Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
@wandernarratives.bsky.social
Fulbright U.S. Scholar '25 🇪🇸 | Storytelling across genres |Cultural studies & education scholar | Writer | Participatory & visual methods | Wanderlust as Beyond Travel
More info: www.perpetual-wanderlust.com
More info: www.perpetual-wanderlust.com
Day 4 in a row of writing. Not saying how many words I'll end at because as of now, I'm at 378 and still writing. Listening to flamenco, and exploring identity, culture, and ancestral knowledge in this short story is giving me life for the night. ❤️
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Flamenco #MissingSpain
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Flamenco #MissingSpain
December 24, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Day 4 in a row of writing. Not saying how many words I'll end at because as of now, I'm at 378 and still writing. Listening to flamenco, and exploring identity, culture, and ancestral knowledge in this short story is giving me life for the night. ❤️
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Flamenco #MissingSpain
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Flamenco #MissingSpain
Finished day 3 in a row of writing, and hit 508 words.
I'm still writing into this 4th day now (since it's past midnight.)
Reminding myself that any words on the page are better than 0! Pretty stoked with how this short story is turning out.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #ShortStory
I'm still writing into this 4th day now (since it's past midnight.)
Reminding myself that any words on the page are better than 0! Pretty stoked with how this short story is turning out.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #ShortStory
December 23, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Finished day 3 in a row of writing, and hit 508 words.
I'm still writing into this 4th day now (since it's past midnight.)
Reminding myself that any words on the page are better than 0! Pretty stoked with how this short story is turning out.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #ShortStory
I'm still writing into this 4th day now (since it's past midnight.)
Reminding myself that any words on the page are better than 0! Pretty stoked with how this short story is turning out.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #ShortStory
Today will be day 3 if I can get myself up and find the motivation. So, my affirmation for the day:
I will write today. I will write today. I will write today. I will write today.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #DailyPractice
I will write today. I will write today. I will write today. I will write today.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #DailyPractice
December 22, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Today will be day 3 if I can get myself up and find the motivation. So, my affirmation for the day:
I will write today. I will write today. I will write today. I will write today.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #DailyPractice
I will write today. I will write today. I will write today. I will write today.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #DailyPractice
I've struggled with vulnerability for a long time, and we often detach ourselves from our own emotions to survive. But it's something I'm working on.
So...
#Vulnerability #Vulnerable #Writing
So...
#Vulnerability #Vulnerable #Writing
December 22, 2025 at 5:49 AM
I've struggled with vulnerability for a long time, and we often detach ourselves from our own emotions to survive. But it's something I'm working on.
So...
#Vulnerability #Vulnerable #Writing
So...
#Vulnerability #Vulnerable #Writing
Last year I started writing daily, whether it was 5 words or 5 pages.
Then, life happened.
I am trying to adopt this practice again. So, here's to day one, finishing at 452 words for the night. Not huge, but a win for me.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Writer
Then, life happened.
I am trying to adopt this practice again. So, here's to day one, finishing at 452 words for the night. Not huge, but a win for me.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Writer
December 21, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Last year I started writing daily, whether it was 5 words or 5 pages.
Then, life happened.
I am trying to adopt this practice again. So, here's to day one, finishing at 452 words for the night. Not huge, but a win for me.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Writer
Then, life happened.
I am trying to adopt this practice again. So, here's to day one, finishing at 452 words for the night. Not huge, but a win for me.
#Writing #WritingCommunity #Writer
We can't "Make America Healthy Again" if we're defunding research, firing medical professionals, have folks in positions of power overseeing health who have no credentials, and reduce access to mental and medical health education.
Just in case anybody was confused about that.
Just in case anybody was confused about that.
December 19, 2025 at 1:46 AM
We can't "Make America Healthy Again" if we're defunding research, firing medical professionals, have folks in positions of power overseeing health who have no credentials, and reduce access to mental and medical health education.
Just in case anybody was confused about that.
Just in case anybody was confused about that.
December 16, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Stuck between needing routine but despising it.
