l u c e m
october is a harvest reaped and celebrated
we take advantage of what we have gathered;
we relax as the weather cools and
the leaves fall.
new projects begin slow and steady,
and a somber air touches
all that we consume
at the breadth of
these, autumn
months.
h a p p e n i n g s
the poet will again have a combination of recycled art and poetry at the Pretzel Park
Farmer's Market on Saturday October 2nd, Saturday November 6th, and
Saturday December 4th for anyone in the area.
the poet is currently querying her desert gothic novella
and her poetry chapbook, which she is finding
rather grueling. please send good wishes
her way.
the poet has continued to post poetry/prose prompts
and other writing advice to Patreon,
which you can find here.
current projects in progress include: an expanded tale about
radium mermaids and a flooded Earth from the view of
city-dwellers, and a typewritten witch zine debuting
at the farmer's market this Saturday!
f r o m t h e p o e t ' s d e s k
"i walk through these windowed halls beside
you, basking in the weight of the autumn sun—
the summers we did not live and the winters
we fear we will not survive, though we do,
every undying year."
- m. r.
recommendations
l i t e r a t u r e
the once and future witches by alix e. harrow
a beautiful cautionary tale about the historical propensity of
society to destroy women, and what it truly
means to be a witch. a top ten
of mine this year!
the invention of murder by judith flanders
"how the victorians revelled in death and detection
and created modern crime", a fabulously dark
nonfiction that explores in great historical
detail & research our relationship with
death over time.
venus and aphrodite: a biography of desire
by bettany hughes
a cultural biography of the goddess of love that
combines ancient art, mythology, and
archaeological revelations to tell
the story of human desire
across time and literature
the madwoman in the attic: the woman writer and the
nineteenth-century literary imagination by
sandra m. gilbert, susan gubar, lisa appignanesi
fantastic literary criticism that speaks to how the madwoman in the attic
set the groundwork for subsequent generations of scholars writing
about women writers, and why the book still feels fresh some four decades later.
the bird's nest by shirley jackson
shirley jackson's third novel, a slow psychological
horror in true jackson fashion that explores
the disquieting nature of the human mind.
beneath the waves by monica robinson
a shameless self promotion of a haunting short story
i wrote recently for a vocal challenge! if you like
living oceans and radium mermaids, and a
sense of catharsis at the end of the
world, this is for you!
if you like this style of haunting writing,
keep your eyes peeled for a similar
story from me debuting very, very soon.
m u s i c
rather than songs this month, i'd like to
recommend some of my
favourite autumn
playlists:
maple + cider by amy antonia
beware the autumn people by Heather
it's the indie pumpkin, charlie brown! by em(:
b a d m o o n by yours truly
c o m m u n i t y
uncle bobbie's coffee and books on Germantown Ave
is a wonderful community fixture, open for in-store
or online shopping, as well as events and
just generally a space to hang out!
"Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books is a Coffee Shop and Bookstore located in the heart
of the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Founded by Marc Lamont Hill in 2017,
Uncle Bobbie's was created to provide underserved communities with access to books
and a space where everyone feels valued. In addition to our specially curated book selection,
we also serve high quality coffee, food products, and more, including apparel and children's games.
We are also a community space that holds free author talks, workshops, and other events,
including weekly story time for kids and back to school drives."
harriett's bookshop on Girard Ave is also a wonderful
community fixture, celebrating women in art,
activism, and writing.
"Harriett's Bookshop, named for historical heroine Harriett Tubman,
celebrates women authors, women artists, and women activists. An
independent bookshop and writing space."
harriett's has been fundraising for a permanent space
for the shop that can be finitely owned. you can find
the gofundme here!
harriett's uses the bookshop platform, so you can shop
through them and support them even without
being located in philadelphia!
c r e a t o r s
addison rider
musician, creator, &
the love of my life
addison has been involved in a number of music & creative endeavors
since we moved to philadelphia at the end of 2019, and i never
highlight them quite enough. here are some links that i
highly recommend checking out! addison is currently
playing bass for johnny football hero, and
is working on her own solo projects as
well as doing work for unable music
and manic kat records.
personal instagram
personal twitter
personal tiktok
jfh twitter
jfh pitchfork review
fin
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you can follow my own poetic endeavors at mrobinsonwrites.com
- m. r.