A Thank You to Our Growing Community
Words over Swords celebrates 100 subscribers!
Oh my goodness, we did it!!! 🤯🥳🤗🙏💛
I launched Words over Swords on March 1 with the hope of encouraging people to engage in a positive online community dedicated to a narrative of compassion, empathy, understanding, and love. It was my response to the toxic media and political environments in which we are presently mired.
Initially, I hoped to be lucky enough to reach 50 free subscribers by the end of our first month. When I hit 50 subscribers after 3 weeks, I upped that stretch goal to 75. When I found myself at 80 subscribers on March 29, I thought reaching 100 by the end of the month was still highly unlikely. But I hoped and hustled, reaching out to other creators on Substack to share my message, while simultaneously talking up my work at the professional social work conference I attended this past weekend.
I went to sleep the night of March 31 with 99 free subscribers. This morning, April 1, I awoke to 101—up to 105, by the time I hit publish on this message!
Thanks to subscriber #1, my wifey and forever person,
, who encourages me daily and believes in me and my words. Subscriber #2 was my 77-year-old father, Ben, who still serves as my sounding board and one of my final editors, while subscriber #3 was my politically active mother-in-law (I am SO proud of you and your efforts ). My mom, Ilene, not the most tech-inclined but still willing to give it a try, checked in at #18. I love you all.Thanks, also, to subscriber #100, friend and colleague,
, whom I finally met in person for the first time this weekend, after exchanging emails, phone calls, and texts for several years. Thanks for getting me to that magic number, Kelly!And, thanks to all the subscribers in between, as well as to those who will come after.
Thanks also to those who read and follow my work but haven't (yet?) subscribed.
My thanks go out, also, to
over at Threads of the Tapestry for amplifying my message. Michelle is also a newer Substacker; we seem to write along similar themes more often than not. If you like what I’m doing at Words over Swords, consider giving Ried’s work a read, too.Substack creators and the broader Substack ecosystem thrive—and our worlds online and IRL become richer—when we support fellow creators and help to spread messages that resonate with us. There are a lot of other creators trying to do a lot of good here on Substack and I want to help elevate some of those voices.
With that in mind, here are 12 more Substackers, some new, some established, whose work I find inspiring, interesting, and have enjoyed:
- at Suburban Diary offers wry slice-of-life stories from the Jersey shore (not the MTV version).
- from Curiosity Cafe brings “a space for pop culture, politics, and the big messy in-between.”
- , a “recovering people pleaser”, beautifully highlights the stories of everyday people in her life.
- at Unsilenced for Good was the 2023 USA Today Woman of the Year for Vermont and believes in “the power of people working together.”
- at Basic Goodness, a licensed somatic therapist and certified health and wellness coach, writes about “coming back home to body and self after traumas, illnesses, eating disorders, and the pains of modern life.”
- at Beautiful Heresy publishes poetry and prose about “the beautiful mess of being human.”
- from Beautiful Things Grow Here creates poetry and personal essays that “dive into healing, grief, and growth.”
- at Beyond Platitudes has built a positive and thriving community where he “explores the tension between truth and comfort.”
- ’s Musings of an Imperfect Middle-Aged Gentleman offers words that can be “humorous, or a deep thought spanning faith, the world in which we live, or life in general.”
- at Undividing with Karl Dunn, has created “a community of people reconnecting a divided world.”
- , author of the well-read Letters from an American, is a national treasure and the first thing I read when I wake up each morning.
I also just discovered
’s The View from Rural Missouri. Jess is a progressive Democrat running for office in a rural, red district. Her work has quickly become essential reading for this life-long north-easterner, providing crucial insight into the lives and circumstances in rural middle-America.And, oh heck, I can’t resist making it a Baker’s Dozen (there might be a covert Phish reference there, too).
, whom I’ve been affectionately referring to as “Doc” whenever we communicate (I hope you don’t mind, Doc!), publishes her wisdom at Mental Health Musings, writing about “the magic of misfits & badassery of black sheep.”
I am honored and awed to be a part of the Substack ecosystem with these creators and by the outpouring of support my endeavor of love has received.
I eagerly anticipate traveling joyously onward to our next 100 subscribers, the continued growth of our online Community of Caring, and today’s launch of our online Community of Giving through my new "Giving Tzedakah" feature.
I believe our work at Words over Swords can change the world, one post and one person at a time. If you’re not already onboard for the journey, I hope you'll consider coming along.
With Love and Respect,
Jeff
Thank you so much for mentioning Beautiful Things Grow Here! 🌿 Grateful for you and your kindness! 💛
I'm grateful to be part of the Community of Caring you've created, and to have been mentioned here. Thank you for all the goodness and positivity you're bringing to our growing Substack world. I look forward to what's up come!