Summer is Knocking
Summer seems to be impatient this year. It’s mid-May and here in the Southwest, we’ve hit triple digits and there are contests to guess the first time we’ll reach 110 (degrees, Fahrenheit for my metric readers). This has me thinking about cooler climates and vacations.
It also has me thinking about summer reading, summer walking, and summer evenings, three of my favorite things about summer.
In the Garden, these months are both busy and slow. Many of our volunteers take on seasonal work. Others take vacations. And this year, there are quite a few women in the Garden who have committed to some summer ‘homework,’ working on projects they plan to share with all of us in the Fall.
The One Mind Book Club is up to Week 6 of Never Too Late to Begin Again by Julia Cameron. The weekly discussions are rich in discovery and support, as we all experience this journey individually, together.
Walking in nature is one of the experiences the book encourages us to build into a daily habit. I had the opportunity to take a walk this week at the Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. The best part: The Trees. I look forward to returning soon!
Summer doesn’t mean the Garden will be quiet! There are summer poetry and storytelling challenges in the works, workshops and critique groups forming, and the Call for Submissions for Volume 3 of A Safe and Brave Space opens August 1st and runs through September 30th. Join the Calls for Submissions space in the Garden where we’ll post regular updates.
We’re also planning some Open Mic Events. One already on the Calendar is The Talks We Have on Monday, June 19th at 8pm Eastern. Contributors will continue to share about The Talks that take place in families of color. We hope you will join us for this, and future events we plan to host on this topic. Tickets are free and available on Eventbrite.
Watch for more Poetry and Storytelling Open Mic Events. We have a lot of ideas of how to make these a fun way to enjoy those summer nights.
The Talk continues to attract contributors to this evolving project. We’ve changed this call for submissions to be open, with no deadline and have more ideas to expand this idea.
The submission window for A Safe and Brave Space Volume 3 has been expanded to two months, August 1st through September 30, 2023. We’re planning poetry workshops, guest speakers, critique groups and open mic events beginning in July to start stirring the creative juices and tap into those summer vibes 😎
Coming next week - a ‘pop-up’ call for submissions! Garden members created a lot of poetry during National Poetry Month and we feel the momentum is there to carry this full circle to another Garden anthology. And, it will piggy-back nicely with our summer plans!
Atena O. Danner shares her latest book, Incantations of Rest
A beautiful post by Victoria Juster Ten Things of Thankful 5/5/23
Susan Brearley created the poem Read the Labels, published in Contemplate on Medium
What do your donations support? Besides paying for the software and tech that grows the Garden online, donations also make it possible for us to pay the women who step into leadership roles because they see the vision, and the power, of women when we are connected, supported, and empowered. Funds are also used for scholarships, making sure no woman is denied access to what the Garden offers.
Thank you all,
Susan Brearley
Founder, Garden of Nero Institute, Inc.
Whenever I have struggled to write, been uninspired, the Garden has nursed me back to the green and pink of my creative health. E.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. t.i.m.e...It is incredible. ~Richa Dinesh Sharma
Images by Nanci Arvizu, Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, AZ May 2023
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Loving this, Nanci & Susan 🌱🌿☀️