l u c e m
may
may is a reckoning, a battle between
ravenous green and ravaging storms,
for which we do not know the
better victor.
the seeds are growing tall and wild and unbreakable.
we would do well to follow their example, to
turn towards the waxing sun and grow into
its bountiful light. wild regrowth, rejoice.
h a p p e n i n g s
the poet has begun working at the spiral bookcase in manayunk
full time. two plus years after moving to philadelphia, she has finally
achieved her dream of working in an indie bookstore, and
hopefully will continue to do so for the time being!
the poet has continued to post poetry/prose prompts
and other writing advice to Patreon,
which you can find here.
in honor of mother's day, the poet will be appearing at the
spiral bookcase alongside holistic arrangements for
"poems and petals". this will be may 7th from 1-4pm.
m o n t h l y c o n s i d e r a t i o n s
thanks to my new position at the spiral bookcase, i'm in the process of unlearning
a mindset on constant productivity as is usually pushed on us by the current
capitalistic climate. i often struggle with taking ANY time off, with giving myself
nights to rest or do anything that isn't immediately "useful" or "productive",
which also leads me to consider how i define these words, for myself and for others both.
i would never hold someone else to the high standards to which i hold myself,
and yet this knowledge doesn't allow me to give myself any much-needed
grace when dealing with how i view my place in the world. i deeply enjoy
the work that i do, and i am deeply grateful to have so many high-reaching goals
and aspirations, but when it comes down to it, i'm trying to remember that
early burnout will ultimately do nothing for my creativity.
in april, i've tried to focus on doing longer projects, sitting outside and being still in the mornings,
and urging myself to be present in whatever it is that i'm doing, whether that's reading,
writing, or even just doing the laundry. my constant need to be clocked in to at least
two to three sources of mental stimulation at one time is overwhelming my brain and
overworking my emotional capacity, and i'm trying to be more mindful of the impact
i'm having on my mental and emotional well-being.
(that said, i do like long term accountability! so...) i'm currently writing:
my first novel! i'm coming to terms with the idea that this novel might take
me three-four years to complete as opposed to my poetry manuscripts
(which take about a year from start to finish), and that's okay!
i'm currently querying:
a full-length poetry manuscript and a lesbian desert-gothic novella
i'm currently submitting:
a strange little speculative shape poem
a 6,000 word short story about mermaids and the end of the world
i'm currently creating:
a painting inspired by tj klune's "the house in the cerulean sea"
what do your creative endeavors look like in may?
email me and let me know what you're
creating this month!
f r o m t h e p o e t ' s d e s k
"this
is where the typed line ends, old friend, the
misremembered dream in my back pocket for which
i have yet to write an ending. but i will. i
w i l l."
- m. r.
recommendations
l i t e r a t u r e
gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir
this was sold to me as "lesbian necromancers
in space" and i have not known peace since.
if you read this, please let me know
because i would really love someone
to talk to about it. you won't know
what's going on most of the book,
but that's half the fun!
against heaven by kemi alabi
a gorgeous new release! these poems explore
the Black queer experience and the
capacity for love, magic, and ferocity
in service to healing. alabi is a
beautifully talented wordsmith!
sea of tranquility by emily st. john mandel
emily st. john mandel is easily one of my favorite
authors. she wrote the incomparable
station eleven, and this is her newest
release! considerations of humanity,
explorations of time travel, and
deeply poignant storytelling.
the starless sea by erin morgenstern
one of my top five favorite books! the language
is gorgeous and i often dream of the world
that this beautiful novel creates. this one
is worth a read, and then a dozen
rereads after that.
hangsaman by shirley jackson
shirley jackson's semi-biographic novel (very
loosely based). this one is a bit different
from her other works, but still delves
deeply into the narrator's psyche
and the odd, wild thoughts and
actions that make us so very human.
the forest is hungry too by monica robinson
for cotton xenomorph
a shameless self promotion of a haunting short story
that debuted recently! if you like vicious forests
or rural gothics, this one is for you!
m u s i c
rather than songs this month, i'd like to
recommend some of my
favourite playlists
of late:
femme fatale dark cabaret by aycaderenozkan
nostalgia by lav
led zeppelin x jack white by topsify
c i r c e by yours truly
c o m m u n i t y
germantown community fridge
a mutual aid resource striving to provide
healthy free food to those in the Philadelphia area.
spiral is now a dropoff location for the fridge!
"The Germantown Community Fridges are a 24/7 mutual aid
resource to help combat food insecurity and food waste
in Philadelphia, specifically in the Germantown neighborhood.
Started in 2020 by Jane Ellis, the fridges are fueled by donations
from members of the community. Anyone who needs food can take it,
and it's always free! Unlike traditional food banks, the fridges are able
to accept both perishable and non-perishable items
such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
We currently have two locations:
20 W Armat Street, Philadelphia PA, 19144
19 E High Street, Philadelphia PA, 19144"
find volunteer opportunities here!
c r e a t o r s
johnny football hero
emo/post hardcore
Philly local band
praised for embodying the elusive fifth
wave of emo tradition by Pitchfork,
i'm extremely grateful to have gotten
to know the members of this wildly innovative
and talented trio. they're doing a
myriad of great things, with some
amazing shows on the horizon!
bandcamp
spotify
instagram
twitter
facebook
pitchfork review'
fin
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you can follow my own poetic endeavors at mrobinsonwrites.com
- m. r.