On days when thinking feels impossible.

If the timing weren’t so uncanny, I’d question why it took me so long to read my favorite poet’s Nobel lecture. “Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know.’” — W.S. Permission to not convert everything into certainty. To keep the work alive by staying curious.

First time adding a recording of me reading a poem and it feels like a big deal??? Somehow more vulnerable than the poem itself?? Be kind 🙈😅

This story by @ambersparks.bsky.social is BRILLIANT. Sharp, witty lines that tug hard on a feeling, then abruptly cut it loose before moving on to the next. I’m not even mad about how it plays with my heart, because it’s a thrill—I’m feeling a hundred things at once—and I’m absolutely here for it.

POV: using poetry to trick yourself into feeling something other than what you’re actually feeling 😅

I love how a why can age—how you can look at it years later and see all it's been through.

Would love to connect with others on Substack. Read my latest post here and follow along for more: substack.com/@paigeryan/n...

One could argue that the best part about writing is stumbling upon the past selves you’ve forgotten.

In case the news is a little much, here’s a tender poem to read instead.

Fall in haiku.

People need to stop saying “I didn’t eat all day” as if it’s proof of work ethic. It’s not ambition. It’s proof of a system that taught you to confuse self-neglect with dedication. And call it professionalism. (Wild how eating lunch during the workday still feels like a rebellion.)

“Never be sad when you can be funny instead—unless you can be funny and sad, which is even better. Slipping on a banana peel? Hilarious. Slipping on a banana peel while already downtrodden? Art.” Finally, a sentiment I can get behind 😅

Death, dressed in its Sunday best. Painted in watercolor. Served almost sweet. Jenny George’s collection stuns in its balance—heavy / light, above / below, grief / grace.

The curse of being a poet is: every word is guilty until proven innocent 🤔 😅

Writing poems is just: uses word I’ve known forever → panics → googles definition.

Quite possibly my favorite philosophical question to date 😂

I picked strawberries last weekend, and halfway through the field—I had a moment. Here’s a poem about remembering what joy tastes like 🍓 “…I eat another, then another, again and again, each more ferociously than the last…”

Rebecca Solnits “No Straight Road Takes You There” is currently keeping me sane. Read for good perspective on solidarity, mutual aid, community, and pleasure/leisure’s ability to be a safety net.

I don’t remember where I got this copy of a talk Thich Nhat Hanh did at a correctional institution but it’s full of nice little meditations on poetry and life.

You know a poetry book is good when…

Retreating back to nature where the chaos of the world can’t get me. Send me poems that ground—either ones you’ve read or written. #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #naturewriting

The novel “Playground” is my first exposure to Richard Powers and I must say, the out-of-the-blue burst of magical realism on page 173 is such a flex. #booksky

WRITING TIP: if you get stuck, try making the font really really big. This will remind you of being a baby, when you only knew twelve words and didn't know about death

Also I can’t stop referring to my baked goods as babies because my biological clock is like WHAT ELSE COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE DOING. #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #breadmaking #queerwriter #queerpoet

Spent the day watching my sour baby grow up instead of whatever garbage is popping up in the news. 10/10 recommend if you want to maintain your sanity.

Modern day self-care 101 🍯 🥲 #writingcommunity #writinglife #poetrycommunity #queerartist #queerpoet #queerwriter

Working for a company that directly conflicts with your values is a special kind of fun. Someone send me a poem beautiful enough to drown out my disappointment in humanity. (I promise I’m not usually this dramatic, it’s just been a day) #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity

You wouldn’t be a creative in the modern world if you didn’t have 12 million project ideas a day that you sadly had to lay to rest for the grind 🥲 🪦💔 #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #lifewriting #naturewriting

POV: The cadence found in books written before 1900. #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #lifewriting #poetry #naturewriting

As a #poet, I tend to go through obsessions with very particular things and often. Sometimes it’s a word that keeps showing up in my #writing—other times, a phenomenon or a theme. Right now, it’s sound. What keeps popping up in your #poetry? What’s your most prominent fascination at this time?

Fixed my typewriter 🫶

• Stagnant • #poetrycommunity #poetry #naturepoetry #naturewriting #ecopoetry #writingcomminity

“…a lot of positives come from being able to unclench that desire to steer the day in the way that feels right and, instead, listening to the whisperings of chance and serendipity.” Such a great interview 👌 #writingcommunity

Writing in all dialogue was a fun little exercise. Read the end result below ⤵️ Share if you give it a go! #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #creativenonfiction #flash #lifewriting #writing #nonfiction

If you’re not surrounding yourself with people who make you feel like you’re marinating in a big ol’ bowl of your favorite soup, what are you even doing? #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity #writinglife #poet

The Woman On The Concrete / The Empath With No Choice #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #writinglife

Last year I replaced resolutions with In/Out lists. I really enjoyed how it acted as more of a guide than a black and white “goal”. Looking back, it was cool to see that I followed through on many of last years! Sharing in case anyone wants to give it a go needs some inspo 🙃 #writingcommunity

S•o•l•i•t•u•d•e #poetrycommunity #naturewriting #naturepoetry #ecopoetry #writingcommunity #lifewriting #poem #poet #poemoftheday

What a happy thing it is, to grow old and keep on changing.

The time of year when…

Unpopular opinion: the bay leaf is a silly little spice whose sole purpose is to make it look like you know what you’re doing because it somehow got this superior reputation in the world of cooking despite the fact that it tastes like nothing.

Not sure how all you memoir writers out there remember enough from your childhood to write an entire book about it 🤔 Tell me, does a 100% factual memoir actually exist or do most people have to fill in holes with fiction to make it work? #writingcommunity

Finally broke the drought that was me submitting work to lit mags 🙋‍♀️

Me (working on poetry): “Ugh, tenses!” Partner: “Awe, are you feeling tense about tenses?!?!” Me: 😑

Editing poems feels a lot like rearranging the furniture.

When you’re frequenting holiday gatherings where everyone keeps asking what you do for a living and feel pressured into telling them about your shitty day job but all you really want to do is passion rant about writing. #writingcommunity #writers #poetrycommunity #poets #writersofbluesky

I love this poem.

Excited to dive into this one! Any other craft-focused book recommendations out there? #writingcommunity #poetrycommunity