Dear friends, family, and readers,
This summer, I’ve decided to follow the current.
To say yes to the things that move me most: water, words, and the wild in between.
After many months—and truthfully, years—of paddling around the edges, I’m finally launching into the deep of what I’ve always longed for: to write a book.
A book that braids personal memoir, nature writing, spiritual inquiry, and political reflection—a stream of inner and outer waters. Its source grows from the voices that have guided me through changing seasons: Rebecca Solnit, Annie Dillard, Robin Wall Kimmerer,
, Helen MacDonald and Mary Oliver. Writers who have shown me how to hold both wonder and responsibility on the page.This chapter begins in a new home: Nashville, Tennessee.
I’ve officially moved here, drawn by the rivers that wind through the city, the surrounding lakes and waterfalls, and the vibrant creative and literary current flowing through it all.
Tennessee’s rivers and ridges make it one of the most ecologically diverse inland states in the U.S. It holds more species of freshwater fish than any other state, over 3,000 kinds of native plants, and four distinct ecological regions. It’s a land where nature doesn’t just survive—it flourishes.
But this richness isn’t just in the numbers. It’s in walking a trail and hearing ten different birds in a single breath. It’s in watching a river otter slide into the Harpeth. It’s in realizing that life here moves in quiet abundance, and that writing here means staying awake to that pulse.
One of my favorite nearby rivers, the Harpeth River, meanders for 125 miles through forests, farms, and rocky bluffs before joining the Cumberland. Every drop in these rivers belongs to something larger, as they eventually flow to the vast Mississippi River watershed and beyond. Reminding me that even our smallest local efforts, our quietest pages, can reach farther than we imagine.
At the same time, the city has become a national literary hub and is one of the largest hubs for spiritual and non-fiction publishing in the country. It is home to the beloved Parnassus Books, founded by author Ann Patchett, and a growing network of independent presses, bookstores, and literary nonprofits.
This summer, living out my dream looks like:
✍️ Writing the book — from coffee shop tables, riverbanks, and the quiet corners of reflection
🚣 Volunteering with the Cumberland River Compact — doing kayak cleanups on the Cumberland River, Nashville’s own living artery
🖋️ Taking an 8-week Creative Nonfiction course through The Porch Nashville, a non-profit organization inspiring and educating writers and readers
💧 Participating in SIWI’s Water in Communications training — learning to tell water stories that ripple outward, every Tuesday and Thursday in June
Much of this writing will unfold at The Well Coffeehouse. A space whose mission aligns with my own. Their motto, “Turning Coffee into Water,” is more than metaphor: their proceeds fund clean water and sanitation efforts in the communities where their beans are grown.
And in a small way, I feel I’m doing the same—turning coffee into water, one page at a time.
To my paid subscribers, your support fuels not just my writing time, but every cup purchased at The Well. You sustain both my words and their work.
To those who’ve nudged me to trust this calling, to write and follow the river—thank you. Your belief echoes back through the years.
Recently, I stumbled upon a poem I wrote in a moment of early clarity. A moment when I first knew that water was my purpose, though I hadn’t yet glimpsed where it would carry me:
Calling
by a younger me
Do you hear the ring?
Of the universe dialing your number?
To reveal what it wants you to bring?
Come to the party, awaken from your slumber.
Listen—can you hear the birds sing?
Can you feel the beat of the drummer?
Is there a pull at your heartstrings—
A feeling like perpetual summer?
At first, you only found a fling.
A distraction—your soul it encumbered.
Your life was in a state of buffering.
But it made you all the humbler.
Now it’s here—you’ve found the wellspring.
You’ve joined the far outnumbered.
Struck gold, as rich as a king.
Your calling you’ve discovered.
Go ahead—take your swing.
The only way it could be a bummer
Is if you don’t even get in the ring.
There’d be nothing dumber.
So if you hear your bell ding,
Open the door—see what you uncover.
To you your calling will cling.
Pursuing it will give your life color.
Reading this now, I still feel a welling inside me.
Water was the first call.
But now it’s joined by another—the call to write.
To gather the lessons I’ve lived and let them ripple outward.
So this summer, I’m getting in the ring.
Literally, too. I’m pursuing part-time work at Title Boxing, returning to the martial arts and kickboxing practices that first taught me what I now need most: dedication, discipline, courage, and focus.
These practices have awakened my fire at pivotal moments. I’m circling back to them—not only to reignite that fire in myself, but to help others do the same. To remind us that we can show up and fight for ourselves, in body, in spirit, in story.
At the same time, I’m preparing to lead others into wild places.
Earlier this spring, I completed my Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification. A commitment not just to witnessing nature’s healing, but to helping others experience it safely.
I believe deeply in the transformative power of water and wildness, and I want to create spaces where people can connect with both. But I also know that real healing includes risk, responsibility, and readiness. That’s what WFR is all about.
So I’m staying open to opportunities to guide, support, or teach in nature-based education and outdoor leadership.
The wild is not just my subject. It’s still part of my path. And here in Nashville, I’m not just writing about the wild, I’m writing with it.
P.S. My twin brother
is also chasing a creative dream—he’s writing and producing original music. We’re currently co-writing a song that tells my water story with its lyrics.Stay tuned and explore his other tracks on Spotify in the meantime.
Overflowing with gratitude for this Waterful life,
Amy
Congratulations on your move to Nashville and especially your decision to write the book all your friends and acquaintances know is in you. Can't wait to read it.
MIND BOGGLING!!!
Your writing is so lovely and literary. Fun to read. Look forward to the book!