Hello Sharpeners! Im writing from a humid, tropical destination—I’m out of the country, off the grid, off the clock this week for a much needed family vacation—which for me is its own small act of rebellion.
This week, I’d like all of us to go back and revisit some of the creative calls to action from the last several months here at The Sharpening, and follow through on just one of them. Somewhere in the last couple of months, this newsletter asked you to make something, mail something, call someone, build something to effect change in the world or in your own life. Maybe you did it. Maybe you meant to. Maybe it’s still sitting in a tab you haven’t closed or, like me, halfway finished in a writing journal. This week, finish it.
Pick one CCA you skipped or half-did over the last several months, and complete it this weekend. I’ll join you in doing the same (under giant palm trees no less!)
Here are a few of my favorite creative calls to action from the last several months for you to reflect back on and consider completing:
Name Your Bright Spot: written after the Artemis II mission to the moon and the astronauts who inspired the world.
There You Are: Write a love letter to a portrait of yourself.
A Reclamation of Rage: On the men who march with us in the light and harm us in the dark.
Who Did They March for You to Become? Redrawing your own line through the work of your ancestors and the movements of civil rights.
To Stephen with Love: Come be a part of creating an artifact of gratitude for Stephen Colbert.
What Would Your Memoir Look Like in Three Panels? In honor of graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, draw your revolution.
I hope these inspire something radical and magnificent for you! Much love and see you next week,
Amber
Substack Lives coming up including Joan of Arcadia show creator Barbara Hall and more!
July 28th @ 2pm ET: Documentary filmmaking and the art of making a tv show succeed with executive producer of House M.D. and the director of Artist in Residence, Katie Jacobs.
September 3rd @ 2pm A conversation with historical fiction’s fearless leader, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz on finding humor in the gruesome, writing across genres and more.
September 14th @ 2pm: Joan of Arcadia, Madame Secretary, and Judging Amy fans: Brace yourselves, we have the one and only show creator-extraordinaire Barbara Hall in the house for a conversation you won’t want to miss.
October 14th @ 2pm: A conversation with one of our most gifted fiction and short story writers and educators on the craft of dark humor in storytelling, managing chronic illness as a writer, and her new murder mystery, The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford, Nafissa Thompson-Spires. (Live link coming soon!)
The Sharpening is a reader-supported newsletter run by me, Amber. Upgrading to a paid subscription keeps it going—and growing. Your support lets me dedicate real time to crafting original, timely creative prompts and bringing in some of the most compelling artists working today for interviews and webinars.
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