Welcome to Creātell
Who we are and what you can expect from us
Hello and welcome to Creātell Collective, a creator collective writing with the goal of developing greater curiosity, empathy, and connection.
We are, in no particular order,
, , , , , and , a half-dozen writers from all over the globe who met back in the summer of 2022 through a program called Substack Grow. We learned a lot together during the program, but most importantly, we connected with each other.The six of us bonded over a shared desire to bring meaningful discourse back into the mainstream, and we valued our newfound camaraderie so much that we continued with monthly calls where we worked together to explore more meaningful and deep ways to connect with others despite our numerous differences.
One Tuesday each month, one of us will share an anchor post related to our current theme. In the subsequent weeks, other members and guests will share a thread responding to the anchor post. This might be in the form of a particular quote that stood out to them and why, a connection they noticed, an image that formed in their mind, or whatever best helps them engage with the piece. Anyone can add their thoughts to these threads!
Creātell belongs to all of us, and our little community hopes to flourish with engagement from readers and fellow writers. If you’d like to submit a thread in response to one of our monthly anchor posts, email your idea to the collective at createllcollective@gmail.com and we’ll be in touch about how to proceed.
In a world of increasing division, Creātell is designed to be a collaborative, welcoming community where we can all come to have meaningful conversations that bring us together. Thank you so much for joining us!
Who We Are
Nicci Kadilak, Nicci’s Notes
Made up of equal parts mom, educator, and writer (with a few added spices), I embraced my writerly vocation in my late 30s and published my first novel at 40. I dream of living in a world where we approach each other with more curiosity than judgment, where we seek to understand and connect with our neighbors, where we build bridges rather than walls.
I live outside Boston, MA, USA, and spend my time writing, working with K-12 students and educators, and trying to keep a number of humans and animals alive and thriving.
Minter Dial, Dialogos
Itinerant bohemian, musician, filmmaker (1 doc film for PBS), author (4 books) and now a professional speaker and elevator, based in London, UK. My mission is to elevate the debate and connect the dots, ideas and people. As such, I enjoy the challenge of change, exploring the outer regions of our minds and making sense of our world. I am connected to this collective because each and every time we meet up, it sparks me up.
Reena Kapoor, Arrivals & Departures
As a techie turned poet, playwright and photographer, I actively blog on Substack at Arrivals and Departures and post my photo-art on Instagram. My posts on Substack usually comprise a life reflection, a poem or two and at least one original photo. I’m always looking for meaningful engagement, conversation and connection so I’m delighted to partake in collaborations of this sort.
As you’ll read in my posts, I grew up all over India as an “army brat” and that wandering sensibility is reflected in my debut poetry collection Arrivals & Departures: Journeys in Poems. My poetry and short fiction has been published in The Bluebird Word, Discretionary Love, Potato Soup, Ariel Chart, 433 Magazine, Literary Yard, Tiny Seed, Visible, and India Currents. Four plays I wrote were produced by EnActe Arts in 2021. I’ve also had the privilege of being a Citizen Historian with The 1947 Partition Archive collecting oral histories from witnesses of India’s Partition, for over a decade.
In a parallel life I work as a software product professional and executive mentor to social enterprises. I live in Silicon Valley with my human family and our beloved Labradoodle!
Jo Petroni, Jo’s Epistolary
I am an architect and illustrator who specializes in bioclimatic consulting. I teach people to Listen to their Land. I’m also the human behind Tiny Humans and the creative director of Damn Good Humans, the creative agency for climate communication.
I live in rural South of France with my husband and dog. There’s a linden tree outside my window and a robin lives nearby.
I write Jo’s Epistolary of Imaginary Friends.
Barney Murphy, Our Medicine
I am a Two Spirit sister, doula, writer, and storyteller living on two acres in central Vermont. I author Our Medicine, a weekly exploration of love, storytelling, community, and rematriation through writing and conversations. My core belief is that the teachings of our ancestors hold the joy, wisdom, and creativity to build a more just, compassionate world.
Samuél Lopez-Barrantes, If not, Paris
I've lived as a writer, musician & teacher in Paris for 13 years. My first novel, Slim & The Beast (2015), was a coming-of-age story about male intimacy & the pursuit of passion. My next novel (coming 2023) is about history, memory, and the Nazi Occupation of Poland. I'm most interested in how we derive meaning in life through art, love, intoxication & power, but also via the myriad fictions & truths we tell ourselves in the in-between. I currently teach creative writing at the Sorbonne and host literary walks & virtual salons in Paris, which keeps me oscillating between the worlds of creativity and academia.
Now that you know who we are, we once again thank you for being here.
We all look forward to making this a space where all are welcome, regardless of political or social affiliation, to converse respectfully and learn from one another.
So exciting! Can't wait to see all the conversations and connections this ignites. Thank you to each of you for what you're bringing here.
I'm so excited and energized to be a part of this amazing group of thinkers and writers! Looking forward to the first post next week!