Dear family, friends, and fellow travelers,
The first issue of this newsletter I sent went out on January 15, 2017 just six days before the Women's March on Saturday, January 21, 2017 held in solidarity as we gathered in resistence to the incoming Trump administration. It's been a long four years, and many of our neighbors have not survived. The rest of us are exhausted, carrying the trauma and newly-intimate knowledge of fellow citizens celebrating our pain, our suffering, our deportation, and our deaths in the thousands upon thousands.
And now, on top of everything that was already happening, we've had a white supremacist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol -- the consequences of which are still unfolding. It's been a hard five years, and this past year has been one of the hardest. I hope you're finding ways to be gentle with yourselves because the burnout is real.
The first issue of this newsletter I sent went out on January 15, 2017 just six days before the Women's March on Saturday, January 21, 2017 held in solidarity as we gathered in resistence to the incoming Trump administration. It's been a long four years, and many of our neighbors have not survived. The rest of us are exhausted, carrying the trauma and newly-intimate knowledge of fellow citizens celebrating our pain, our suffering, our deportation, and our deaths in the thousands upon thousands.
And now, on top of everything that was already happening, we've had a white supremacist insurrection at the U.S. Capitol -- the consequences of which are still unfolding. It's been a hard five years, and this past year has been one of the hardest. I hope you're finding ways to be gentle with yourselves because the burnout is real.
Image: Iron gate at the Poplar entrance to the Arnold Arboretum, Boston.
As of this writing, we have fewer than 72 hours left until Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of this deeply flawed, weird-ass experiment we call the United States. May January 20, 2021 be a new beginning rather than a rebuilding. Let's turn away from the nihilistic austerity politics that have guided the federal government since I was born (1981) and fight for a government that supports and nourishes its people -- who are all those who live and seek refuge within the shelter of our political reach.
Image: Baked macaroni and cheese and a winter harvest salad from our Clover Food Lab meal box.
The holiday break already seems like a long time ago, but Hanna and I did have a much-needed break from work routines and work channels (no Zoom meetings! no Outlook email!). We hosted the 6th annual Twelvetide Drabbles Challenge which inspired a record-breaking 184 works and raised an, again, record-breaking $1,472 for the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. It was a hard to get myself back into the frame of mind to write fic, but Hanna and I ended up writing intertwined stories for Stranger Things, and I wrote mine -- er, am still writing mine *kof* -- as epistolary fic which has always been a favorite storytelling method of mine. It's the first Twelvetide series for which I didn't hold myself to a strict 100-word limit for each drabble; I usually enjoy the discipline of creating within that format, but it felt like an act of grace toward myself this year to be more flexible.
Image: Our new silver wedding bands made by Shepherd's Run Jewelry (Somerville, Mass.)
One bright piece of indulgence for the new year comes in the form of new wedding rings that we've commissioned from a local metalworker. Our original wedding rings are no longer fitting properly and for about a year we had discussed paying for a new set. On Friday we received the silver set to ensure proper fit and style before the rose gold set are cast (photo above). We're so very pleased with them!
Image: A skein of Wonderland yarn on the swift. Colorway is "An All-night Diner in the Middle of Nowhere."
I've also been indulging in a lot of sumptuous for various projects -- a dog sweater for a friend's pup, a scarf for our landlady's sister, a bunch of crocheted hats for a charity auction (mark your calendars for #Auction4AWEfund #Take2!). The latest delivery came from Wonderland Yarns & Frabjous Fibers (Vermont) and all the colors are fabulous. I'm also delighted with my first order from HauteKnitYarn, up in Maine.
Image: A skein of Wonderland yarn. Colorway is "Pink Before You Act!"
Image: Skein from HauteKnitYarns. Colorway is "Solar Lights."
And this weekend I put up my forty-fifth title for the (re-named) #QueerJoyGiveaway. It's sobering every week to mark the passing of another seven days of pandemic conditions here in Boston, but it's been an important practice for me to pick titles and give away 450+ copies (and counting) of amazing queer romances by wonderful authors to readers who otherwise couldn't afford to purchase the book or might not have spent the money to try a new-to-them writer. Thank you so much to everyone who's pitched in as co-sponsors as well. You've helped me keep this impromptu project alive for much longer than I ever anticipated committing to it.
Image: Current list of #QueerJoyGiveaway titles available for the asking. Full list with GoodReads links at the explainer post.
Whether you'd like to request a copy via QJG or just purchase direct from your preferred e-book vendor (or borrow from your library's e-book platform!), there are lots of lovely happily ever afters on the list right now if you need some queer joy to get you through the roller coaster of this coming week. There's Frostbite by J. Emery, which is a dorky and adorable low-stakes m/m about a monster hunter on a much-needed winter break at friend's cabin in a snowbound forest who discovers a vampire who's escaped from kidnappers and in need of shelter. On the opposite end of the stakes spectrum there's Angel Martinez's Eating Stars about a human and an alien (m/nb), both mourning the death life partners, who bridge a daunting cultural divide to create a new family together. Tit for Tat by R. Cooper is also an alien/human (f/f) romance set on the edge of an intergalactic empire amidst refugees and smugglers doing their best to care for the vulnerable and create and protect a found family of their own. And to return to earth, once again, we have The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish, a small town m/m romance between a baker and a reclusive artist who might be cursed (but who still deserves to love and be loved). I'm also currently reading the second title in C.S. Poe's new Magic & Steam series and really enjoying the world steampunk romance.
Take care of yourselves and one another y'all. This is hard. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't or shouldn't be.
Stay safe, in hope,
Anna
Anna