Friday and Favourites Vol. 29
plus a New Year announcement
Dear Friends,
With the New Year, we are shedding a bit, shaking off the dust we collected last year. Our gills are clean and exposed, ready to make oxygen. Our senses are aching for something new, yet familiarity is also such a balm to the ache of time passing. So, we will be doing things much the same this year. Rhythms and routines soon will fall into place. Of Trees and Poetry will march on, bringing prompts and thoughtful musings to your inbox as always, but we have something new in store as well.
Each month, we will be operating within a theme. Our regularly scheduled posts will have Friday & Favourites as well as Craft & Plays for the theme, but something special will arrive on the first of each month for paid subscribers: a printable pamphlet with extra prompts and poetry inspiration. This month, our theme is “Fairy Poetic,” ringing in the new year with old fairy tales. This month is included for everyone, with no paywall so that you can get an idea of what it is like. It will be attached at the end of this newsletter. We hope these printables will add value for those who choose a paid subscription. Regardless of whether you subscribe, we are so grateful you are here.
As we enter into a new year of writing, instead of setting a defined goal, we want to develop the habit of writing every day. This takes perseverance. Perseverance takes self-discipline. And self-discipline takes self-denial. I (Emily) used to hate that phrase self-denial. For me, it carries a lot of puritanical baggage and guilt from my fundie years. However, God is redeeming this term in my life right now.
Self-denial is a daily practice. It is not a means where I monkishly self-flagellate myself in order to justify myself before God. It is not a means to be self-righteous, nor is it denying my personality, emotions, wants, and needs. Dr. Alison Cook has an article where she talks about this better than I can articulate.
Rather, it is choosing better things over lesser things. For example, denying the want to sit down and scroll my phone. To be clear, scrolling your phone is not morally wrong. However, there are better ways to use your time. And that takes self-denial. To live a habitually creative life takes self-denial. And ultimately, this helps me love those around me better. For the longest time, I would be irritable towards my children because I knew I wasted my time when they were still asleep rather than putting that time towards what I truly desired.
Self-denial is a key to fighting the resistance that crops up every day when we face the blank page. Motivation can only bring you so far. You have to make the consistent habit of choosing things that will serve your art and those around you. And ultimately, this serves your neighbor and glorifies God.
Here are some of our faves to get us off to a good start in the new year:
Robin Waldun talks about reclaiming your attention span in this video.
Dr. Adam Walker’s channel is a great resource for those who want to be acquainted with the poetry of the past.
If you have an e-reader of any kind, I highly recommend Standard Ebooks. It’s free and you can browse many classics, including poetry titles, such as this one.
- is a Substack that contains poetry, art, and is always inspiring regular good old fashioned creative habits. Try this post.
And for a poetry recommendation— Lucie Brock-Broido’s collection, Stay, Illusion: Poems. is full of strange, beautiful surreal work that can almost be described as magical.
And so, friends, we leave you with this month’s printable, a trifold brochure. Be sure to print on both sides, flipping on the short edge. We hope you enjoy this tactile experience, and that it inspires many poems this month! If you’d like to keep receiving these, be sure to upgrade to a paid subscription.
May you be filled with joy this week!
What a neat little pamphlet! And thank you for the shout-out. I laughed when I saw which post of mine you linked to.
Yay! Book recs and poetry inspiration are the perfect way to start the new year. I'll have to bundle up and get over to the library to print your beautiful pamphlet.