Prose & Convos #3
A piece of prose and a creative conversation with Lisa Bolin
In late 2022 I founded an open-mic program called Prose & Convos. Borne of a desire to give more writers a voice, the program encouraged writers to share a piece of prose or poetry on stage in front of a safe and non-judgemental audience. A simple black-box theatre held space for these writers - some just starting out, some writing secretly, some more experienced, some published. We laughed, cried, sighed and clapped, we talked and shared … life has taken me in a different direction, but I still miss hosting that event. And so I thought, why not reimagine Prose & Convos here, in addition to my regular A Life (Extra) Ordinary posts? Why not invite fellow Substack writers to share some prose or poetry, and then have a conversation about their creative life?
Let me introduce you to my third guest, Lisa Bolin 🌸 . Lisa, tell us more about you.
Well, I am now in my early 50s. I’m a mother, partner, sister, daughter, cousin, friend. I teach, I sing, I create. I speak three languages, two very well, one, fair to middling. I am curious, courageous, can laugh at myself, and love nature. So much so, I spent over two months of this summer glamping. It was glorious. I love words. I love art and creating. Doodling, colouring-in, stitching, and collage. Pen, pastel, paint. I also love alliteration! I’m an avid reader. There’s so much I love and enjoy in the world, and that love and curiosity and passion is a big part of who I am.
Monique: Lisa, thank you so much for sharing your poem, “Love Her”, a love letter to women. Tell us more about it.
Lisa: I wrote this poem that I’m reading aloud earlier in the year (2025) after reading some more misogynistic crap happening in the world. I’d been contemplating the relationships with ourselves as women and it poured out of me onto the page.
We don’t love ourselves enough.
As kids it’s a given then we unlearn it all with the harsh words and images we endure then we unlearn all that as we navigate adulthood.
We exist in an insane world where we see images of others and ourselves more than we ever had. A few hundred years ago we’d have seen a few hundred people in our lifetimes, and rarely ourselves. Now it’s thousands of images a day, unless we’re living in a tent like I am, and choose to avoid my phone and laptop for a while. Unless we’re intentional about what we consume. We can so often see ourselves as “less than” and the structures our world is built upon encourage that. For many women, we remind ourselves daily we are enough, we are powerful, we are beautiful.
Monique: You’re speaking to my heart, Lisa. It’s so easy to forget all of this. (*muses awhile, occasionally sighing*)
How do you bring creativity into your life, Lisa? Do you focus on one creative outlet such as writing, or are you multi-passionate?
Lisa: Every day is a new creative adventure. I am a multi-passionate and always have been. I love art and design, architecture, textiles, ceramics (to look at and admire—haven’t tried much myself). There’s creativity in so many daily things too—cooking, decorating, gardening.
When my kids were little I made them things—dress ups and cubby houses from boxes, games from household items, colouring in pages. I’ve studied drawing, dabbled in painting, love doodling, have tried mandala making. I’ve built a sauna (with hubby), and an outdoor kitchen from pallets. All of these things require creativity. And then there’s the writing!
Monique: Mandala making! It’s such a soothing, mindful process - I have one sitting beside me and I do a little at a time.
It’s clear creativity is woven into many areas of your daily life, Lisa. What is the biggest challenge in your creative life?
Lisa: The very precarious balance between making a living and being creative.
I would love to earn a living from my creative pursuits. It would be amazing. Instead, I find creativity in the jobs I have to do to earn money. I would spend more time writing if I could earn a decent living from it. It seems like a vicious circle.
Moving to Finland was a huge leap of love and I’ve found out so much about myself. I’ve also been in some horrible dark places that I’d rather not have been, but I wouldn’t be the person I am now without them. The blackness unlocked something inside of me, an unraveling of the expectations of others. Poetry poured out, not much of it good, but so very important. It woke me up to the things I’d once enjoyed.
Financially, it feels like a bit of a shit-show.
Monique: I feel this too. This is great reframing though: “Instead, I find creativity in the jobs I have to do to earn money.” What would you tell your younger self about living a creative life?
Lisa: Do all the things that light you up. All of them. Nurture your creativity. Trust it.
Monique: Lastly, can you share which Substack writers are your go-to reads and why?
I have paid subscriptions to your very good self!
Also these others:
Katherine May : because Wintering was the book I needed, deep in the Finnish winter, and her writing has helped me navigate the seasons here.
Jolene Handy of Time Travel Kitchen Jolene Handy Time Travel Kitche: Jolene is someone I’ve followed since I landed here on Substack, six years ago. I’m obsessed with time travel, and Jolene takes us back in time through food. Based in the US, I’ve learned a lot about their food history.
Claire Amritavani Brown of The Moon Shed Tarot. I love woo. Although I don’t think of any of these things as woo, really. Tarot is fascinating, and I recently became a subscriber to Claire’s work. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing (sorry, Claire!), but I find it very comforting.
Eva Lydon 🌿: I flucking love her.
If I were a millionaire, I’d pay to subscribe to these; instead, I read them regularly:
Ripe by Sue Reed: Sue has recently changed up her publication and I’m loving it!
Elina Haverinen, All That You Are: Elina is the only Substacker I’ve met in person, being in Finland, and I love her work. The fact that she writes in her non-native language has me in awe because she is so beautifully elegant.
Monique: More to add to my list!
Thank you so much for being a Prose & Convos guest, Lisa! Readers, do check out Lisa’s newsletter and all her thoughtful recommendations - I am sure, like me, you will be inspired. And if you enjoyed this, you might also like my conversation with Miranda van den Heuvel below.
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Either way, I am grateful that you have chosen to be here today, to be part of my community of readers and writers living lives (extra) ordinary. Let's keep connecting as a community and building each other up. | A guest post by
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