Rob, thanks so much!!

I wrote a short sci-fi story about a girl who listens to space, convinced something is listening back.

I’m looking for a few readers willing to share honest impressions—just how it lands.

I’ll send the link if you’re open.

#BetaReaders #YASciFi #WritingCommunity

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Holding the Bloodstone—Day 8

do I hold you to take your shape

are the blood flecks yours or mine

#Poetry #Reflection #Bloodstone #BlueSkyPoets
read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

Black silhouette of a person in profile speaking, with curved lines representing sound leaving their mouth. A speech bubble above reads “…of voice and truth…”. Minimalist black-and-white style with a textured border.

Line drawing of a worried woman in three-quarter profile looking downward, with faint shading on her cheek and neck. A large speech bubble above her reads, “Am I writing what I truly see…”.

Three dark, hooded figures stand reading books in silhouette. A speech bubble above them reads, “…or what I think others want to hear?” The scene is rendered in a stark black-and-white comic style with a rough border.

What's happening besides Wednesday?

read.jltooker.com/p/wednesday-...

#Muse #WritingCommunity #LearningToDraw #Humor

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Day 7
Holding the Bloodstone
Two lines a day: listening.

by the end of the week
the stone knows my hand

#Poetry #Bloodstone #BlueSkyPoets #CreativeWriting

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Holding the Bloodstone - Day 6

the bloodstone rests in my palm

long before and long after me

#Bloodstone #Poetry #SkyPoet #Gemstones

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Holding the Bloodstone - Day 5

the stone in my pocket

a quiet weight

Remember … you can track how this poem grows at the end of “A Month of Paying Attention”

#Bloodstone #Heliotrope #WanderWordsByJLTooker #Poetry

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Holding the Bloodstone—

Two lines a day. Listening.

Day 4

ancient silica and iron

my breathing slows

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

#poetry #Bloodstone #Writer'sLife #SkyPoet #Chakras

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Holding the Bloodstone - Day 3

flecks of iron peek through

red drops on a field of green

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

#Poetry #Bloodstone #Chakras #WritersLife #SkyPoet

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

Day 2

palms press against coolness

warmth gathers in the stone

— Holding the Bloodstone

Two lines a day. Listening.

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

#Poetry #Bloodstone #WritingLife #SkyPoet #Chakras

Wednesday and poetry—does it get any better?!!
read.jltooker.com/p/wednesday-...

#Muse #Comic #LearningToDraw #Digital #Humor #WritingCommunity

A Month of Paying Attention A National Poetry Month Practice

One year on Substack today.

To mark National Poetry Month, I'm beginning a small practice:
thirty days of couplets while carrying a polished bloodstone.

Two lines at a time.
Listening for what answers back.

read.jltooker.com/p/month-of-p...

#Poetry #NationalPoetryMonth #Listening #WritersLife

The first frame of a digital line drawing (comic style) of a female writer appearing to be struggling with her writing with a speech bubble that says: Why Struggle? created by JL Tooker aka jlynn

The second frame of a digitally drawn comic depicting a caricature book with folded arms and a stubborn facial expression, with a speech bubble that says: Because the story is stubborn, created by JL Tooker aka jlynn

"…oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure…" (Peter Marshall, a Scottish-American clergyman)

Welcome to Wednesday! read.jltooker.com/p/wednesday-...

#WritersLife #Muse #WritingHumor #LearningComicStyle

pi aspires to be tau ... maybe ... sometimes LOL

a pi poem written against a chalkboard background; 3.14159265359 written by JL Tooker: Here's the thing / . / I / always loved pi / I / did until it was / overdone, overstated, overcooked / it's round / infinitely tested / never done / not really / here's the thing - I am / ........done

Happy Pi Day!

#MathPoetry #Mathematics #Poetry #BlueSKyPoet

background of sand dunes, and a quote from Substacker Belinda Drakes: "Writers call it fiction, but sometimes it is just memory learning how to breathe safely on paper."

