July has arrived, and with it comes that familiar feeling that life slows down just enough for us to notice the things we usually rush past.
Some of us will travel. Some will return to Romania for a few weeks. Some will spend their days listening to the waves of an ocean or a sea, others will hike mountain trails, wander through museums, explore unfamiliar streets, enjoy evenings on a porch with family, or simply find a quiet afternoon with a good book.
Summer has a way of collecting moments we don’t expect to keep.
A handwritten menu tucked inside a book. An old church bell at noon. A tiny museum no one told you about. The smell of pine after rain. A conversation on a train. A bakery you wish existed back home.
If you find one of those moments this summer, don’t let it disappear.
Share the street you couldn't stop photographing. Tell us about the book you couldn't put down. Introduce us to the café you'll remember long after you've forgotten its name, or the place that made you pause, smile, or feel unexpectedly at home.
Write a few paragraphs for the ARCS Journal. Tell us about the place, the moment, or the memory that stayed with you. If you have a photograph that belongs with the story, we'd love to publish that too.
Or perhaps this summer you'll capture a photograph that can stand on its own, a single image that tells a story without words. Save it. We'd love to see it in our community Photo Exhibition this September.
If you discover a Romanian or any other author you think others should know, tell us. Better yet, if you return home with books, consider sharing them through the ARCS Community Library.
We can’t wait to see what this summer brings back with you.
Happy summer from all of us at ARCS!
May it be filled with good books, unexpected conversations, beautiful discoveries, and moments you’ll want to remember long after the season has passed!
Send your story to: sanda.berar@arcsproject.org. We’ll select a number of submissions to publish in the ARCS Journal throughout the fall.