Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (MWPA) recently started a project called Read & Loved which "spotlights hidden gems by Maine writers." Taryn Bowe, the Associate Director of MWPA, recently selected my essay, "Winter Song," to be featured in Read & Loved. You can read Taryn's comments in the Read & Loved post here. Anyone can submit to Read & Loved, so if you love a piece of writing by a Maine author, you can learn more about the process and submit here.

The folks at Farmer-ish recently reached out to let me know that they were nominating my essay, "Winter Song," for a Maine Literary Award. I'm grateful to them for their belief in the piece. The essay is about a dog, winter memories, and grief, as well as restoration and hope.

I'm delighted to have an essay in the Winter Solstice Issue of Farmer-ish, Winter Song, which is about our old dog Elsie, grief, and hope for a restorative winter. I'd also encourage you to check out the entire Winter Solstice issue as well as their previous online issues and lovely 2021 print annual, which you can learn more about here.

I recently had a short article included in the Maine Appalachian Trail Club's Maintainer Newsletter through a happy collision of two disparate parts of my life. My first husband Steve and I were volunteer maintainers of a section of the Appalachian Trail on Saddleback Mountain for many years, and shortly before his diagnosis we became lifetime members of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. Since about a year after Steve's death, I have been working as a brain injury advocate and educator. Through this work, I recently was able to follow and highlight Maine stroke survivor Guy Pilote's thru hike of the Appalachian Trail to raise awareness around brain injury. Guy reached Katahdin in October, and I wrote up a little piece for the fall 2021 issue of the Maintainer, which you can find here. You can also download a copy here.

I'm honored to share that Farmer-ish has nominated my poem "Family Recipes" for a 2022 Pushcart Prize. You can read all about the wonderful pieces nominated here, and I would encourage you to check out Farmer-ish as a publication. They produce online issues as well as a beautiful print annual.

Image credit: Farmer-ish

I'm delighted to have a new essay in Taproot's Issue 47::SUSTAIN. This essay explores some of the ways I have dealt with my grief over the years, especially regarding the things that I always find myself turning to for comfort and sustenance during difficult times: knitting, baking, gardening, and, of course, writing. Taproot is a lovely ad-free and Maine-based publication full of beautiful words, stunning art, recipes, projects, and more, and I'm always honored to have my work included in their pages. If you haven't checked them out yet, I highly recommend picking up an issue or, if you are local to Maine, stopping by their Portland storefront.

I'm delighted to have a new poem published in the latest issue of Farmer-ish, a newer but very cool Maine-based publication that focuses on farmers, farming, and the creative life. Crystal Sands, co-founder of Farmer-ish, says "I live in a world where farming and the arts go hand in hand. I wanted to share this world with others." You can check out the entire Fall Equinox issue (theme: Folklore) here, and you can read my poem, "Family Recipes," here.

Photo credit: Catalin Dragu, Unsplash

I am so thrilled to have an essay in the latest issue of Taproot, Issue 43 :: Roots. Taproot's editorial team was a dream to work with, and the artist took great care with the illustration accompanying my piece. I've been a subscriber for years, as every issue is filled with great writing, recipes, knitting patterns, and other artistic or adventurous projects. You can order or subscribe to Taproot here, or you can find a list of local stores that carry Taproot by state/country here.

I wrote the essay, "A Geography of Grief," many years ago, a few months after my first husband died from a brain tumor, and it is still one of my favorites of all the essays I have written. It was originally published in Hippocampus Magazine, was recently included in the Grief Becomes You anthology, and now is featured on the gratefulness.org site. You can find the essay here.

In early 2019, I saw a call for submissions for an anthology about grief. That, I thought, was right up my alley. I reached out to the editor, Maya Stein, and eventually submitted a couple pieces for consideration. After much hard work on Maya's part, Grief Becomes You is now a beautiful testament to grief and loss in book form. Through compiled poems, essays, and photographs, our many narratives and experiences of grief are explored. You can learn more about the Grief Becomes You project here and you can purchase a copy (both digital and print copies are available) here.