Let’s be real: I don’t think any of us want to reach the end of our life and realize we spent a good portion of it looking at a screen. But when we put our phones down, we feel an emptiness; we are plagued with a gnawing feeling—it commands us to return to the screen. So how do we fill that void?

My years of writing have taught me that creativity is the antidote to overconsumption. But before we create, we first must pause. When I pay attention, listen to the birds, or observe Orion’s Belt twinkling above me, something changes. My heartbeat slows, I breathe more deeply, I decipher the timbre of God’s voice. The Living Poet Mail Club is your monthly invitation to also pause and notice.

You have a story that only you can tell, but words can be shy creatures; they refuse to emerge if you are distracted. But if you give them the space and silence to speak, something divine occurs. Stories help us make sense of things. Stories help us make sense of ourselves. As my poetry professor Bill Jolliff once said, “Poetry can’t make a living, but it can make a life.”

Starting from a blank page is hard. That’s why I started Living Poet Society: to give you a jump start for your artistic engine, an instruction manual for your journey, a starter log for your creative fire. Each letter includes the tools you need to hit the ground walking (because writing is not a speed sport).

Your story is out there. Catch it if you can.