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Newsletter

Welcome

I love to connect with my readers, and in my monthly newsletter, I share my thoughts, updates about events, a discussion of what I've been reading, stories from life in Connecticut, and much more. Feel free to browse my past newsletters and stop by at the beginning of each month to read my latest note to you.

Latest Newsletter

Photo by Elissa

Out for a stroll after a brief rain shower.

November 2024

11/1/2024

I love you!

In this November letter to you, my friends, I write to you with a humble heart. As I meditate about this most crucial presidential election, I’m supported by the words and deeds of my mentors. Rather than offering my limited knowledge of what the outcome of this election will mean to our country’s Constitution and rule of law, “I quote others,” as my favorite essay writer Michel de Montaigne wisely expressed in the 16th century, “in order to better express myself.”

The great thinkers who have helped form, shape, clarify and change my thinking over the course of my lifetime speak of eternal truths. I believe that they are profoundly relevant to our lives as American citizens today. We, each of us individually, vote our conscience. I have faith, hope and confidence that good will prevail. I could be wrong, but God help us ...

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All Newsletters

Photo by Elissa

Wearing all purple (even my socks!) in front of my collection of Great Teaching Courses.

December 2023

12/1/2023

I love you.

Happy 31 wondrous, festive, poignant, challenging, inspiring days of December! I can’t imagine what deep emotions lie ahead. My heart is so full of love and gratitude after experiencing such a beautiful, unforgettable, meaningful November. The more dark, brutal, bad news I absorb, the greater my ...

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Photo by Elissa

Staying cozy on a rainy day.

November 2023

11/1/2023

I love you! Happy November!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Your immediate, enthusiastic, supportive response to my new video project is thrilling. You’ve expressed such an astonishingly positive reaction, I’m more determined now to make this a reality than I was when I began.

Please know that ...

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Photo by Elissa

Sitting outside at Noah’s on a beautiful day with my special drink, soda water and cranberry juice.

October 2023

10/1/2023

I love you! September is always a beautiful month in New England. This year, everything seemed especially lush and green because we had a great deal of rain. I wrote you at the beginning of September with my intentions for the month ahead. I anticipated enjoying all the simple, sensual ...

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Photo by Elissa

One of the biggest hydrangea blossoms in the garden this year!

September 2023

9/1/2023

I love you! Happy September! I am fully savoring living in mindful awareness of the present moment. Deep breath. The entire expanse of August’s splendor is still alive, right now, as I put pen to paper. The greater our appreciation of the delicious ripeness of nature’s end-of-summer bounty ...

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Photo by Elissa

Enjoying an iced coffee at Macondo in Stonington.

August 2023

8/1/2023

I love you!

Happy August. July was filled with so much love and joy. I’m bursting with the beauty of remembering how much enjoyment and excitement I experienced in my thoughts and actions.

In my last letter, I wrote that life is art. I’m passionate about continuing to ...

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Photo by Elissa

The Castle Hill Inn is a favorite place to visit in high summer’s splendor.

July 2023

7/1/2023

I love you!

Happy July. We’re now in the heart and soul of summer’s abundance of riches. The bounties of nature’s extraordinary gifts awaken all our sensual and aesthetic appreciation. Right now—right where we are—is our time to celebrate the blessings of being at the ...

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Alexandra at her writing desk in the garden, with hydrangea in a pot on the table
Photo by Elissa

I love writing at my desk in the garden.

June 2023

6/1/2023

I love you!

Happy month of June to us all. When Elissa dropped off the May newsletter, I had a good chuckle seeing its layout and reading the copy. It was still cold at the end of April, and my unabashed enthusiasm for springtime was largely in anticipation of May ...

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Photo by Elissa

Enjoying the sunshine as I write this letter to you at Sift in Mystic.

May 2023

5/1/2023

I love you!

I’m in love with springtime’s promise of rebirth. The happiest month of May is greeting us with her wide-open arms and ever-expanding wings. Spring is “busting out all over,” quite literally putting a spring in our step among nature’s extravagant colors, light and exuberant ...

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Photo by Elissa

At the desk in my study, surrounded by hydrangeas.

April 2023

4/1/2023

I love you!

The month of March has brought unexpected, spontaneous pleasures I will carry with me into the light and flowering of spring. I’ve experienced joy, unrestrained.

Life experiences teach us that everything is in constant change­­. What goes up goes down. There was a specific timeline to ...

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Alexandra at her kitchen writing desk
Photo by Elissa

After a year of wearing blue and yellow in solidarity with Ukraine, I’ve added more colors back into my wardrobe, but I still make sure to keep some blue or yellow in my outfit every day.

March 2023

3/1/2023

I love you!

February, the month of love, has always been a time to celebrate our love for each other, and our love of life. Our shared humanity and cultural traditions, ceremonies and celebrations unite us by this sacred bond of love.

When we dwell in the consciousness of what ...

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Photo by Elissa

My pop-up exhibition, "Alexandra Stoddard: A Colorful Life" opened last week at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut!

February 2023

2/1/2023

I love you! Happy month of love!

Because my dear friend and literary assistant Elissa went on Christmas holiday to her hometown in Michigan to be with her family and friends, I wrote my January newsletter to you earlier than usual. Let me circle back to where we left off ...

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Photo by Elissa

Ahh, a moment’s peace!

January 2023

1/1/2023

I love you! Happy, happy 2023. November was a monthlong celebration, leading up to the full-blown festive holiday season culminating on New Year’s Eve. Out of darkness, light the lights. Early in December, houses are decorated for the holiday festivities. Candles and wreaths are in windows, trees are trimmed ...

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WELCOME

I love to connect with my readers, and in my monthly newsletter, I share my thoughts, updates about events, a discussion of what I've been reading, stories from life in Connecticut, and much more. Feel free to browse my past newsletters and stop by at the beginning of each month to read my latest note to you.