Summer Sabbatical Loading…
But First, Lemme Share Some News!
I just got back from a whirlwind of travel—writing gigs and workshops galore!—so I’m happy to be back in Polk County (did I just type that?), happy to be back home. I have plans, as I do every summer, to take time away from the socials and never-ending emails to make headway on my own projects, get some rest, and catch up on my reading. But before I put my out of office on and disable my social media apps, I have some exciting news to share and a couple events coming up where you can catch up with me in these summertime literary streets!
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
I was selected for a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts! I’ll be headed to Mt. San Angelo in Amherst for dedicated writing time in the fall. During my residency, I plan to complete any unfinished essays from my work this summer and dive into revisions to complete a full draft of my memoir-in-progress, tentatively titled, “The Best I Know.”
Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts and the NEA Big Read!
As you know, I love working with Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point. I just got back from my fourth visit as writing retreat faculty, and I couldn’t be more excited to be confirmed for another opportunity in 2025! What’s most exciting about next year’s retreat is Shake Rag Alley’s Big Read Award from the National Endowment for the Arts!
As the only grantee in the state of Wisconsin, SRA continues to establish itself as a dedicated and enthusiastic supporter of the literary arts! For the Big Read, Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts is excited to partner with the Mineral Point Public Library, Republic of Letters Books, Little Creek Press, and other regional educational, cultural, community, and historical organizations to consider questions of “Where We Live.”
From the press release:
“Offerings will include book clubs, discussions and writing prompts in response to Kao Kalia Yang’s memoir The Latehomecomer with its story of migration, immigration, family stories, and identity, as well as a visit with Yang in Spring 2025. Little Creek Press and Shake Rag Alley will partner to publish an anthology of essays and nonfiction, sharing stories of community members and their relationships to their own family stories and histories, with a particular focus on personal history and identity, as well as the unique character of the Driftless region. The anthology launch and Yang’s visit are timed to coincide with Shake Rag Alley’s annual Mining Our Stories Writing Retreat in May 2025, with faculty Sheree L. Greer and a focus on memoir.” - Christina Kabusta, Executive Director Learn more about Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts.
Offline but Out and About!
I’ll be offline for most of the most of June and even some of July if it gets good to me, but I do have some community commitments that will have me out and about this summer. See what I did there? Out. And about. Happy Pride! Happy Juneteenth! You knew I was corny when you met me!
Ain’t No Limits Artist Talk II
Join me for an artist talk with four of the dynamic artists from our fourth annual reciprocal ekphrastic show, AIN’T NO LIMITS, running through July at the Spady Cultural History Museum in Delray Beach. This show, powered by Rubber Bands, invites literary and visual artists to create original work in conversation with each other through an anonymous pairing. Learn more about the show here!
