Hi, everyone! Sorry it’s been quiet here the past few weeks. I’ve been busy with editing work, new projects and endeavors (which I’ll share with you soon), and doing my best to take care of myself during the pandemic. I hope you, too, are still doing well.
Today I have more exciting news on the poetry front to share with you! I’ll give you a hint as to the first announcement: It’s in the header above. (*wink*) Keep reading after the jump.
Hey, everyone. (*waves hello*)
First and foremost, how are you and your loved ones doing? So many people are sick, discouraged, or anxious right now, and it hurts me to know this. But that’s the reality we’re dealing with because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Almost every aspect of our lives has been put on hold for the time being. So I wanted to reach out, say hello, and make sure you’re OK.
OMG! By the time you read this post, I’ll be back at the Iceland Writers Retreat!! 😀
I have to admit, though: The past two months have been a whirlwind. A big part of that was launching my business Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services in February. Since then, life has been a juggling act between that, the day job, preparing for the Iceland trip, preparing for the ACES Conference (more on that shortly), and some unexpected things in my offline life, including a relative’s health emergency. And I’m aware that while I’m keeping up with my blogging schedule, I’ve fallen behind in just about every other area of this part of my life. 😦
In a way, I knew this was coming… and once I’m back from Iceland, it might be time to slow things down here and finally get the Heart of the Story blog up and running. But for now, let’s focus on the good that’s happened since the previous edition of What’s Making Me Happy. And as always, feel free to share the things that have made you smile recently in your comments on this post!
Let’s begin with…
Hi, everyone!
I don’t have a regular blog post going up this week. But I do want to share a couple website-related updates that might interest you. In fact, you may have already noticed some of them in the sidebar and also in the navigation menu. There are two in particular I’d like to highlight, so let’s jump right in with…
I’m sort of glad now that I decreased my blogging schedule again. Because January was a blur, and not a fun kind of blur. I was buried with work at my day job for most of the month, which cramped my free time to a minimum and zapped my blogging time to… well, zero. 
But some good things happened in January, too, and I can’t forget or discount any of that goodness.
That’s why I’m grateful for this series. What’s Making Me Happy reminds me of the highlights, fun events, and other recent joys – and after a month that drags you down in some ways, it’s a nourishing perspective to have. This month’s Happy post is twice as delightful, too: I’m covering both December and January, with three joys from each month. And with my slower blogging schedule, this bimonthly format might be the way to go from now on. What do you think?
Let’s start with…
Does anyone else feel like November zoomed by? Again? It feels that way every year, first with Thanksgiving and now Christmas approaching fast. And while November was relatively stress-free, I’ve been struggling to keep up with blogging because of changes in my work circumstances. I’m not sure how this impact the blog in the long term. But since I’m planning to take an annual holiday hiatus from blogging soon, the time-off might be a good chance to think about what changes, if any, might be needed for 2018.
But I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself, shouldn’t I? 🙂 So let’s turn our attention away from what may be ahead to what we can already be thankful for. As always, feel free to share your joys of the past month in your comments. But for now, I’ll share with you the things that made me happy this November!
I just realized this is happening next week, and I haven’t announced it yet. Oops! Here’s an Open Mic Night I plan to attend later this month:
Saturday, October 19th
Curry College
Milton, MA
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Curry College, my alma mater, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its student literary magazine, The Curry Arts Journal. The CAJ staff have planned two events for this occasion on Saturday, October 19th. In the morning, a CAJ Panel featuring previous student editors of the lit mag will discuss their creative endeavors during and since college, as well as the importance of CAJ to Curry’s history and culture. Later that evening, alumni will be reading selected works from the upcoming 40th anniversary CAJ issue, which will feature new work as well as republished favorites. I will have one old piece (“Writer’s Block”) and three new pieces (“Eve of Spring,” “Nightmusic,” and “The Critic and the Muse”) in the 40th anniversary issue.
The Open Mic Night will be held in the Large Meeting Room at Curry’s Student Center from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Hope you can make it!
Coming Soon: My review of The Mariana Hollow’s new EP Scars, Not Wounds will be online at Sonic Cathedral soon. Also, I should pass the 25,000-word mark on my novel-in-progress this coming weekend! And if you’ve been following my “Chronicling The Craft” series so far, you’ll know what that means! 😉
Hi, all
Well, as you can see, it’s been a while since I updated the site. Not too bad, but two months is a long wait between updates. I’ve been quite busy with creative and non-creative things. So let me give you a brief overview of what’s been going on: Continue reading
Sara Letourneau 