Welcome new followers + an announcement + some goodies

Greetings to new and old faces!

Thank you and welcome to the new followers who’ve joined us here this past week! If that’s you, feel free to say hi in the comments! 

Welcome

Most of the new readers likely found their way here after reading of Ancient Faith Ministries’ recent decision to close out their blog platform. To them I say: thank you for continuing the journey with me here on Substack! I’m sad to see Ancient Faith Blogs go, and with it the Time Eternal blog, but also appreciative to AFM that my writing could find a home there for so long. 

I’ve been blogging here at Substack for a while in an effort to experiment with new directions in my creative work. You can read more here about what I’m aiming to do with this new blog. 

Expect to see: 

• writing that bridges trauma with Orthodox ritual and theology

• a growing amount of autobiographical writing as I try to view my own experiences through the Mystery of faith and healing 

• Occasional writing about time, from  time to time (😝), but usually in a more indirect way than my old blog and podcast, Time Eternal

• Occasional reposts from the old Time Eternal blog (I’ve chosen not to import all the posts, but instead to curate the best ones and repost them on occasion)

The Announcement

Now for the special announcement, which I’m making here on Substack first! 

This fall, I’m hosting a writing retreat for memoir writers (or other autobiographical nonfiction genres: personal essays, autobiographical poetry, etc.)! 

The Kaleidoscribe Retreat follows a uniquely structured approach to help writers gently “twist the kaleidoscope” of creative memory around key stories, scenes, memories, or themes in their work. This generative retreat is intended for participants to amass a treasure trove of new words, ideas, and connections. Plus, the whole journey is built on trauma-informed principles to help ensure a safe, responsible, and life-giving creative environment for all participants.

The retreat will be offered at three different times throughout Fall 2023 (the first is Oct 27-28!), so check the landing page for details and pricing.   

The Goodies

Last but not least: to show my gratitude to both new and longstanding readers here, I’ve got a few special offers! 

Goodie #1: I’m offering my fellow Substack readers and writers an exclusive discount! The first five people who sign up for any one of the Kaleidoscribe retreats using the coupon code KaleidoscribeSubstack at checkout will get $20 off. 

Goodie #2: These spots will go fast, so if you miss out on the offer, feel free to use the regular early bird discount until Oct 11—that’s Kaleidoscribe2023 for $10 off (until Oct 11).

Goodie #3: If a writing retreat isn’t your thang, please enjoy 5% off anything else in my Gumroad store. Currently the store features a collection of 3 different talks I gave last fall on different topics pertaining to Orthodoxy and trauma healing. Just use SubFollowers23 at checkout until October 11, 2023.    

That’s all for now!

If you’re new here, I’d love to hear from you—say hello in the comments and what brought you here!