23 Comments
Dec 7, 2023Liked by Amber Sparks

Hi! I did get the “test” — sorry I didn’t write sooner — it was a crazy day! I will reply properly via email tomorrow morning. I’m so glad you said yes! ❤️

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Oh thank goodness - I was beginning to think I had ghost email!

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Yes! Omg when I lived in Minnesota I felt just the same about April. Happy to commiserate!

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I love this. January always feels like a thousand days. This piece really resonated with me. Winter is a forced pause on the busyness of life. It's a perfect time to hunker down and tend to our souls, be creative, and rest.

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Right? I find I'm so much less depressed if I just let it be a hibernation/refresh period, and don't feel like I have to be super productive.

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I needed this! I too loathe January for the reasons you describe, but I also find the dark nights perfect for writing. I always call this Jan.-early March stretch my “writing cave.” Thank you. Loved this. ❤️

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Thank you! Yes, writing cave is a perfect description.

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“You can lean into the bleakness like an anchorite, write monastically, let an austere sort of inspiration infuse your work like light through incarnadine glass. Or you can allow the hard hidden sun to give your writing a brutal, honest beat, the long hallway of January a rehearsal for the endless hallway of death.” Bracing and brilliant--thank you.

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Of course! I'm trying to convince myself, too. :)

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So true. All I want is a fire and soup and tea and books. No words from others, no conversations, except those I write. January and February near a Great Lake are full of wind, snow, gale warnings and crashing waves. Everything outside is battered, and I can write about the battering from my core/soul.

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Dear Amber, hi! I’m excited to follow you here. I sent you an email through your website about you giving a reading where I teach. Hoping it gets to you!

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Hi, Kerry! I responded yesterday - very thrilled and happy to do the reading! I'm so honored to be asked, thank you so much!

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That’s fantastic! I’ve scoured my inbox and spam folder and haven't found your email. Would you mind re-sending it so I have your e-address? I can’t wait to share the good news with faculty here. You have many fans at F&M!

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Hi Kerry! Just reupped it again for you! Let me know if you don’t get it.

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Hi again! Nope — no sign of it in any of my inboxes (Incoming, All Mail, Junk, etc.). Hmmmm. Could you please send me a test email at ksherin@fandm.edu? Maybe I typed in the wrong address on your website….Thank you!!

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Hi, Kerry! Did you get the test earlier today? If not, I think your email may be blocking mine 😭 - and maybe you can DM me on Twitter or on Instagram?

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Haha this made me legit laugh out loud: Besides, when you’re writing even if you feel lonely and sad, you can at least feel artistically lonely and sad.

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I'm usually a firm believer in April being the toughest month to get through, what with winter not giving up its grip in Minnesota, but this year's January is kicking my butt. Vitamin D and a sun lamp are not helping enough, and it's like someone has kidnapped the real sun. Every time I see it, by the time I get out to verify its presence it's gone. I find it easy to do inward things, like reading, watching, or a jigsaw puzzle. But writing is hard for me to get to. Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration!

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I resonate with this so much -- I had to stop reading halfway through and try again, it was too visceral! Love it.

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How amazing--I was feeling so much of this, and just wrote a friend about writing and January feelings yesterday. So honored you found my work worthwhile and so appreciate the recommendation, thank you so much for reading. 💜

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Oh gosh yes - I honestly feel like your emails have been keeping me going this winter! So thank YOU!

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Yes, all of this. “Besides, when you’re writing even if you feel lonely and sad, you can at least feel artistically lonely and sad.” It’s a lifestyle

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It really is!

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