Flourish Anyway® Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Weekly Roundup No. 4: Joan Mitchell's Close, the First SDCS Checkup, and a List of September Book Launch Events
Reflections, checkups, book notes, and artful links for writers, artists, and creative souls who want to move toward more goodness while acknowledging the current reality.
Flourish Anyway® Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Weekly Roundup Series is a weekly roundup at the intersection of spirituality, creativity, and everyday life. On Sundays, I share a look back at something from the past, what I’m loving right now (books, essays, art, Daily Nourishment offerings, and more), and what I’m looking forward to across my writing and work with writers, artists, and other creative souls who want to move toward more goodness while acknowledging the current reality.
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—Flourish Anyway® Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Weekly Roundups goes out every Sunday. This replaces the former general update email newsletter sent via my charlottedonlon.com website. All subscribers from that email newsletter have been migrated to this Substack Weekly Roundup. Please Note: The CSV File included everyone who had ever subscribed, so please feel free to unsubscribe if you like!
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1. What I’m Loving Right Now >
The first Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Checkup™ is live. And I’ll be sharing at least two more SDCS Checkups from others this coming week.
Learn about the purpose of the Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls™ Checkup Series here. And if you’d like to participate and be featured in this series, please complete this Google form. I’ll reach out within a week or so to let you know when your checkup responses will be published.
ALSO
I’m back in Marshall, North Carolina for some solo retreats and plenty of silence and solitude. I had a lovely five or so days at home with Tim and the kids and the grandcar (who head back to college and graduate school in the next few days).
I’m so thankful for friends who welcome me into their home as I prepare for the book launch and enjoy some extended time in this area that has such a strong hold on my heart, mind, and soul.
The French Broad River at Dusk in Marshall, North Carolina
2. What I’m Looking Forward To >
The book launch for Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is only a couple of weeks away, and I’m super excited about all of the readings, conversations, workshops, and other gatherings planned for the coming months.
Here’s what’s coming up in September:
Sept 2: Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama
Sept 4-5: Wild Goose Festival in Harmony, North Carolina
Sept 10: Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville, North Carolina
Sept 12: AL Writers’ Cooperative in Birmingham, Alabama
Sept 14: Collegeville Institute Workshop-Online Gathering
Sept 15: NewSouth Bookstore in Montgomery, Alabama
Sept 29: Honors Program Lecture at Villanova University
I’d love to see you if you’re able to attend one of the public gatherings listed above! Find links to register for the public events here.
ALSO
I look forward to being at Presence & Mystery and reading at the Literary Salon on Friday night. If you’re in the Philadelphia area or can be in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend this gathering.
3. A Look Back >
This time last year, I began to visit the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Georgia every few weeks to observe the public art conservation sessions for Joan Mitchell’s Close. It was an absolute delight to follow the process, have conversations with the art conservator, and be in the gallery while he did his work.
I pitched an essay about what I saw and observed to the art editor of Image journal which was accepted and should be published before the end of this year. (Cheers to cold emailing a perfect stranger who loves your idea for an essay!)
As I mentioned above, I headed back to North Carolina today. I changed my route and traveled to Athens first so I could visit Close a year later and see how she’s doing.
Last Year:
Today:
*
That’s all for now.
Much love to the creative souls. May we flourish anyway and take some time to nourish ourselves every single day. Thanks so much for being here!
💚 Charlotte
Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging, artful encounters, spiritual growth, and how to Flourish Anyway®, even when life is full, busy, or chaotic. Her work has woven together themes of belonging, art, and soul exploration for more than 25 years. With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing (2015-2018), a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), and a life coach certification (2026), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sanctuaries of acceptance and connection.
A Christian in the Episcopal church who believes the tenets of the Nicene Creed, Charlotte employs a universal framework of belonging and connection in her spiritual direction work. She fosters meaningful, soulful conversations and gatherings that are welcoming to all—regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte’s first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is slated for release by Here Below Books in September 2026. Some of volumes of Charlotte’s “Guidebooks for the Soul”—Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art —will also be published in the coming months.
As the founder of several initiatives—including Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Parenting with Art®, Belonging Through Art™, and Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls™—Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader and an authentic presence at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
For those interested in staying updated on Charlotte’s latest work, news, and insights, subscribe to her Substack Weekly Roundup Series and visit Flourish Anyway®, Charlotte’s online hub for all of her writing, spiritual direction, small press, gatherings, and other offerings.