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Let the Bodies Hit the
Content warning: Discussion of body size, fatphobia, diet culture, body image issues. Disclaimer: I 100% have thin privilege; I am not speaking to you from the POV of a person who has ever actually been treated badly because of their body size, but from the POV of a person whose mental health and self-image have…
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“A bit monstrous.”
In March I had the opportunity to practice my public speaking skills at our literary agency’s retreat by giving a short lecture to my agency siblings. I chose to cover a topic I was already familiar with: how the patriarchy has shaped our understanding of narrative structure (a philosophical tributary from my critical thesis from…
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The Tyranny of Shame
A few weeks ago, I spent about 9 hours in an emergency room trying to figure out whether or not I was having a heart attack. There are a lot of reasons why I thought it was unlikely I was having a heart attack—I’m only 37, my cholesterol ratio is good, I had a full…
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Rabbit Hole Round-Up
(I might make this a regular thing? Idk.) Here are the interesting things I’ve hyper-focused on over the last few weeks: GuerillaGirls.com – From their About section: “The Guerrilla Girls are anonymous artist activists who use disruptive headlines, outrageous visuals and killer statistics to expose gender and ethnic bias and corruption in art, film, politics…
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Letters from the Island of Ambiguous Loss
Dear Ghost, I’m writing this letter in my best attempt to exorcise you. The thing is, I’m experiencing the absolute highlight of my life right now. You can guess what it is: the thing you and I most wanted for ourselves and each other, that each of us dreamed of from childhood. It’s finally happening…
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Total Eclipse of the (Natal) Chart
I’m fascinated by astrology. I don’t know if I “believe” in it–certainly, I’ve found myself reading about retrogrades and transits and trines and what they all mean based on what planet is what degree, where, and thought “oh, that’s why my life is a mess!” But I’ve also regularly read my horoscope for ages now…
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La Roue de la Fortune
I’ve been trying to write about my Hermit Year for a while now, but true to the vibe of the Hermit card, it all feels too visible for my liking. It was A Year, to be sure. There were all the usual hermity things: turning inward, solitude, soul-searching. I spent a lot of energy on…
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Boundaries, Boundaries, Boundaries: My Hermit Year
Yeah, so it’s been more than a whole-ass year again. But it was my Hermit year, so the radio silence makes sense this time! Last time I posted I was winding down from my Strength Year and into my Hermit Year. Interestingly enough, the Hermit is also my life path card (in numerology, my life…
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Strength Without Hands to Smite: My ‘Strength’ Year
I had the above quote hand written on marigold construction paper, cut out, and sealed with tape on the cover of my first real “writer’s notebook.” I’ve never read the rest of the poem (or is it a ballad?). I saw the quote in a Vampire RPG book that I never actually learned how to…
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the long version
It’s that time again when I come back to my blog after almost a year away because I now have something to write about! Because I can’t remember (more on that in a moment) what I’ve written on here and don’t feel like re-reading to find out, I’m going to assume I haven’t talked at…
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When The Sun Breaks
The sun is out today. It’s 33 degrees Fahrenheit in Buffalo, New York, with a wind chill that would make you think it’s the dead of winter. It is winter, still…but only for two more weeks. Tonight we change the clocks again–spring forward, as it were–losing an hour of sleep but suddenly gaining an hour…
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The Moonlit Path
So you’ve found yourself on a moonlit, earth-based, goddess loving, soul-searching, self-empowering path. Now what?
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My Chariot Year
If you’re unfamiliar with what this means, think: numerology and tarot had a baby. Then Google “what’s my tarot card personal year.”
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Beginnings, Endings, All the Same
I love this time of year. Not just Autumn, which is definitely THE most magical time of the year (sorry xmass), but September specifically. There’s something utterly transcendant about the end of summer meeting the beginning of fall: the heat making way for wind and rain; the sunflowers yielding to the deep purples and gold…
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September Vibes
Every September I go through some kind of deep rejuvination. Instead of winding down with the summer and the sun, my energy and productivity all seem to ramp up, nearly effortlessly. These days my thoughts are clearer, my intentions purer, my moods more balanced. Part of this might be because I’ve been acutely focused on…
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Gratias Ago
It’s that time of year again! American folklore aside (there are other people who have written about the history of Thanksgiving in America that know a lot more and have said everything much more eloquently than I can), the idea of a holiday for giving thanks is as old as any of the harvest festivals…
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November Rain
Woops, missed a month there. I ain’t gonna apologize though because I was out there living my best life: An amazing writing retreat in Ocean City with several of my VCFA classmates (writing, researching, swimming in the ocean, watching the sun rise and set, watching dolphins frolic along the coast, unexpectedly dancing the night away,…
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Don’t Fear the Retrograde
I’ve always been aware of if not “into” astrology, ever since I was a kid (early runcible witch tendencies I guess). Like moon phases, I don’t think planetary alignments and natal charts can control how our lives shape up, but I do think there is something about the moon and the planets that seems to influence our…
