Make Like a Mother is out in the world! The first episode with Amy Henderson is live everywhere you listen to podcasts, as well as on YouTube and Substack. Go check it out, I’ll wait!

Despite my perimenopausal inability…

When I left social media I wasn’t sure what it would do to my visibility as a musician, though I had a hunch Facebook events were effective with my audience and that I might take a hit there. After more…

Happy Sunday Morning!

I am writing this quick note to remind you the Make Like a Mother live podcast taping is less than a week away! During this one hour event I will be chatting with Trish Dryden and Janita…

On the weekend I was invited to present at the second annual Port Hope Sustainability Expo. I got very excited about the topic I had chosen to share, and the fire it lit in my belly is still burning today…

I spent last night scrolling the Work in Culture job board, feeling simultaneously over- and under-whelmed by the nebulous, hard to define nature of my career. I was scrolling the way I sometimes shop online, putting items into my cart…

Make Like a Mother, my new adventure in podcasting, is about to be released into the world - and I want to tell you all about it!

Why a Podcast? Why This Podcast?

As many of you know, I am…

I am feeling the first, hard-to-ignore signs of perimenopause knocking on my door. A few have already let themselves in and settled on the couch. The most prominent symptoms for me at this time are brain fog/lack of memory and…

There are basically two drivers in me when it comes to my creative work - one is my ego and the other is my curiosity. I spend an inordinate amount of time grappling with the balance between these two drivers…

I am in Mont Tremblant enjoying some last days of winter fun, after which I expect to arrive home to spring in full bloom. Don’t burst my bubble.

Siren Songs with Kerri Ough and Rayleigh is fast approaching. These two…

The world is dark. Yesterday I cried in my car running errands, utterly heartbroken.

Despite my daily life supposedly continuing on as usual, I can’t seem to get through a day without talking about the darkness. So sorry to ruin…

Hi folks,

Despite the special weather statement in effect, I will be at the Old Camborne Schoolhouse from 1-3pm today for a song circle. If you’re craving some creativity and can get there safely, I’d love to see you!

What…

Hey folks,

You’ve been with me for several years now - or not. If you’re new here, hi and welcome! Anyway, many of you have been here for a while and seen me through various stages of energy, various cycles…

Hi friends,

Remember that new song I told you about? The one I didn’t want to promote in the typical ways? Well, surprise! It is available now, only on Bandcamp. It will be released on streaming platforms on March 20th…

In case you’re not in a video watching mood today, let me tell you loudly and with glee that Kerri Ough and Rayleigh are joining me for Siren Songs on March 29!

This is going to be a very special…

I thought yesterday morning was the perfect day for a cross-country ski. I loaded my skis and poles into the back of my van and headed to the Northumberland Forest trails off Beagle Club Road. I even had enough time…

I have been out of the music game for a while…quite a while, really. It’s been over a year since I was practicing or performing regularly, before which I was practicing, writing, performing, or some combination of the three every…

Friends and fam, I have a new song coming out, called It All Depends. I have been waiting to talk about it until some industry-approved amount of time before its release, while simultaneously feeling a strong internal rejection of…

All my life I have played sports and made music. I have been chosen for teams and passed over for teams. I have been named Most Sportsmanlike Player and never chosen as the MVP. I have made the choir and…

Hi friends,

There is so much going on in the news every minute that it’s likely you haven’t even heard that the Ontario government and OPG want to build a massive nuclear reactor in Port Hope, Ontario. I am opposed…

Writing was not happening today so I decided to just talk instead.

xo
Shannon

Upcoming Shows

Hibernate: Under Covers
Friday, February 13 at 7pm
Port Hope United Church
My band, Plainville United, is one of many Friends of Cultivate performing…

This time last year I was leaning into the idea that “small is all” (thank you adrienne maree brown), and focusing on the world immediately in front of me. I spent last winter cocooned with my people, battling hard through…

Hi friends,

This morning my friend and collaborator Katie Hoogendam (Merkat) wrote a substack that left me weeping, and then had me running for my guitar. This song was born today, inspired by Merkat’s writing (which you should go…

The new year has arrived and like most people it has me thinking about what I want in my life. I like making resolutions. I like thinking about what brings me happiness and fulfillment, what I dream my life could…

Alright friends, this will be the last Joy Just Because newsletter before the new year. I’m taking a holiday hiatus, not because writing feels like a job but simply because I lose track of what day it is through the…