Newsletter, Scribe, The Story Box
Wishing You a Happy New Year
Scribe will continue to bloom in 2024! ✨
Dear Reader,
This is it! I’m writing to you for the very last time as the year 2023 draws to a close, and as we look over our shoulders at all that has been written in the pages of Scribe since January 1st, I think we can all feel a great warmth in our hearts!
I’m sure you’ll agree that 2023 has been a year rich in reading, writing, and emotion! The best way to reflect on how far our publication has come this year is to reread all the issues of The Story Box, the newsletter you know so well by now. They contain so many gems that it would be difficult to list them all here.
I’m so proud of all of you, dear Scribe writers, for everything you’ve contributed to the publication every day since its inception nearly seven years ago. If I were to compare the publication to a flower, I might choose the Edelweiss, one of the most famous mountain plants, known for its rarity, and whose name comes from the German words edel, meaning noble, and weiß, meaning white. I guess you know what I mean.
In a few hours, we’ll all be propelled into 2024, and I’m especially happy to announce that I’ll still be by your side next year, continuing to make Scribe shine in the vast world that is Medium. It couldn’t be otherwise, so much do I love what I do, and so much do I love the community of word lovers we all form together. Without taking too many risks, I’m sure that the coming year will be full of wonderful surprises for our publication, and that the words we write and read will be our faithful allies as we continue our lives as human beings. I can’t wait to experience all these new milestones with you!
Thank you again for all the love and kindness you bring to this publication, day after day. I don’t think I’m wrong in saying that it puts a lot of warmth to the hearts of its readers through the words of all of you, and that’s worth all the gold in the world.
If you’ve been reading me this week, you’ve probably heard that I’ve given the publication a fresh new look by adorning it with new colors, as I explain in this story. From the initial feedback I’ve received, you seem to really like Scribe’s new dress, which makes me very happy! Let’s hope it helps attract new talented writers and new readers eager for poetry and stories from the heart!
Since we’re in the midst of the holiday season, I’ve taken a short break from the fireside interview series following the publication of my delightful conversation with Erika Burkhalter. But this break will be short lived, as you will (hopefully) have the pleasure of discovering a new interview next Wednesday with a very talented guest, Bradley J Nordell! I’m counting on you to be there!
As part of the “What We’re Reading” series on the Medium blog, this week the Medium team shared Micah Josiah’s excellent poem The Barbershop, published in Scribe on December 3. If you haven’t read the delicious lines of this poem yet, run along — you’ll love the scene Micah has created!
Before I leave you to enjoy your tasty reading, I’d like to thank you again for all the messages of support following the publication of last week’s newsletter, in which I explained why I’ve made a small change in the way I’m publishing it from now on. It really warms my heart to know that we’re all on the same page and that I can count on you.
Among this week’s gems, Connie Song gifted us with a new masterpiece of poetry that also sounds like an ode to writing and to life, which is no mean feat! Bookends.
Ken Martin penned a wonderful and heartbreaking poem about the pain of losing a loved one. Waiting for the Sun.
Natalie Gasper wrote a poem that paints vivid imagery of what grief can be. The metaphors for tears and grief are gorgeous. 163 Days.
Daniela Dragas published a new letter addressed to her daughter, and tears came to my eyes again as I read these words, in particular:
It wasn’t until the third that I wrote — to you, not about you.
I still do.
Write to you. Speak to you. Love you.
The letter, deeply moving, is entitled: Time Passes.
Willynn S.Thompson crafted a lovely piece inspired by a gentle conversation with her son, and which sounds like a charming reflection on fear. Sonshine’s Garden of Joy.
Thank you so much for being here, and see you next year! ✨
Weekly Digest
I Came Early Today, by Nanette Schieron. You Brighten Our World, by Louise Foerster. Restoring Gratitude in a Dark World, by Athena Milios. The Universe of Us, by Scott Zosel. Bookends, by Connie Song. Shopping Basket, by a.j. land. One 23 20 23, by Micah Josiah. Sonshine’s Garden of Joy, by Willynn S.Thompson. Waiting for the Sun, by Ken Martin. Neighbors, by Natalie Wilkinson. The Quiet Hour, by Sam Aureli. 163 Days, by Natalie Gasper. There Is Always Life, by Deborah Barchi. Note to Self: In Praise of Burdens and Beauty by Mistake, by Sofia Isabel Kavlin. Aliens and Me, by Michael Madill. Time Passes, by Daniela Dragas.
Community
Want to support me, the publication, and its wonderful community of talented writers? Let’s meet every month for a cup of tea 💛 Dream of being published in Scribe and reaching a potential audience of over 19,400 readers? Submit your story ✨ Remember to subscribe to my profile so you don’t miss anything I write on Medium 🍃 All editions of this newsletter can be found here 💌 Don’t forget to wander and be moved!