Welcome to Sunday Supper!
Set the Table
Say your grace
Prayer - Dear God, Thank you for the gift of creativity. Amen.
Affirmation - I consistently do what I need to do.
Gratitude - I am grateful for my stick-to-itiveness.
I am grateful for every reader, subscriber, commenter, and those who share this newsletter with others.
The Main Dish
Dig in
Consistency Cultivates Creativity
This month, November 2025, marks one year since I created the Greens and Cornbread Substack account. There is no rhyme or reason to the name, other than greens and cornbread are two of my favorite dishes, and together they make a better combination than peanut butter and jelly. I feel like you, the reader, and I are like the greens and cornbread combo. We are better together.
Why Substack
I joined Substack to help develop my writing practice and to stay motivated to finish my first novel. I set a goal to submit this “Sunday Supper Newsletter” every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. EST, and I’ve consistently met this goal. I never strive for perfect words or infallible pieces of writing. My goal, every week, is to write and hit the submit button.
As I reflect on this year, I am confident that consistency cultivates creativity. Showing up for myself, for readers, and for the stories proves that writer’s block is not an issue for me, and that the more I write, the more the ideas flow.
Griot and Grey
The idea for the newsletter came after I attended the Griot and Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference in Durham, NC. The conference launched three years ago, and I am currently at this year’s conference.
I am in awe as I converse with other writers who are here, learn from workshop leaders, and break bread with strangers who are also discovering more about themselves in this community of writers.
The conference and the community of people here are what I need to help me keep writing.
Gotta Tell Somebody
I believe in the adage, “learn somethin’ then tell somebody.” I’ve learned a great deal this past year, and at this conference.
Here are a few quotes I've heard this weekend.
Are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?
One thing that makes good writing is conflict.
Know. Unknow. Re-know.
Always tell the truth when writing poetry.
You belong.
Write about where you’re from and the emotional place you reside.
Information is more valuable than money.
Declare who you are.
Bring honor to the real people you write about.
Good fiction tells us what it felt like when things were happening.
Do not edit while writing.
Breathe!
I will continue to cultivate my creativity by consistently doing what I love, writing.
Pot Likker and Cornbread Crumbs
There’s flavor in the small things.
Creativity is an ongoing journey of discovery.
Table Talk
Join the Conversation
What have you done consistently, and what have you learned from that experience?
Potluck
From Our Community Kitchen: Book, Music, Art, Substack
Book
Music
I dug into the musical archives and listened to EnVogue as I drove to the Griot and Grey Conference. As I listened to the harmonies, lyrics, and power, I remembered why I fell in love with their music.
Give it up, Turn it Loose by EnVogue
Art
Henry Johnson (American, 1901 - 1970). Three Friends. 1945. Modified screen print, 39.2 x 29.2 cm. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas. https://jstor.org/stable/community.9851980.
Substack Recommendation
Recipe Exchange
Feel Better Tea
I love to grow herbs. The scent of my rosemary bush greets visitors as they come to my home. Black fabric pots filled with green spearmint, apple mint, peppermint, and orange mint decorate the garden. Oregano and thyme require the most attention, and I often ignore them. Sage, oh yes, sage is who I call on when I want the best tea.
I love to grow herbs. Since most of the herbs I grow are perennial, they let me know when spring is approaching and when winter is on the horizon. Herbs have a way of knowing how to adapt and a way of healing our bodies.
I love to grow herbs, dry them, and store them in mason jars, placing them in a cabinet that I only open when I make homemade tea.
Did I mention that I love to grow herbs?
Feel Better Tea
This is my go-to recipe when someone isn’t feeling well.
Ingredients and Tools:
A handful of dried sage
A handful of dried mint
Boiling water
Tea Bag
Mortar and Pestle
Instructions:
Prepare the herbs
Place the dried sage and mint in a mortar and crush with a pestle
Add the crushed herbs to a tea bag
Store any leftover crushed herbs in a mason jar
Add the tea to 8 oz of hot water and steep for 5 to 10 minutes
If you like, add honey to sweeten.
Enjoy!
Dessert
A Sweet Send-Off
One of the highlights of Griot and Grey Owl was listening to Crystal Wilkerson share wisdom and read from her book “Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghost.”
She shares how she has consistently written with writing partners for over thirty years. Consistency cultivates creativity!
Consistency without perfection is how I went from not being able to match pitch to holding my own while singing. I live by the mottos "something is better than nothing" and "focus on what you *can* do today, not what you want to/should do." At the beginning "something" was practicing in the car on my commute to work. Then life changed and I had more traditional practice times, even if some days I was so exhausted after work that 5 minutes was the best I could give.
Now "something" is showing up to piano lessons, even if I didn't have time to prepare as much as I wanted. Some weeks, I'm tempted to cancel the lesson, but the consistency of a regular routine keeps me from dropping my practice completely.
The thing I've learned? It's hard to have consistency without the support of others. In my example, I have an understanding music teacher who accepts consistency rather than insisting on me meeting an ideal. If she were always scolding me for not always doing the best she knows I'm capable of, I would have given up in frustration a long time ago.
Positive affirmations may seem cliche for some, but the consistency of daily repetition has brought such positive results for me.