Much of it for me is burnout from juggling too much for too long.
Today I tried something different... got up, got dressed, opened Scrivener to write stories for literary magazines instead of lying on the couch.
Small wins.
#Burnout #Writing
Much of it for me is burnout from juggling too much for too long.
Today I tried something different... got up, got dressed, opened Scrivener to write stories for literary magazines instead of lying on the couch.
Small wins.
#Burnout #Writing
December 13, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reviving my newsletter/Substack, Wanderlust Narratives, after stepping away to figure out my writer/scholar identity in Spain.
Today's post is on why I left, what I learned, and what this space is for.
Read here: substack.com/@wanderlustn...
#newsletter #writing #academia #wanderlust
Today's post is on why I left, what I learned, and what this space is for.
Read here: substack.com/@wanderlustn...
#newsletter #writing #academia #wanderlust
Welcome (Back) to Wanderlust Narratives
Stepping away, coming back, and what this space is for.
substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reviving my newsletter/Substack, Wanderlust Narratives, after stepping away to figure out my writer/scholar identity in Spain.
Today's post is on why I left, what I learned, and what this space is for.
Read here: substack.com/@wanderlustn...
#newsletter #writing #academia #wanderlust
Today's post is on why I left, what I learned, and what this space is for.
Read here: substack.com/@wanderlustn...
#newsletter #writing #academia #wanderlust
Various street art messages and types (murals, graffiti, stickers, and wheatepaste) throughout San Diego captured over the last month.
#StreetArt #SanDiego #SanDiegoStreetArt #PoliticalArt #PoliticalMessage
#StreetArt #SanDiego #SanDiegoStreetArt #PoliticalArt #PoliticalMessage
December 7, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Various street art messages and types (murals, graffiti, stickers, and wheatepaste) throughout San Diego captured over the last month.
#StreetArt #SanDiego #SanDiegoStreetArt #PoliticalArt #PoliticalMessage
#StreetArt #SanDiego #SanDiegoStreetArt #PoliticalArt #PoliticalMessage
Are you over 18 and live in San Diego? We want to learn about your views and experiences with street art here in our city and your neighborhood.
tinyurl.com/StreetArtOpi...
#streetart #survey #sandiego #sandiegosurvey #survey #sandiegoart #sandiegostreetart #graffiti #socal #research
tinyurl.com/StreetArtOpi...
#streetart #survey #sandiego #sandiegosurvey #survey #sandiegoart #sandiegostreetart #graffiti #socal #research
December 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Are you over 18 and live in San Diego? We want to learn about your views and experiences with street art here in our city and your neighborhood.
tinyurl.com/StreetArtOpi...
#streetart #survey #sandiego #sandiegosurvey #survey #sandiegoart #sandiegostreetart #graffiti #socal #research
tinyurl.com/StreetArtOpi...
#streetart #survey #sandiego #sandiegosurvey #survey #sandiegoart #sandiegostreetart #graffiti #socal #research
🧵 Six months ago today my kids and I moved out of our flat in Málaga, Spain.
A year ago, I was preparing to leave. Between visas and travel plans, stress and grading, I was ready to hop on that plane. (1/2) #fulbright #phd #phdresearcher #grants #livingabroad #travel
A year ago, I was preparing to leave. Between visas and travel plans, stress and grading, I was ready to hop on that plane. (1/2) #fulbright #phd #phdresearcher #grants #livingabroad #travel
December 5, 2025 at 11:01 PM
🧵 Six months ago today my kids and I moved out of our flat in Málaga, Spain.
A year ago, I was preparing to leave. Between visas and travel plans, stress and grading, I was ready to hop on that plane. (1/2) #fulbright #phd #phdresearcher #grants #livingabroad #travel
A year ago, I was preparing to leave. Between visas and travel plans, stress and grading, I was ready to hop on that plane. (1/2) #fulbright #phd #phdresearcher #grants #livingabroad #travel
I just lost the game, thanks to my 11 year old.
