m a y
spring rains wash over the city's grime, green sprouts appear between the bricks, and we grit our teeth and dart through the storm, breathless.
i could ponder endlessly about the month ahead, but to be honest, i’m far too wrapped up in my upcoming release. may the rains drive away the grit and grime, may the green of the earth refresh you, and may you succeed in all of your projects and endeavors this month!
announcements
may is officially release month for my novella, to rule the desert, which you can currently still preorder through the spiral bookcase with some fun extra surprises to be included with the preorders!
i’m still in the process of emailing indie bookstores asking them (very kindly) to carry my book. if you know a bookseller who might be interested, please send them my way!
my poem entitled “a letter lost” is appearing in moss puppy mag in mid-may, and two other new poems appeared recently in free verse revolution, “in which i walk into the woods and briefly consider my return” (a sister poem to the piece that appeared in wyrd & wyse) and “mo(u)rning song”. these are all lyrical considerations on life and existentialism, per the usual, but i hope you enjoy them nonetheless.
things i loved this month
still falling: poems by jennifer grotz, which had me from the very first piece, a lyrical exploration of a poet's love for life, for living, for experience, in the midst of this careful, observant narration. debuts today, 5.2.23!
the bookstore magic zine by displaced snail publications, which debuted during indie bookstore day and is exactly what it sounds like, a gorgeous zine about the magic of bookstores! (including a mixed media collage and poem from yours truly)
ripe by sarah rose etter, a deeply visceral, literary commentary on late-stage capitalism told through etter’s distinctive, metaphorical style. is actively still haunting me! debuts 7.11.23.
writing prompts
construct a story from a song, but don’t give away the song title.
email me with your poems, your prose, etc and let me know your thoughts!
upcoming events
you are cordially invited to attend the release party for to rule the desert hosted by none other than the spiral bookcase on 5.19 at 6:00pm at the canal view park in manayunk! books will be available to purchase at the event, where we’ll also have an exclusive tea by old growth alchemy, to rule the desert stickers, and a q&a where we will talk about the book and my process when writing it. see you there!
current projects
the groundwork for knitting the red blanket, the sister chap to peeling the yellow wallpaper, is almost done! i’m currently in the process of working on the “art” portion of this chap, which involves a few small paintings that i hope will capture the sense of liminality that i’m striving for, but will also probably take a bit of time to complete.
i’ve officially started work on my first full-length novel! i expect this to be a long process, but i’m definitely excited to be starting this endeavor and will probably disappear for a week in mid-june to do some serious work on this.
with love,
m.r.
a poem to leave you with:
day-touch, glow that brings
truth out to bask. fawn,
ice-bird, over your dead garden’s
over-ground grave. you huddle
in solitary fear, afraid to leave
our porch’s sunlight, deceptive
warmth a winter lie. the cage,
the key, you — they are all the same.