cole

Fiction: All Her Limbs

We came upon the statue in the middle of the forest, there at the base of the mountains. I say statue, but don't misunderstand- the size of it was stunning, horrific, gobsmacking, confusing when we finally realized what it was. Even those of us who had no gods, those of us who wanted none, felt something like the presence of a god, there at the curve of her left knee. We didn't know it was a knee, but something unconscious in us shivered in primordial comprehension, even as we struggled throu...

The Art of Not Giving Up

So, last post (a while ago, I know, I know) I wrote about being okay with giving up- I have so many projects that I've started and not finished, and it's healthy to be able to say: Nope. Done with this. It's not the right thing for me/now/my energies/my resources/skills/talents/etc. Today's post is a little bit of the opposite.

Let's set the scene a little first. You know me. I'm a person with a multitude of interests, hobbies, ambition- not too much inhibition/fear when it comes to unf...

The Art of Quitting

I ditched the sewing project I was working on for a sewing challenge from the sewing website. I thought engaging in the challenge (pattern mixing) would keep me working on projects and my skills, but I think I realized a number of things:

• 1. I didn’t like the cut of the garment. The ties are above the waistline and hit me funny.
• 2. I chose two fabrics from my collection that were of different weights and stretch.
• 2a. The one was fine and probably the right weig...
  2023-02-07 19:58:23 +0000 UTC View Post

Ice Ice Babies

Hello Dear Ones,

I'm barely staying ahead of things these days, so of course I'm missing telling you about all the things!

Art Shanty Projects is open!

As you might remember, I'm co-chair of the board of directors for this magical event. We're a working board, so there's a lot to do behind the scenes as well as right up in the public eye. I'm SO SO proud of the work that's taking place this year, and so excited about the magical pieces artists are bringing t...

To sleep, perchance to dream

“Trying to sort out the timelines of the early 2000s. Making amends, something to do with big tympani drums and teeth and stripes of black paint pulled across the cheek.

He has become a dark red velvet cape. I lose my lens cap in the wind. Peter and the Wolf is playing.”

When I was a child, every morning gathered around the breakfast table, my folks would ask us what we dreamed. This practice trained me, I think, to remember my dreams better than a lot of folks do. I still do ...

What are you reading?

Hey y’all! Maybe it’s the earl grey talking, but I’m really excited about my reading stack right now. Not a lot of fiction or poetry on it, but everything is pretty appealing.

1. Seed Savers Exchange Catalog. It is that time of year. The time to think about the garden, to make spreadsheets, to check my stockpile of seeds and to plan this year's garden. I get most of my seeds from Seed Savers, but also my bestie Cali frequently starts plants for her loved ones, of which I am lucky ...

Is that so?

I surprised myself a bit today, throwing together a project submission for a call for artists that I received just today. It'd be a little like Ring Ring Poetry, but with a science and nature bent, as it's for a restoration project at Lake Pepin. I'm delighted at the idea of writing and recording stories for birds and trees, and have already imagined this as my first bike camping trip of the year, in early May. 

I can't imagine I'll get it, but if I did, I could use part of the fun...

Happy New Year's

Happy New Year's Day, dear ones.

Make ambitious resolutions and go at them full tilt. Life is short, and now is your chance to push reality in the direction of your dreams.

When you "fail", take a day off. Or two, or three, or a week. Think and write about your experience. Then make that same resolution again, and go at it again. 

Rose Eveleth wrote a piece in Wired called " 2023-01-02 06:03:40 +0000 UTC View Post

On The Solstice

As is traditional, tonight I will visit you in your dreams. I may come to you in my true form, that of a blade of grass- just a small green thing in a sea of small green things that you cannot know whether you've stepped on or not and it really doesn't matter whether you have or not because we are multitudes and are always living and dying for some reason, or a particularly tricky equation on your math test that you can't read- the symbols sliding past your eyes, or I might come in the face o...

A FINISHED PROJECT? In a reasonable timeline?

