This newsletter is an exploration of why we tell stories and how we stay connected— with our communities, with each other, with ourselves— and a portal to those who are probably doing much better thinking about this on both fronts.
About this newsletter and me
I’m Bel Lopez. I’ve worked with stories my whole life — you can find out more about my writing and documentaries here.
I also ruminate a lot about our relationship with nature, the internet and each other in this era we might call the digital age, or late-stage capitalism or even the polycrisis. That’s the crux of what this newsletter is about — what it means to be a human who thinks and tells stories and connects with others in this age.
When I started writing a newsletter in 2018, I wrote that I wanted to have ownership of my own archives, and that’s still the case. But Substack feels like the middle way between remaining connected to an ecosystem of thinking, while not living in service of the great social media machine.
Story Doula runs like an old friendship strong enough to withstand occasional absences— You won’t be spammed daily. We’ll pick up from where we left off the last time.
Story Doula sessions
I run Story Doula sessions and workshops for those who wish to explore the stories of their lives, for creative outputs and psychosocial wellbeing, drawing on the modality of Narrative Practice.
Subscribe to this newsletter for updates on Story Doula events and projects, or contact me directly at notes@belindalopez.net.
