August 15, 2019
Notes from Summer: Hello from Los Angeles! I am traveling again, spending the week writing poems with my lovely lovely Arab American writing community. I’ve met so many wonderful people and feel very held, very warm. I am so thankful.
Notes from Jillian: What a year this month has been! I’ve been fairly busy (and fairly stressed) recently, and I’m trying to remember to take care of myself and be grateful for everything in my life, but (!!!) sometimes that’s really hard to do—you know that feeling? Sometimes it just feels easier to lean into the stress of schedules and to-do lists and deadlines until it eats you entirely.
This book made me lose my shit! It was my first for the #SealeyChallenge (reading a book of poetry every day for the month of August, a challenge I have not managed to keep up with) and wow did it get my month off to a good start. Aria’s poetry is masterful and riddles my insides. You can order it here.
– Summer
This really cute, calming indie game just came out recently and I downloaded it almost immediately—a very good call on my part. You play as a bird hiking up a mountain, talking to strangers, and finding treasure. It’s the kind of game that I want to play every night before I go to bed because it’s so soothing.
– Jillian
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES. Every beautiful space fantasy you can think of comes true. Mila Kunis gets beautiful outfits, Channing Tatum is a wolf-man (?), bees are your friend—if you are royalty. It’s on Netflix now, so please join me in rewatching this messy, messy mess of a film over and over and over again.
– Summer
Two things that are true: tie dye is cool again, and making things with your hands is the best stress relief that exists. Last weekend, I got up on Saturday morning and dyed a few of my socks. On Sunday, I dyed one of my t-shirts. In between a packed schedule and overwhelming to-do list, taking time to do something creative with my hands made me feel so good. Step one: get a tie dye kit from a local craft store (or anywhere online). Step two: find a bunch of stuff you already own that you want to dye (socks, old white t-shirts, pillowcases, etc). Step three: do the thing.
– Jillian