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Kimberly Warner's avatar

Ohhhhh! Love hearing a little behind the scenes on one of my favorite writers. I long for the day I can share a walk on the beach with this beauty, digging in the sand, spending way too much time contemplating the skull of a seal.

I hadn’t heard this quote by Winnocott but wow, yes: “artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to be seen and the desire to hide.”

Your voice Rebecca is as clear as the sky above your two seas and in the same way life is plural, your essays transcend the personal and become universal…and I suppose because of that, in the best way possible, you are seen, and still get to hide.”

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rebecca hooper's avatar

I long for that day too, Kimberly! But for now it's wonder enough to have connected across ocean and continent 🩵 thank you for your wonderful, joyful support of my writing, your voice has been one of my greatest encouragements! (And it goes without saying that your writing blows me away) x

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Holly Starley's avatar

My subconscious makes plans without me too—often quite swimmingly.

Love seeing yet another of my favorite writers here, Eleanor. Thank you and thank you, Rebecca.

Between Two Seas is such a perfect title for your stack. Your subconscious did you well. Ever so glad you decided to give this place a shot, that we both did, that we all three did.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

Thank you Holly!! Your support has meant so much to me as I've found my feet on substack and I'm so so happy we've connected here 🩵🩵🩵

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Rona Maynard's avatar

“A community of artists.” Yes to this and everything else Rebecca says.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

💚 thanks for reading, Rona!

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Harriet Grae's avatar

From my perspective as your reader, you seem very much to have found your groove. You hone in on an experience of the natural world, then use that to explore a theme of self-hood or meaning making, and through that journey, you weave in scientific information in an accessible and poetic way. I leave your pieces with beautiful images, new information, the gentle feeling of expansion.

Keep going in this groove! (And also, feel totally free to break free...)

A deep bow.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

Ah thank you for these lovely words, Harriet, I'm so glad it feels this way to you, and I will keep swimming along in this groove! x

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Susie Mawhinney's avatar

How I love to read a little of the behind the scenes of the writers I love when so much of it rings little bells... "time blindness. I am habitually awful at understanding time, and the fact that it is limited. No amount of life experience seems to help me learn this lesson." If you ever do learn Rebecca, please DM the secret! x

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rebecca hooper's avatar

I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this, Susie, and ha! I promise to. But you have to tell me if you stumble upon the secret too ;)

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Emily Charlotte Powell's avatar

I love your writing so much Rebecca (and your art) and I am delighted to read your answers to Eleanor’s 8Qs. It’s a joy to discover more about the writers I love here - and your writing always feels so cohesive and thematic to me, I look forward to reading every week 🐋💙 the mini series you shared with stories of kindness was stunningly beautiful and I’m so glad to have found your writing through a restack that Kimberly Warner shared.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

Ahh Emily thank you so much, it has been such a joy to connect with here!! I also love your art and your writing and I so look forward to your wonderful comments (which are often the most popular so I think my readers must enjoy them very much too). Such a joy to know you x

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Emily Charlotte Powell's avatar

Thank you Rebecca, you too. This place seems to be overflowing with people that my soul has longed to know and writing that my heart needs to read 💛✨

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Melanie Bettinelli's avatar

I stumbled across Between Two Seas when I first started writing on substack and it's quickly become one of my favorite places to visit. Rebecca's essays often have a dreamy quality and yet they always bring me out into the world to see and hear and feel places I've never been.

So true about Substack as a community of artists. It's such a generous and generative place.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

Oh thank you so much Melanie! It is such a joy to have you reading and I'm over the moon and gobsmacked to hear between two seas is one of your favourite stacks 🥰

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Alisa Kennedy Jones's avatar

What a wonderful discovery. Cannot wait to dig deeper into Rebecca's work! Thank you to both for the conversation :)

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rebecca hooper's avatar

So glad to have you along for the ride, Alisa! 🐋

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Baird Brightman's avatar

"Finding community on Substack — where I am writing in a way that is quite raw and vulnerable and authentic — has meant more to me than I can really put into words."

There is truly something unique about writing for oneself, and also knowing (in back of mind) that other people, who we will never see, may be reading those words. It creates a transitional space between being alone and together that really does allow one's authentic voice to safely emerge more. I'm finding that to be true as well. Thanks for writing about that here, Rebecca, and thanks to Eleanor for providing the questions platform.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

That's so true Baird, it is a transitional space, conducive to a metamorphosis of sorts I think...

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Wendy Varley's avatar

So pleased to see Rebecca featured this week – another Substack that I already read and hugely enjoy. That description of the experience of writing here as permission to take up space resonates. Thank you, Rebecca and Eleanor.

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rebecca hooper's avatar

💚 thank you Wendy! I'm so glad it resonates.

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