I’m dropping this here while I recover from two back-to-back conferences, a book launch, and a book launch party. Phew! I’m exhausted. I’ll be back in the blogging saddle later this week as soon as I can get some sleep and catch up email, gardening, and laundry!
I write to find and make meaning, to align with my purpose, and to connect people and ideas. Why do you write? Tell me in the comments or find me in social media or at my Substack and tell me there!
I’ve received a nice spike of traffic and new followers lately so I wanted to say welcome and hello!
In keeping with social media list memes, here are 10 things about me, in case you’re new here. I’m…
- …a writer of dark speculative fiction, poetry, and personal essays, with recurring themes that include the Pacific Northwest, feminism, climate change, esoteric subjects, magical realism, apocalypse/dystopia, and dreams. I’m currently anticipating the release of my new collection of dark speculative fiction, published by Aqueduct Press, which comes out this summer. You’ll hear more about Cul de Sac Stories as July approaches. There’s more to follow!
- …one half of the collaborative podcast project, Beneath the Rain Shadow, with horror fiction author Clay Vermulm. We challenge each other to monthly writing prompts towards our goal of writing a book of short Northwest-based horror stories by end of year (Rain Shadows). Our goal is to show what’s behind the curtain in the writing life, with regional pride and playful approaches to dark subjects.
- …on the board for Cascade Writers Workshop, a three-day summer intensive here in the Puget Sound region (with online offerings). I recently moderated their National Poetry Month event, “Inspiration Meets Speculation,” in which Montana Poet Laureate Chris La Tray led us with a celebratory presentation followed by an interactive poetry workshop on speculative poetry, featuring the wisdom of regional masters of the form: Brian Garrison, and Brianna Malotke (with contributions from Jeannine Hall Gailey).
- …an avid hiker and walker (mostly solo) and often post pictures in social media of my wanderings. When the weather warms up, I take those wanderings to the waterways in my kayak.
- …a busy amateur kitchen gardener who also grows lots of flowers! I often post pictures in my Substack, on the blog, or in socials.
- …living with multiple sclerosis and other neurodivergent challenges, as well as multiple kinds of arthritis. My experience with new diagnosis of an incurable chronic illness in mid-life is the foundation for my first book, Intention Tremor, which contains poems and nonfiction that chronicle the first five years of my life following that surprising news. To that end, I am a retired patient advocate and columnist and recently retired my credentials as a sleep health educator and technologist. You’ll find my experience working with chronic communities informs a lot of what I do.
- …the former publisher of the now archived anthology, Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism. I continue to hold a deep and abiding respect and appreciation for literature that falls into this specialized and powerful niche. RIP to my man, Bruce Taylor, “Mr. Magic Realism,” who worked so hard with me to see this vision into reality.
- …into sharing memes in Instagram that push us to think more closely about our purpose as humans, neighbors, artists, women (or men or nonbinary), workers, parents, and souls.
- …native to the Pacific Northwest and love living here in this corner of the world.
- …currently creating experimental films, especially those which blend image and sound together with my original poetry. I love short films, independent films, and regional film festivals. My first original poetry film collage, “Look Up,” recently appeared (and earned bronze laurels) in the WRPN Women’s International Film Festival and laurels at the West Sound Film Festival (I’ll be in attendance on show night, August 2!). “Look Up” will also appear in FreedomFest in Columbia, SC in August 2024, and the film has been entered in several other festivals, so you never know where else it might crop up!
If you want to keep up with any giveaways and special news, I’d recommend you sign up for my mostly monthly author Substack here. I cobble together all the different things I’m doing in one spot (filmmaking, publishing, writing, my MS journey, gardening photography, hiking/shinrin-yoku, podcasting). I even throw in a recipe from my kitchen garden!