I love this comment by Substacker Belinda Drakes to my latest essay: "When Fiction Feels too Personal" (read.jltooker.com/p/when-ficti...)

#WritersLife #WritingCommunity #WritingQuotes

When Fiction Feels Too Personal A reflective essay about vulnerability, fiction writing, and returning to World Beyond the Song.

read.jltooker.com/p/when-ficti...

#WritersLife #WritingCommunity #Vulnerability

a digital comic-style line art of a woman staring at a blank page and a caption question of "Why write?" The first in a two-frame comic by jlynn from her Wednesday Musing originated on Substack: https://read.jltooker.com

a digital comic-style line art of a womanwriting and an answer to the question "Why write?", thwew words above her say, "Because I can't not write." The second in a two-frame comic by jlynn from her Wednesday Musing originated on Substack: https://read.jltooker.com

A poem written on a light gray and tan background of a heart-shaped brain written by JL Tooker, aka jlynn: my son, / you drive me / crazy— / I lose / my thoughts / in the middle / of you. We're good / though, / as long as / I / never lose you.

I read science. www.bbc.com/news/article...

This is often how I respond … with a poem.

#Poetry #SciArt #Creativity #Motherhood

Narrative Trust in a Noisy Age On Language, Attention, and the Space Between

Narrative Trust in a Noisy Age - On Language, Attention, and the Space Between

Live now!! read.jltooker.com/p/narrative-...

#NarrativeTrust #WritersTruth #LiteraryStructure

read.jltooker.com/p/wednesday-...

#Muse #Comic #WritersLife #LearningArt

Image is an early curling stone made from Ailsa Craig blue granite with rusted iron handle against white background. On it is written a haiku / phaiku by JL Tooker aka jlynn: treasure of Aisla Graig / /ancient blue cleaved to green / cost twenty a ton

I’ve always been drawn to stones.
Turns out an island in Scotland is home to ancient blue and green granite — and the world still slides it across ice.

#poetry #curling #Scotland

read.jltooker.com/p/ailsa-crai...

Chat will be fine. I'm not familiar with t he nuances of social media. LOL

drive.google.com/file/d/13n60...

A haiku / phaiku written on a graded pink background with a brilliant green caterpillar inching along a faint twig below the phaiku titled "Sublime": young caterpillar / swaying rhythm coaxing ants / sublime duplicity. The poem and sketch both created by jlynn aka JL Tooker

A new phaiku ... just for you!

#Nature #Poetry #Haiku #Phaiku

I love psychological crime! I used to work in the 'real' field' if you know what I mean. I only have poetry published, altough I did self-publish a short YA novella that's a kind of prequel to my literary sci fi. It's on Kindle, but if you're interested I could send a pdf.

I have a literary science fiction I'm working on. I'm relatively new to long fiction. Write a great deal of poetry and personal essays. But thanks for asking! I'll have to check out some of your Agatha Christie works!

Narrative Trust On Posture, Purpose, and the Viability of a Writer

Narrative Trust - a new thought experiment—live now!
read.jltooker.com/p/narrative-...

#WritingCommunity #WritersLife #NarrativeTrust #Reader-WriterRelationship

image of a jellyfish galaxy

Oh, the things me thinks when the universe wows me…

jellyfish

galaxies

gaseous force

ram pressure

stripping me bare

#astronomy #poetry #SkyPoet #jellyfish

A background of various watercolor sunsets over Galapagos featuring the inked outline of a giant tortoise at the bottom and overlaid with a poem written by JL Tooker and inspired by the presumed extinction and rediscovery of the Floreana giant tortoise lineage in the Galápagos. Floreana, the poem reads: havoc / among / the helpless / giant / saddleback / lineage / extinction / consequence / return / Floreana / found / Isabela

a new poem inspired by the presumed extinction and rediscovery of the Floreana giant tortoise lineage in the Galápagos.

#Poetry #NatureConservancy #Tortoise #Galapagos