Hello Reader,

It’s time for another little Craft, Dance, Read, Repeat check-in — a peek at what I’ve been making, watching, reading, and enjoying lately.

Craft

I’ve been working on something exciting behind the scenes… and apparently the process involves making a spectacular mess and taking a lot of photos on my office floor.

I’m not quite ready to spill the details yet, but if you enjoy things that involve creativity, a little friendly competition, and maybe voting on favorites… stay tuned. 👀

Dance

If you’re local, I’d love to invite you to something special.

I’m on the board of RE|dance group, and they’re premiering a new work called In C, a vigorous study of time by choreographer Michael Estanich at Studio5 in Evanston. The piece is inspired by Terry Riley’s iconic minimalist score In C and explores time through dynamic patterns, solo moments, and intricate partnering between nine dancers.

Something I’ve always loved about RE|dance’s work is the way it touches deeply on what it means to be human — sadness, humor, joy, grief, wonder. The roller coaster of human experience shows up in the movement, language, and music of every piece they create.

The photos of this new work are GORGEOUS, and I can’t wait to see it come to life on stage.

And if you’re not local or can’t make it to the show, RE|dance also has a matching donor campaign right now, so it’s a wonderful moment to support the company if their work resonates with you.

Read

I just started The Sirens by Emilia Hart and I can already tell I’m going to love it.

If you watched my recent YouTube video, you might remember I included her other novel Weyward in my top reads of 2025. So I went into this one curious and excited to see what she’d do next.

So far the story is following two timelines (Weyward had three… will there be more? 👀) and it’s already pulling me in.

You know that feeling when you’re going about your day but secretly just want to get back to your book? Yeah… that.

Repeat

The Paralympics opening ceremony was on Friday and it was absolutely stunning — inclusive, creative, and completely captivating.

My kids immediately wanted to watch the performance pieces again (and again). One featured a spinning stage and a trampoline that created this incredible sense of momentum and flight. (Click here to see it, it's at about minute 9) Another included aerial wheelchair dance and a larger than life pendulum sculpture and was just breathtaking (I can't find a link to that one but you can find it in the full ceremony on Peacock.)

Moments like that remind me how powerful performance can be — not just entertaining, but expansive in the way it shows us what bodies, art, and imagination can do.

If you’re interested in watching, the Paralympics are streaming on Peacock and also airing on NBC, so there are lots of chances to catch the events.

Hope you’re finding little pockets of creativity, movement, good books, and wonder in your own week.

Talk soon,

Jen