I'm as astonished as you are.

Look at that pattern matching! And it's FOR REAL finished. So what's the story behind the dress?

My dear friend Caly has a December birthday. Not just a December birthday, but a birthday right in the midst of all the holiday bacchanalia. And she's like me, often doesn't know exactly what she'd like to do or when, and I, being a slightly forgetful and terrible...

No New Projects (lol)

My last post, I said something like, "I'm hoping to wind down for the year. No new projects, I said." And you know how that goes.

I’m working on a dress to wear out this weekend, I made a big old vegan pot roast out of the Herbivorous Butcher cookbook, and I was commissioned and sold a beautiful chocolate cake. My first cake commission ever! (We will see if I agree to such a thing again.)

Right now my focus is heavily on Art Shanties. There’s a lot of behind the scenes work th...

Purrfect Tailoring

When I cut this pattern, I was a lot bigger than I am now. And so I sewed it up a bit tighter, but still it was too big (see winter pic), so it was always twisting or falling off. I took about an inch and a half in at the sides today, and now I will wear it. Yay! One garment off my "finish/alter" pile, and just in time for spooky season.

My first muslin

For as many garments as I’ve sewn now, I’ve never made a muslin (a toile or a mock-up garment made in similar texture/weight/stretch to the intended final garment). Well, now I’m embarking on that process.

Burying the lede, but I’m thinking I’ll do a livestream reading some night this week.

Beyond the Linear: Writing Uncommon Narratives

I've been taking a Zoom course with playwright Gemma Irish on writing uncommon narratives through Strike Theater*. It's been a pretty casual course, with a small number of students (just four of us)- it maybe doesn't push me as hard as I like, but it's been really good to have time that I must set aside for writing, because otherwise, I oftentimes don't. 

I took advantage of the class to revisit my play, Gravitational Collapse, and think about the narrative structures I had already...

Updated Tiers and Benefits!

Dear ones,

As much as I wanted to start a podcast, I can see that it's not happening at this point in my life. So we're going to just be really tidy and clean with the benefits, and you can adjust based on how you're feeling.

$1 for patrons only posts, which will mostly ensure you're getting updates in your email inbox if you want them.

$5 for shout outs in the performances I host, whether that's online readings on in person readings, if I'm hosting, I'll thank you publicly....

July 2022 Updates

Hello my neglected loves,

Summer has been busier for me than I'd anticipated, but let's be real. I've always got too many burners going, I'm always doing too much, and hopping from one project to the next to the next to the next. So, what have I been up to?

Big Projects

Convergence Grid- Convergence is a local Sci-Fi Fantasy Convention that is fan run. It's had more than its fair share of struggles in the past few years, but my roles and dep...

Test run with the GoPro!

I’ve been playing with placement, so you may see some head movement, but I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with this.

What evening of the week should I do a reading?

A potential collaborator asked for links to  videos of readings I've done, and I was embarrassed that I didn't have much to share with them. So, let's do an online reading in the coming month. What day of the week seems the most likely for you to show up for an evening reading?

Happy Birthday to Me (belatedly)

If you know me, you know I love biking. Long bike rides by myself are meditative- I'll start off frustrated with something, upset about something, just generally out of sorts, and half an hour of biking later I'll feel better. An hour later, I'll maybe even have a plan of attack from whatever's bothering me. More than that? The ride becomes indulgent- I am in my zone. I am doing something for myself. I am just looking at things and trying to remember them, to tell you about later. I generally...

Dear ones, Happy Poetry Month

I am behind on my posts, on my cleaning, on everything. I feel spring coming around the bend… any day now, but the false springs are causing some drag in my momentum. I had this intention of using poetry month to be another kick in my writerly behind, but it’s hard to find time to write when your toddler decides to skip his nap.

Luckily for all of us, Facebook memories served me up a spicy tidbit from a decade ago, and I spent the evening poking at it and polishing it and deciding w...