You can listen to this newsletter instead of reading it. Click the long black rectangle above these words.

Hi pals!

We made a new thing! You can skip the line and check it out right here:

If you’re in the mood for some thoughts on spontaneity and creativity, let me start by saying…

I used to be so confused by other people’s long-term relationship goals.

Everyone seemed to want spontaneity in a partner — I want someone who will make me laugh, someone who will surprise me, someone who will keep me on my toes.

I wanted none of those things.

Committed, romantic, loved seemed impossibly vulnerable. If I was going to imagine myself there, I wanted clarity, stability and certainty. The opposite of adventure.

And then twelve years passed with the very same person, and in the daily haze of rent and groceries and snoring and “Did you remember to pick up the kibble on your way home from work?” — things have changed.

I get it now.

I’ve come to understand that spontaneity is a counterpoint to the lovable drudgery that is so much of adult life. It’s the rope ladder out of ruts, a reset button for routine. It pulls us out of patterns that don’t feed us and reminds us that every day is a canvas of creative potential, and nothing stays the same forever.

Spontaneity is the cake that creativity wants to jump out of, if only we’d remember that we like cake, and we want it, and it’s right there, across the room, waiting.

So. We have a gift for you this summer.

We’ve cooked up a vision for a series of free, short writing gatherings (workshop-ettes, if you will) to infuse spontaneity into all of our writing in the warm weather months.

They are scattered through the summer, starting on the solstice, June 21, and ending on the last day of August. Some are online, some in Toronto, and some at destinations outside of the city for summer road trips.

To keep things spontaneous, the locations for each will be revealed three days before. Many or all locations will be accessible—we’ll share lots of accessibility info as each location is revealed, and are always here for questions.

This is us, doing what we love to do, with you and for you. I hope you’ll join us!

Summer Pop-Ups

If you’re looking for something more sustained, deep and relational, we have spots in a few of our small group workshops this summer.

It’s also worth saying that routine is good for creativity, too.

Just like everything with living a creative life, there are no single truths, and we’re all different.

If you don’t get excited by meeting strangers to write for an hour — you’re just as much of a writer as if you do.

Enjoy being at the wheel of your experience. That’s the whoooole point. And of you want to write with us this summer, we can’t wait to see you there.

In it with you,

Free summer writing pop-ups