I’m on a break from podcasts. I’ve unsubscribed from as many emails as I can. I’ve been a little bored and the more I take away, the better I feel. I donated (another) fitbit to Goodwill and put my old analog watch back on my wrist. I wore my new windbreaker today as I hiked through the Tappahannock Wildlife Refuge. It’s a simple thing, but I love that the windbreaker is a petite size so that I don’t have to roll the sleeves up 4 inches. I had the Refuge all to myself and the crisp fall air took my breath away—both by way of awe and exertion. I have no big plans, nothing much to do. My heart quickens because I know these are the conditions for me to thrive. I am happy in this moment. It’s been a long time coming.
“I think there’s a kind of desperate hope built into poetry now that one really wants, hopelessly, to save the world." —W.S. Merwin
I am delighted that two of my photographs are included in Pearl Press, Issue 13, Grayscale.
Pearl Press was founded by fine arts photographer and creative writer, Delilah Twersky, as an online community that strives to build a community of diverse voices with artists who want to uplift one another.
Life is not black or white, but falls in multiple places between. Our work fluctuates with our understanding of self, studying the intricacies of what it is to be alive. Covering topics of conservation, love, miscarriage, abortion, family lineage, and more. None of the conversation existing within a set of rules, but within the space of the gray area. —Delilah Twersky, #pearlpress
We don’t dress up for Halloween anymore. Kids in our neighborhood typically favor community gatherings for trick-or-treat rather than walking along door-to-door. Our decorations are pretty much limited to a few pumpkins and a pot of Chrysanthemums. But I still love the sense of play and make-believe that comes with Halloween. And those who decorate tend to go all out. When people live out their passion and joy, we can feel it and it draws us in.
“I hold still, photograph this world with just
my eyes, forget the news. My heart is here,
filled with gratitude as I fade and disappear."
—Part Of The Landscape, Joan Mazza
