Sunday Recommendations List – Dianne L. Durante, Writing Addict + Adept

NOTICE:

After issuing Sunday Recommendations for 7 years, I’ll be ending them as of 6/30/2024. I hope to see you on Substack for my next project, Timeline 1700-1900. Monthly posts on Substack will begin in August.

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The following is about the Sunday Recommendations, ending as of 6/30/2024. If you’re curious about them, check out the Favorite Recommendations and Photos tag on this site. Starry Solitudes and Sunny Sundays, which are compilations from the first five years of recommendations.

My Mission

A video about the Sunday Recommendations is here.

I constantly seek out art that’s inspiring, thought-provoking, skillfully executed, and/or beautiful so I can share it (in jargon-free language) with others who need and enjoy such art, but don’t have time to search it out. Ayn Rand described art as emotional fuel. My goal – and my selfish pleasure! – is to help you find more of that fuel and use it more efficiently. How? By showing you wonderful art and provoking you to think about why you enjoy a particular piece … or don’t.

Every Sunday morning I send four art-related suggestions. I try to include items you can enjoy quickly (visual arts, poetry) as well as items you can spend more time on (literature, music). The fourth recommendation often includes a paragraph or two inspired by whatever I’m writing at the moment.

Want to see if your taste agrees with mine? Check out my favorite recommendations from 2017 and on, or the images in this video. For the five-year anniversary of the Sunday Recommendations, I’ve published two compilations: Starry Solitudes, a collection of 98 poems (more here), and Sunny Sundays, with 172 recommendations (more here).

I don’t expect to bat a thousand with every reader every week, but judging from the high open rate and low unsubscribe rate, I’m striking a chord with many people. Testimonials are at the end of this page.

You have several options for getting such art delivered to your inbox every week.

1. Free for new subscribers: Sunday Recommendations for 4 weeks

If you’ve never received the Sunday Recommendations before, email DuranteDianne@gmail.com and ask to be added to the list. You’ll receive 4 recommendations each week for 4 weeks. After that, you can subscribe at the support levels below. NOTE: I do not share my email list with anyone. Ever.

2. First Sundays: $2/month

At this level, you receive four recommendations on the first Sunday of every month, and access to that week’s video of the recommendations. This level must be paid annually, at $24 – transaction fees take up too high a percentage of $2 payments. Exception: those who have subscribed at this level before 1/1/2023 can continue paying $2/month.

3. Weekly at $5/month

At this level, you receive four art-related recommendations every week, and access to the videos of all the recommendations. If you pay for a year in advance, the price is $55 rather than $60.

4. Weekly at $10/month

At this level, in addition to the rewards for the $5/month level, you receive a high-res image (suitable for printing at 8 x 10 inches) of a sculpture with a related quote. Supporters at $10+/month have access to all the previous high-res images, including the samples below. To encourage annual payments, I offer a year at $10/month for the price of 11 months: $110 rather than $120.

5. Weekly at $25/month

At this level, in addition to the rewards for the $10/month level, your name appears as a supporter on the About page of DianneDuranteWriter.com, and also in the acknowledgments of any book published while you’re a supporter. (A list of books in reverse chronological order is here.) If you pay a year in advance, the price is $260 rather than $300.

6. Weekly at $50/month

At this level you receive all the rewards for the $25/month level. In addition, your name appears in the acknowledgments of my next published book AND a you receive a free signed print copy of the book. If you pay a year in advance, the price is $500 rather than $600.

Gift subscriptions

I’m happy to arrange a gift subscription, at the level of your choice. Contact me via email to set it up: DuranteDianne@gmail.com.

Making payments

You can arrange recurring monthly payments of $2, $5, $10, $25, $50, or some other amount via this button. Tip Jar WP processes payments via Stripe, a major processor of mobile payments. It’s very secure.

The pop-up window looks like this.

Set the amount, click “every month”, “every year”, or “one time only”, add your email address (this is where I’ll send the recommendations), and add the credit card information. Hit the “Pay” button and you’re done.
You can change a recurring payment at any time by clicking the “manage payments” link at the foot of the pop-up window.
If you’d prefer to send a check rather than make an online payment, email DuranteDianne@gmail.com and I’ll provide the address.

One-time tips are also welcome …

… and they help me decide what to work on in the future. If you find a post particularly helpful or delightful, send a one-time tip and tell me (DuranteDianne@gmail.com) which post prompted you to do so. Tips can be sent via the Leave a Tip link above or via the Paypal link, both of which are on the right sidebar of the website under “Say ‘Well done, Dianne!'”

Testimonials

Just a quick note to say that, while I don’t always respond to your mailings, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts on art. I share your admiration of Saint Gaudens and the Sherman …– Michael Wilkinson, sculptor

I devour and love each of your postings, not just Hamilton. You do outstanding work, Dianne! – Rand Scholet, Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society

Dianne is fabulous. I could listen to her talk about art, honestly, for a month. Dianne, I love you, I want to come hang out with you … I was completely mesmerized by everything she had to say. – Linda Cordair of Quent Cordair Fine Art

I LOVED your presentation this morning!!! I keep your presentations so I can reread them but this one is very special. What a pleasure to read, and to reread!! – Ro F.

Love the poem. Will use w/creative writing group. – Marian C.

Thank you for getting my motor started this morning. – Eric K.

Goosebumps when I read, “I’d prefer To fail while acting rightly, rather than to win by doing evil.” Thanks for the great email newsletters!! – Chris B.

Of all the places I could send a ‘sawbuck’ every month, yours is my favourite. – Earl G.

Sunday mornings would be incomplete without your weekly recommendations. – Hank L.

Thank you so much for sharing these great values. – Catherine D.

Please keep me on your list forever! No need to ever ask me again:) – Liz I.

I greatly love this poem by Kavafy and your translation of it! – Thomas H.

Once again, in “Politics and Portrait Sculptures,” you’ve driven clearly to the heart of how to discuss the issues. And your insights have instructed and reminded me clearly of why I love sculpture. Thank you! – Carrie R.

You remind me of the unsinkable Molly Brown, played by Debbie Reynolds in the film of the same title: cheerful, indefatigable, relentlessly seeking values & blasting through blockhouses to find them. Unsinkable. Of all you offer in your Sunday emails, it is that which I find most precious. And most generous. – Steve B.

So far I have shared your most recent free email recommendations with two friends, and at least two others will soon get a notification in their inboxes. My motivation for doing this is not getting the [Henry Kitchell] Webster story (though I certainly look forward to reading it) but rather is the desire to have my friends receive at least some of the added sunshine in their lives that your recommendations give me. – Bruce V.

Always a pleasure to get your posts (even though I’m usually behind). A wonderful pick me up ! – Stacey H.

Carry on the great work. – John M.

NOTE: Although I’ve had a successful Patreon account since 2017, I’m phasing it out because Patreon takes a larger cut than Tip Jar WP. Also, Patreon has a strict policy on visuals. Posting a photo of Michelangelo’s David on Patreon might get me an Adult Content label.
DianneDuranteWriter.com has hundreds of posts on sculpture, painting, music, poetry, Central Park, and my other Obsessions. See the tag cloud at the lower right on all pages of this site.