A syllabus for the creative life

Welcome to Fall Term 2023

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This is the first official installment of Linkpso, where I take a piece of content (article, essay, book, video… anything I can link to) and use it as a prompt for writing. I might be in conversation with the piece or use it as a springboard to go in a completely different direction. I also included a few more interesting links to inspire some Linkspo of your own.

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Hello Friends,

September is a beginning. It’s the start of the school year, my birthday month, there is a hint (albeit a small one in the era of rapid climate change) of a new season, and it is the last month of preparation before the frenetic race to the end of the year. As Beth Silvers from the Pantsuit Politics Podcast said today, I want to “savor September.”

A few weeks back, I saw this in The Atlantic. While the article is mostly an academic complaing about change, I got wistful when I read his descriptions of the traditional university syllabus.

The author calls the syllabus a “pragmatic document covering contact information, required reading, meeting times, and schedule.” He says it’s dense and hopeful, a “hallowed artifact.”

With the kiddos settled in school and a list of daydreams a mile long, why not create my own syllabus?

I really wish I’d kept one from my days as an English major at UCSB, but I got rid of all that in a Marie Kondo fit a few years ago. Since my objectives are creative, I molded my syllabus after this one from a course in playwriting.

I wrote a course description, objectives, required reading, workshops, and assignments. I’m calling it, “AND HERE I STAND AT THE BEGINING: QUESTIONS & CONVERSATION on GRIEF & HOME.” I spent way too much time deciding on a font, but just looking at it makes me happy.

Then I pulled out my calendar and plugged in all I wanted to complete over the next 14 weeks. I deleted a few books since my eyes have always been bigger than my creative stomach.

I also added a note on grace,

This course is for you. It is meant to be a guide, not a directive. You are not on a deadline. Your creative life has no finishline. Give yourself grace, you have time.

and then I included the permission slip from Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I, Emily Henderson hereby grant myself permission to go make stuff just because I want to!

This is where I am today. Thank you for listening.

xoxo,

Emily

P.S. The creative offerings of

Elizabeth Gilbert

have always come into my life at just the right time, so I wasn’t too surprised by the crazy synchronicity that she is launching her Substack this weekend! It’s about developing a kinder, gentler inner voice through letters.

Welcome to LETTERS FROM LOVE

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Linkspo

I read this piece about poetry from

The Books That Made Us

out loud to my 12-year-old, and he totally related.

Twelve non-fiction titles for a fresh start in September. I, of course, would add Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Modern Mrs. Darcy)

Faced with terminal illness, the author of a book about ice cream has no regrets. (The Washington Post)

The baby likes tri-tip.

E. Jean Carroll

asks, Anybody mess up today? Also, “fubar” is my new favorite word.

“The only valuable thing is our time, and if we spend it on something that isn’t amazing, isn’t exquisitely for us, we understand it as time wasted, instead of time gloriously wandering.” Considering I just complained about my Instagram algorithm being broken, this one from

Culture Study

hit me hard.

“Four babies is a flex, not a vibe.” Yes, it is, thank you very much! (McSweeneys)

If you only have time for one thing… Make it “Stoned Ballet” from Angela Lansbury, brought to you by

The Moves

Just trust me.

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Where do you get your Linkspo? What have you read, watched, or listened to that has moved you? Drop a comment below.