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.
l u c e m | may 2022
l u c e m | may 2022
l u c e m | may 2022
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.