How was your literate life this week? As always, I’m here in your Inbox to celebrate our literate lives with a sneak peek into my own. Here’s what I’ve been reading, writing, learning and exploring this week:

What I’m Reading:

I picked up Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor solely because it was set in a town not too far from where I teach. I knew many students would get excited reading about their hometown, visualizing the businesses and streets mentioned and feeling like they were truly in the story. But I received so much more. I hadn’t expected for Addie to have leapt off the pages and into my heart. I hadn’t expected to think through the challenges of poverty in the way I did. I hadn’t expected to explore the impact of mental illness on children. I hadn’t expected to redefine my understandings of family and what it means to be a hero. But I did. What started as a book to explore a local town became a book to explore the hidden challenges (and small delights) of a child’s life. It is a must read.


What I’m Writing:

This week, I snuck in a bit of extra reading and read Dear Sister by Alison McGhee. It was a delightfully graphic book that I devoured in a single sitting. Told from the perspective of an older (and reluctant!) brother, each page reveals a letter written to his younger sister over the course of their childhoods. From her first day home to his last day home before heading to college, McGhee beautifully captures the complexity of sibling relationships in letter format. I laughed. I cried. And I opened my notebook. Inspired by the format, I started writing letters to my younger self and to my children at different phases of their life. Oh, how I wished I would have started this years ago as I am pretty choked up at the legacy of love these letters could leave behind.

What I’m Learning:

I’m learning how to breathe. I know, I know, we already know how to breathe. But I’m REALLY learning how to breathe and am fascinated by the thought that changing the way we breathe can change the way we feel, especially as we head into the hectic holiday season. Do you want to reconnect with your breath, too? Start here.

What I’m Exploring:

This week, I’m keeping how to keep the spirit of gratitude alive by creating a printable magnetic poem to frame and use as a centerpiece on my Thanksgiving table. Betsy Potash shared this template in her recent blog post and I’ve been playing around with it ever since. It will be such a meaningful centerpiece front and center on our Thanksgiving table.

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?