WILD WORDS is a few things. It’s a book (my second), a podcast, and a community of sensitive writers looking for a little support in an overstimulating world.
The name takes inspiration from Mary Oliver’s poem “Morning,” that I first read back in 2015, while I was sitting in the living room as my newborn slept in his rocker. Like all mothers before me, I was facing a complete transformation, including everything I ever thought I knew about how to be a creative person.
Morning
Salt shining behind its glass cylinder.
Milk in a blue bowl. The yellow linoleum.
The cat stretching her black body from the pillow.
The way she makes her curvaceous response to the small, kind gesture.
Then laps the bowl clean.
Then wants to go out into the world
where she leaps lightly and for no apparent reason across the lawn,
then sits, perfectly still, in the grass.
I watch her a little while, thinking:
what more could I do with wild words?
I stand in the cold kitchen, bowing down to her.
I stand in the cold kitchen, everything wonderful around me.Since those sleep-deprived days, I’ve reckoned with my relationship to creativity, opting to embrace seasons and cyclical living, create at the pace of my nervous system, and prioritize rest and mental health.
Much of my work is about encouraging others to do the same. I write about nourishment in all forms, navigating loss and healing, and cultivating self-compassion, among other things. To this end, my Substack is not about the craft of writing, but crafting a sustainable creative life.
About me
I’m an author, podcast host, tea drinker, rest advocate, and INFJ. I consider myself an encourager at heart, which is why I spend a lot of time sharing insights, tools, and ideas for slowing down, caring for yourself in all the ways, and creating at a pace that feels good for you, not an algorithm.
You should know I’m a writer who's figured out a few things in her career, but I’m also on the journey just like you. I still struggle with self-doubt, get nervous whenever I pitch something, and struggle to blend creativity, work, and motherhood successfully.
This is a messy road, and we’re in it together now. (For a more formal bio, head here.)
Popular posts
If you’re new to me and my work, these posts are a good place to start.
What readers say
“I just wanted to tell you that I love your newsletter, and how you fuse various parts of your life and interests into what you share with us. You’ve given me inspiration to do the same.”
—H.B.
“I have loved finding your website and following along, and am very encouraged to meet a like-minded woman doing similar exciting things, and holding space for writers that I can join as well.”
—D.F.
More ways to connect
Curl up with one of my books: The literary cookbook Eat This Poem, and Wild Words: Rituals, Routines, and Rhythms for Braving the Writers’s Path.
Subscribe to the Wild Words podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Follow me on Instagram @nicolegulotta.author.
