*NEW* writing group announcement <3

a lana-coded summer

Hi friends,

I’m spamming your inboxes, but I hope you don’t mind.

It’s such a gloomy day in Toronto, and the Eclipse energy makes me feel like that emoji with the spirally eyes. A whoosh, like my best friend calls it. So, I did the most rational thing and bought a loaf of sundried tomato ciabatta, salami, and goat cheese. I will be drinking my weight in water for the rest of the night, but it was so, so, so worth it.

I have so many new subscribers from who are you, when it’s just you? - which still feels surreal to me. I’ve had this newsletter since February 2022, and honestly, it’s the one thing in my life that remains constant. Every Sunday (with the sporadic post throughout the week - if there’s been more drama) - I have to write to you.

I don’t know where I’d be without it.

I started hosting writing groups back in the fall of 2022. There’s one thing that I strongly believe in - and that’s the power of art and the power of community. Being an artist, in whatever medium you choose, is the biggest act of vulnerability. It’s creating meaning from what pulls at your heart. What keeps you up at night. What’s broken and what’s built you up. It’s love, it’s grief, it’s heartache. It’s understanding. It’s the human experience.

And it can feel isolating. Especially when you grow up in certain households or cultures where - you had no choice but to repress your emotions and feelings. We were so often taught to follow a certain norm, a certain narrative.

And anything that disrupts that comfortability - would be shut down.

I cap each group at around 4-5, so everyone feels comfortable sharing their pieces. I send out a prompt - about a week and a half before each session.

The prompts vary from group to group. And because it’s the beginning of summer, I’m thinking white dresses and picnic blankets. Talking about girlhood, our first crushes, our summer loves. We’re sun-kissed and we’re glowing. We’re remembering our favourite songs, and there we are, talking about what it was like to feel younger in those summers in July.

Everything is virtual - unfortunately, we can’t all meet up for a Lana-coded picnic.

But, if you’re interested in joining this group (I think it’s my 8th or 9th!) here is more info:

Dates:

*All meetings take place at noon EST, and go for about one and a half hours, every second Sunday*

May 4th

May 18th

June 1st

June 15th (TBD because my birthday is the day before lol)

June 29th

Cost:

Sliding Scale: $150-$300

Vibe (lol):

If you’re interested, feel free to send me a message on here, or message me on IG (which is on my Substack profile 💘)

Love you, and I can’t wait to see you this summer 😘

Emily