon that, or to at least find a way to survive amidst an ethos that relishes your erasures and failures is work that many and perhaps most young women have to do.

I’m always looking for recommendations! What books have you been reading?

xosew

ps

Only one more space for Braiding Sweetgrass: Breathing Stories.

This year, more than ever, I am grateful to know the island is there, waiting to listen to hold and behold the fullness of these current times. If you feel the same, it would be my honor to share Monhegan’s magic with you!

writing circle | gathering (in grace) notes

Begin your week gathering in good company!

Every Monday, 7:30 - 8:30 am ET, I host an online writing circle to encourage a creative start to the week. Honestly, I’m doing this more for myself than anyone else, but I’d love to have you join me because I know the power of accountability, coming together, and writing in community.

Each week, you are invited to come as you are. We greet one another before we sit in a moment of silence. I offer a poem and a prompt in the chat if you are looking for a way to begin, then we write for 60 minutes with our screens on or off—that’s it!

This is a free offering for all. If you find you are attending regularly and ever wish to make a donation in support of maintaining the space, you can always buy me a book. register once, and the link is yours forever ✍🏻

one more space…. . join me on retreat … .. …. .

Braiding Sweetgrass: Breathing Stories

September 17-21, 2025 | Monhegan, ME

For the fifth year, I invite you to join me for an intimate retreat on Monhegan. Our program is an embodied book group, journeying and journaling through the wisdom and words of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s memoir Braiding Sweetgrass with the magic of Monhegan. I’m thrilled to consider the possible ways Kimmerer’s storytelling will become the guide to writing our own. Together, we will write through the island's topography, the geography of our senses, and our storied experiences. There will be ample time to search for sea glass and hike the trails through Cathedral Woods to the rocky shores of Pebble Beach.

Through writing, ritual, and restorative yoga, we will meditate, celebrate, and honor the variations of our authentic voices, as can only happen when you find yourself on this artist's island 10 miles out to sea.

and … . .. . . …. if you ever thought of creating your own retreat… . ..

my cottage still has three weeks open to rent at the beginning of the summer ~ contact Brackett Rentals for info, and let see•vue be the sanctuary for your story!

lingering line… . ..

i have always believed i could change the story because i am the story.

jeanette winterson