Tonight, I submitted my MFA thesis. Then I made nachos for dinner. Tadaaaa!

This is my beautiful sister! The brightest light! She was snatched from us November 2. Praying for justice. Waiting for Macbeth 3.4 to unfold.

While writing a story this week, I intended to give a woman a pet skunk. I think I gave her a mental breakdown instead. Oh well. The skunk will go to another character another day.

Spent the past week with this beautiful collection! “Sugar Babies” and “Ghost Sickness” make excellent bookends for all these significant stories.

Lovely poem split between the realities of motherhood!

Been busy writing my thesis! Nine pages left! Here’s a cat picture!

@stonecirclereview.bsky.social Thank you for replaying my piece!

Book clutter is acceptable clutter.

Was taking a selfie with my girl Marlowe and then she did this. 💛

Am I the only one who reads Andor as and/or? Yes? OK…

I am OBSESSED with Buford the dog who rescued a two-year-old lost in the AZ wilderness. who’sagoodboyyy?! www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

I met this squirrel at the Grand Canyon today.

“In Alice’s stories the mother always dies. Or is dead already. Or is absent in a way that suggests, to the perceptive reader, that she is likely dead.”

Compelling piece on the necessary process of storytelling and revision.

Worst teammate ever. “Team lift” pfffft

Things people without chronic pain might not understand: When I get low on my migraine abortive med (insurance only covers 8 pills a month), I sometimes suck on a mint to trick my body into thinking I’m taking medicine (the med is mint-flavored) to get it to heal itself. Never works.

can't believe it's 2025 and i'm stressed about tariffs and measles, like am i a character in an american girl book

Like I was saying…

I heard somebody knocking on my window. 😱

Upon trying out new cake pans (after refusing to bake cakes for a decade). Kt: [in a deep growl] “Cake’s back on the menu, boys!” E (age 14) and J (age 11): … Kt: Like in Lord of the Rings… E and J: We know. Kt: When the orc says— E and J: We know.

I resisted this for years and scoffed at the idea; however, I have come to terms with the reality in my middle age that I do indeed need to purchase a label maker.

10+ inches of snow in coastal VA! Approved by the lab!

This sun catcher is giving me the happiest Beauty and the Beast vibes. The sun rises outside the kitchen window by the sink and often gives me a migraine while I do dishes, but now I get to admire this dude. Bought as a fundraiser for a local wildlife rehab group (Wild Baby Raccoon Rescue).

Love this piece by @emilyrinkema.bsky.social “I should have told you that I can’t look at stars because their distance is measured in years, that I don’t acknowledge birthdays, that there wouldn’t be a second date because two points make a timeline.”

New OPEN Finalist by @emilyrinkema.bsky.social "On our first date, our only date, I lied to you when you asked me about my biggest fear. Sinkholes, I said." fracturedlit.com/sixty-fifty-...

Talent agent, sign me up! #chronicillness #chronicpain #invisibleillness

That’s what I’ve been saying!!

Here is my Federal Employment Termination story:

I had never heard such boisterous squawks closing in our house. When I stepped outside to record their calls, I saw hundreds of geese rip across the sky like some unsettling omen.

Spending this cold afternoon revisiting Stone Animals by @kellylink.bsky.social

If writing wasn’t powerful no one would ban books.

Reading Erdrich’s The Night Watchman in the car during my son’s clarinet lesson.

On rejection, and how to keep writing through it https://buff.ly/3PzkRJz

I officially deactivated my X account. Feeling a little lighter already.

um

My house is haunted! I can’t believe I got a picture of the paranormal activity!

Sick & having a fever dream, I heard sad piano music & saw Taco Bell menu pictures reel across my brain like an ASPCA commercial. Not sure if I was trying to kill the vision or send it off for self-help. Maybe @tacobellquarterly.org can help me decide.

Some flu hit our house this Thanksgiving, so we didn’t see anyone yesterday, but my parents kindly dropped off dinner. We managed to put up our tree today, and I gave the boys ornaments to make the day a little special. Those are the only ornaments on the tree right now. I’m going back to bed.

Took my boys’ Scout troop backpacking in the swamp.

I love the way @shelleyr-j.bsky.social captures the unique aspects of the flash form. I've shared this article so many times (via @kathyfish.bsky.social ):

Received my copy of Last Light: Apocalypse Poems by @brokenspinearts.bsky.social & @alanparry83.bsky.social! My 11 yo son asked to read through the poems with me. So many brilliant voices! Our favorite poem in the anthology so far is “Noctalgia” by Alan Toltzis.

Most evenings in our house are a duel between bass and treble.

Another tiered “no thanks” to a story made out of my skin. I truly believe in this one, and it will find its right place eventually. I’m encouraged by the positive feedback—just not a good fit this time.

Love this dark piece with a secret-revealing dollhouse!

Love this American Girl Doll piece by @marythor.bsky.social ! Dark and telling in all the right ways!

good for him! work-life balance is so important

Very excited for the release of Last Light: Apocalypse Poetry! Thanks to @brokenspinearts.bsky.social and @alanparry83.bsky.social for including my prose pose, "Facing Ruin with Dutiful Companionship," in this anthology. Order on Amazon: amzn.eu/d/1VYg5Qc

In case you missed it: a flash, spec/sci-fi piece on memory loss in @heimatreview.bsky.social (I always feel odd promoting myself, but here ya go!)

Issue 8 is live! 🎉Dive into What I Wish You Knew, an issue exploring resilience, connection, and the unspoken truths we wish to share. From powerful poetry to stunning art, this collection calls for connection. 🌍✨ Read now at heimatreview.com/issue-8-what-i-wish-you-know! #litmag #WritingCommunity

Issue 8 of Heimat Review! My flash piece (“Our Collective Permanence”) explores memory loss, identity, community, & trauma as windmills stir. (Not intended to be anti-medical science, but instead leery of artifice of technology—& maybe subscription services.) www.heimatreview.com/our-collecti...