Invitation: Substack St Leonards [#173]
Wintering, words + a writers event
Happy New Year!
I'm sitting by the window in my fave café bar, Graze on Grand, working on a report and chatting with the owner, Stephanie. "That went quickly," she said. "How have we slipped into January already?"
She isn't ready for it, and neither am I. I've been holed up here and in Virgin River over the hols (sister came down from Glasgow), and it's been our sanctuary. I'm so grateful she stayed open over Christmas.
The radiators are on full blast, FIP Radio playing, fairy lights twinkling, and hanging art makes it feel so cosy. It's Baltic out there - been misty most of December. Walking around the Old Town, I feel like I'm in a Dickens novel.
I wondered why folks were out filming on the seafront (not the crazies swimming on New Year’s Day) - it's because the humpback whales are here, determined to give us a good show!
No New Year resolutions – continuing as I am, little and often, tiny actions, but I like to have a word of the year - a ritual that helps me focus. Adriana posted about this on LI, so I chipped in and shared this piece from Slow Living LDN on choosing one.
I have a few: success, simplicity, generosity, community, and courage, so I need to sit with it for a bit and see what resonates the most.
I bought two copies of
’s gorgeous, guided journal 'Goodbye 2024, Hello 2025' for me and Julieta (it's A-Level year), so will be working through it this month with an at-home writing retreat.Also got some coloured fairy lights to string around my desk – they cheer me up on these gloomy mornings.
Substack St Leonards
I'm hosting a Substack Writers Meetup at Graze on Friday 31 January, from 2-4 pm. I get so much work done here I wanted to give back. Please come! I'd love to make this a regular thing and rekindle the salons I used to host, but more focused on media entrepreneurship and working collaboratively.
Feel free to share with any friends thinking about moving to the vegan Riviera. I'm an excellent tour guide 😁
To a happy, healthy and wealthy 2025. The woman who just left said, "Despite the signs, I think it's going to be a good year. Apparently, it's a square number, whatever that means – so it's got to be good!"
💬 👀 💬
Digital Content Creators and Journalists: How to be a Trusted Voice Online | Knight Center for Journalism. [Free course] and [eBook]
I'm building a cooperative media ecosystem. Owned by writers interested in a better future. | The Elysian [Elle's essay] and [Pitch Elle]
2025 Journalism and Media Conferences [Carla's post] and [Google Doc] in progress.
Cheers,
Nika 🥂
PS The Roundup is one of my paid perks—a growing resource with opps for writers and creative entrepreneurs. If you want it, you can sign up below. Share a project, link, or an ask/offer with readers, and I'll give you a shoutout in the newsletter.
