About
Hello lovely reader!
Summer Sundays is a place for those who feel like they are caught in between two worlds - never quite belonging in either.
This writing might help you much as it has me, keeping you grounded through so many of life’s challenges and transitions - illness, heartache, marriage, motherhood. More. Because life is filled with so much more of the in between.
The name is a nod to a long-held ritual I have kept of writing almost every Sunday for the past 10 years. (Although that went out the window for a while when I became a new mom in a new country.)
This year I took a leap of faith and asked readers to support my writing and become paid subscribers. Whether you choose to be a free subscriber, or invest in my writing, I am so happy and humbled you are here.
All subscribers receive:
Bi-weekly posts and essays to help you escape the mundane, offer a new perspective, rethink things, and inspire you
Interviews with authors
In depth book recommendations
My Sunday Strolls - a curated list of things I love from essays to cultural finds in Portugal
Paid subscribers get to support independent writing and make my work possible.
Why Now?
As a journalist, I wrote other people’s stories with pride and privilege for many years. But I’ve been feeling a pull to tell my own story for a while now. I’ve floated around looking for the right home for my writing for a long time. Social media was fun for a while. But it lacks the nuance and depth in stories that I crave most as a reader and writer. I want to connect more deeply with my readers. I feel like I have finally found that home in Substack. Amen!
Here I’ll write you letters from abroad, share behind-the-scenes looks at my writing, essays, interviews with authors, and more. I’ll try new things and share small ones that bring me joy. I am a big believer that the small things can amount to big joy in our lives. If you are curious about what it’s like to live abroad, to raise a multicultural son, and to have a good laugh at some of life’s toughest moments, you’ll like it here. In these pages I hope you will find words that lift your spirit too.
About Me
I am a Palestinian-American writer, mother, and book lover. I began my career as a journalist with CNN and then started a blog in 2015 to chronicle startups and underrepresented founders. I loved that and did it for about 5 years before becoming the editor of a very cool blog - a local’s guide to New Orleans. But COVID, among many things, changed that.
In 2020, I started working as an independent writer. My ultimate goal is to write and publish a book that makes people feel something. I still remember the first time that happened to me while I was reading Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.
My articles and essays have been published in CNN.com, The New Orleans Review and hopefully more publications this year. I’m working on it! When I am not writing, I am book hopping and stumbling around Portugal speaking Portugish - my unique blend of Portuguese and English.
I live in Lisbon with my husband and our hilarious, wild-spirited son, Jaad. You can find me mostly on IG @summer_suleiman.
Thank you so very much for being here with me.
