👋 Hi and a few fun announcements! 📚
New Books Are Dropping Soon, Oh My!
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Hello, lovely brainy friends! Summer is in full flower in the Salt Lake valley, and with thunderheads above, I’m praying for rain.
It has been a while since I let you know I’d be taking a hiatus from writing this newsletter. I took a longer hiatus than I intended because I’ve had a lot to do. Early this year I realized that I was pushing full-steam ahead into publishing The Brain’s Lectionary: Psalms and Observations, which my body was not ready and willing to do. I listened to the quiet, “Go gently here,” and asked my publisher for time to revise my book.
Graciously, they said yes. I slowed down and considered the project more carefully. I minimized social media and tried to focus on healing more (its own entire job) and writing.
And, drumroll . . . , I just submitted the manuscript to the publisher again a few weeks ago. They set a publication date of late October of November. Woohoo!
I am excited for you to read The Brain’s Lectionary and to hear what you think about my poems and linocuts. Art is an act of co-creation between the creator and the receiver. I can’t do this without readers! Often the self is both creator and receiver, though, and I absolutely wrote this book to speak to myself and my healing and unhealed wounds.
I especially wanted to speak to others who carry the same kinds of hurts. People with brain injuries and trauma need to see themselves and their experiences reflected in others. There is so much disbelief surrounding their symptoms, even from medical professionals, that they can start to feel like it’s all made up, when, actually, their brain is physically injured.
Even though I have done so much research and have tried so many things in my own recovery, I feel powerless to help people I talk to who are so deeply in their recovery without good medical help. I hear about medical gaslighting, and I just despair. People have to search so hard for professionals who take symptoms of brain damage seriously to get proper rehabilitation—all with a brain that’s not functioning properly and guzzling energy like it’s falling through a sieve. Even though information is abundant, support is limited. As someone who is familiar with that painful process, I really want to help.
One of the realizations I came to while revising my book was that I was actually writing multiple books. So, instead of cramming all the brain injury resources and insights into the back of my poetry and art book, I decided to create some practical tools that can serve as scaffolding for recovery.
I am happy to tell you that I am working on a daily planner to manage brain injury recovery and a brain break creativity journal. I’m covering both focused attention and unfocused attention—two sides of the same coin—both of which can be practiced. These books will be fun, not clinical. Cute, not soul-crushing.
There are so many facets of recovery to manage that all those items need a tailored, organized place to live. A planner like this would have been so helpful for me to have all along, and most especially in my earliest days of recovery when organizing my rehabilitation was very difficult. Any brain injury survivor knows that properly balancing rest and trying is key. And, rest is super hard to do. We are used to applying more effort when we want to get something done, but taking frequent breaks to give the brain time to relax and integrate is an essential part of rehabilitation. There are many ways to do this, and this book with help anyone (not just brain injury survivors) rest their brain creatively during the day.
I’ve wanted to do a planner like this for a long time. I am also glad I’ll be able to offer a creative resource that will help anyone improve their brain function and that will help people with brain injuries begin to rehabilitate their artistic selves while practicing much-needed rest. I have always been a big journaler and doodler, and being able to tap into those core parts of who I am again and offer them to others is immensely healing.
Friends, I’m so excited. You’ll be the first to know when these books go live!
What I’m loving
The New York Times daily Vertex triangle puzzle, especially this recent drawing of the brain!
What I’m listening to
Coldplay. All the Coldplay as a lead up to their new album Music of the Spheres. “Coloratura” feels so Age of Aquarius and Beatles reminiscent I can hardly wait for the whole album.
What I’m reading
Suleika Jaouad, Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted. This book. Whew. The searing reality of her medical trauma while receiving chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant was so intense I had to pause reading to let myself recover, but the first 130 pages are some of the best memoir writing I’ve read. I’ll return as soon as I can.
What I could use help with
You already do so much just being here and reading and being a subscriber. I feel your support and am so thankful you’re along for the ride. Thank you! If you want to do more, there are a couple of things I could use your help with as I get ready to launch my books.
As I try to serve people best, I could use some help with a journal survey. If you were to buy a brain break journal, what would you like to see? Answer via the link.
I have a fun doodling series planned for my YouTube channel in the next couple of months when my journal comes out. Subscribing would help me offer resources to people. If you are inclined, please head over there and subscribe!
As always, if this newsletter has been helpful, inspiring, or thought provoking, feel free to share it (especially with a brain injury survivor or brain injury advocate).
Thanks so much for reading and subscribing. Sending lots of love. We’re all on the same team!