And this means you lost the game, too. 🫠
#thegame #milleniallife
And this means you lost the game, too. 🫠
#thegame #milleniallife
November 11, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I just lost the game, thanks to my 11 year old.
And this means you lost the game, too. 🫠
#thegame #milleniallife
And this means you lost the game, too. 🫠
#thegame #milleniallife
🧵 (1/2) He always talks about how he's the best at some nonsense.
So, let's make sure to give him a round of applause [sarcasm] for this record breaking facts he can add to his stats sheet:
#governmentshutdown #politics
So, let's make sure to give him a round of applause [sarcasm] for this record breaking facts he can add to his stats sheet:
#governmentshutdown #politics
November 5, 2025 at 12:22 AM
🧵 (1/2) He always talks about how he's the best at some nonsense.
So, let's make sure to give him a round of applause [sarcasm] for this record breaking facts he can add to his stats sheet:
#governmentshutdown #politics
So, let's make sure to give him a round of applause [sarcasm] for this record breaking facts he can add to his stats sheet:
#governmentshutdown #politics
Wild to think we have a person in power who believes they're so above the law that it’s justifiable & logical to deny people access to food because they want to take away people's access to health care.
Alas, logic was not the MAGA campaign. Nor was humanization.
#SNAP #governmentshutdown
Alas, logic was not the MAGA campaign. Nor was humanization.
#SNAP #governmentshutdown
November 4, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Wild to think we have a person in power who believes they're so above the law that it’s justifiable & logical to deny people access to food because they want to take away people's access to health care.
Alas, logic was not the MAGA campaign. Nor was humanization.
#SNAP #governmentshutdown
Alas, logic was not the MAGA campaign. Nor was humanization.
#SNAP #governmentshutdown
Elmo went as Luffy from One Piece for Halloween this year.
And the fact he went as a pirate who fights corrupt government rule after PBS and in turn, Sesame Street, had their federal funding cut seems too coincidental to be, well, mere coincidence, and I'm loving it.
#luffy #elmo #sesamestreet
And the fact he went as a pirate who fights corrupt government rule after PBS and in turn, Sesame Street, had their federal funding cut seems too coincidental to be, well, mere coincidence, and I'm loving it.
#luffy #elmo #sesamestreet
November 2, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Elmo went as Luffy from One Piece for Halloween this year.
And the fact he went as a pirate who fights corrupt government rule after PBS and in turn, Sesame Street, had their federal funding cut seems too coincidental to be, well, mere coincidence, and I'm loving it.
#luffy #elmo #sesamestreet
And the fact he went as a pirate who fights corrupt government rule after PBS and in turn, Sesame Street, had their federal funding cut seems too coincidental to be, well, mere coincidence, and I'm loving it.
#luffy #elmo #sesamestreet
Day 5 in a row of writing. ❤️
October 29, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Day 5 in a row of writing. ❤️
🧵 (1/2) Explain your WIP.
I'll go first. Working on a cool project with @midnightgaea.bsky.social
Our pre-teen main character carries ancestral knowledge of deep resistance, while the neighborhood ravens enact it, believing in the future that humans have given up on or just don't care.
#writing
I'll go first. Working on a cool project with @midnightgaea.bsky.social
Our pre-teen main character carries ancestral knowledge of deep resistance, while the neighborhood ravens enact it, believing in the future that humans have given up on or just don't care.
#writing
October 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM
🧵 (1/2) Explain your WIP.
I'll go first. Working on a cool project with @midnightgaea.bsky.social
Our pre-teen main character carries ancestral knowledge of deep resistance, while the neighborhood ravens enact it, believing in the future that humans have given up on or just don't care.
#writing
I'll go first. Working on a cool project with @midnightgaea.bsky.social
Our pre-teen main character carries ancestral knowledge of deep resistance, while the neighborhood ravens enact it, believing in the future that humans have given up on or just don't care.
#writing
February of 2024 I told myself I'd write (non-academic work) daily.
Then life got busy. I had to prepare for Spain. Teaching 8 classes, etc.
Made a decision yesterday that I'd adopt that again.
Yesterday, I wrote 157 words, still significant to me.
Today, I wrote 1,028. ❤️
#writing #writer
Then life got busy. I had to prepare for Spain. Teaching 8 classes, etc.
Made a decision yesterday that I'd adopt that again.
Yesterday, I wrote 157 words, still significant to me.
Today, I wrote 1,028. ❤️
#writing #writer
October 26, 2025 at 7:16 AM
What if we’ve been missing it this whole time?
We’ve always had the answer to life, the universe, and everything, that's clear: 42.
What if the Ultimate Question… was simply a multiplication question after all?
Because, really, two factors of 42 are… 6 and 7. 🫠
#hitchhikersguide #answertolife
We’ve always had the answer to life, the universe, and everything, that's clear: 42.
What if the Ultimate Question… was simply a multiplication question after all?
Because, really, two factors of 42 are… 6 and 7. 🫠
#hitchhikersguide #answertolife
October 24, 2025 at 9:04 PM
What if we’ve been missing it this whole time?
We’ve always had the answer to life, the universe, and everything, that's clear: 42.
What if the Ultimate Question… was simply a multiplication question after all?
Because, really, two factors of 42 are… 6 and 7. 🫠
#hitchhikersguide #answertolife
We’ve always had the answer to life, the universe, and everything, that's clear: 42.
What if the Ultimate Question… was simply a multiplication question after all?
Because, really, two factors of 42 are… 6 and 7. 🫠
#hitchhikersguide #answertolife
My friend Rhiana is graduating after a tumultuous journey. She still made Dean's List while working, too. She's always that friend who remembers your birthday and celebrates you. Now she's walking across that stage and I want it to be pure joy, not stress about fees. ❤️ (1/2)
#graduation #gofundme
#graduation #gofundme
October 17, 2025 at 7:45 PM
My friend Rhiana is graduating after a tumultuous journey. She still made Dean's List while working, too. She's always that friend who remembers your birthday and celebrates you. Now she's walking across that stage and I want it to be pure joy, not stress about fees. ❤️ (1/2)
#graduation #gofundme
#graduation #gofundme
What do you admire about yourself? It's so easy to get bogged down by the world, pressures, and narratives that exist out there. So, what is something you find really beautiful about yourself?
October 17, 2025 at 5:29 AM
What do you admire about yourself? It's so easy to get bogged down by the world, pressures, and narratives that exist out there. So, what is something you find really beautiful about yourself?
As a former Starbucks "partner," the irony isn't lost on me. They shut down stores with little/no notice; some employees even showed up to work only to find out they'd lost their jobs.
Boycotts work: $12B loss for Target, $4B for Hulu.
Another reason to skip the bux? Here you go.
Boycotts work: $12B loss for Target, $4B for Hulu.
Another reason to skip the bux? Here you go.
September 29, 2025 at 5:20 AM
As a former Starbucks "partner," the irony isn't lost on me. They shut down stores with little/no notice; some employees even showed up to work only to find out they'd lost their jobs.
Boycotts work: $12B loss for Target, $4B for Hulu.
Another reason to skip the bux? Here you go.
Boycotts work: $12B loss for Target, $4B for Hulu.
Another reason to skip the bux? Here you go.
Transitioning back to SD has been rough, but I finally visited @mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social. I haven't been since they were in Clairemont (and been going since 2005.)
I took my kids & 2 good friends. It was a nice reminder of what community can look & feel like, even if you don't know everybody.❤️
I took my kids & 2 good friends. It was a nice reminder of what community can look & feel like, even if you don't know everybody.❤️
September 15, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Transitioning back to SD has been rough, but I finally visited @mystgalaxybooks.bsky.social. I haven't been since they were in Clairemont (and been going since 2005.)
I took my kids & 2 good friends. It was a nice reminder of what community can look & feel like, even if you don't know everybody.❤️
I took my kids & 2 good friends. It was a nice reminder of what community can look & feel like, even if you don't know everybody.❤️