Week 50

A warm story for a cold week.

A Scatter of Light is the cozy sapphic romance in the Bay Area that I needed this week.

2022 is coming to a close. There’s less than two weeks left of the year. And I could not be busier. I’m really happy to be in this current situation. I’ve finished a first draft, need to complete a second, working on a nebulous third fictional piece (and performing it in front of people!), started hosting my podcast again, and even helping start a business! Among other things.

But most importantly, I’m learning when to finish something and take time for myself. That felt difficult when I was back in Memphis but seems more manageable in Oakland. I think with a big move comes big clarity. I still miss the friends I left in my hometown, and I love living in California. It’s a weird dual feeling, and I miss each and every one of them.

Fabulosa Books in the Castro district of San Francisco sells postcards. And I love postcards! I’m sending a few out to friends and chosen family. I’m actually using my two Instagram accounts to showcase them, bit by bit.

Poetry Slime at Milk SF

Poetry Slime is hosted by Milk SF on the third Saturday of every month.

There was a goth video that someone mentioned in an Instagram video. I don’t recall exactly when I found the original video, but this definitely brought me back a ways. This is hilarious because I’ve been listening to a lot of emo , punk, and even some clips on social sites. I’m living the emo days that I never got to experience in my teens and twenties.

An image from Poetry Slime from this past Saturday (18 December 2022).

I had the opportunity to read the first chapter of a story called Life After Trans at an LGBT community event called Queer Bedtime Stories. I got some positive feedback, so I’m excited to continue the revisions. I know it’s not perfect, and I’m actively revising it along with my book. I hope to continue receiving feedback and make it stronger.

Over the weekend I participated in another queer event called Poetry Slime (like a slam, but gay and non-competitive). I created a small series of haiku that discuss moments on BART (the Bay Area Rapid Transit system), and it got a good laugh. We also create prompts for each other and write based off of that. I got the prompt “the last time you were watching city lights in the distance.” I wrote about my last night living in Memphis and the various places I recalled before my big move.

I tend to write drama more than anything else. I’m not as great at comedy like others are. At the same time, I do create jokes in the scenarios in a sci-fi series. But I’m not witty enough to think of jokes on the spot. Still, I love adding my dramatic and pensive works into the mix of all this queer words.

Sleigh Bells is a Brooklyn band that I listen to primarily in December. I’m not a fan of Christmas music, as it hasn’t changed at all since the ‘50s. In other words, it’s all trash. Except for this band. They are a strange duo, mixing various genres including but not limited to pop, hip hop, metal, and punk.

I never thought I was interested in romance novels. It turns out that I’m into queer romance novels, Sapphic to be specific. A Scatter of Light is a light sequel to the amazing Last Night at the Telegraph Club. I plunged into the first book on a whim, as I’m usually hesitant to read historical fiction. The cause of such hesitation is currently unknown and has been left by the wayside. I’d like to expand on this sequel in future posts since it covers places I’ve visited in the past few months. But I will say: it’s pretty awesome to read about events taking place less than 15 miles from where you live!

Here’s some cool things from this week:

Instagram post that took me back in time.
YouTube video that the Instagram post is about.
A Scatter of Light
Poetry Slime

This week has been filled with rain. So I wanted to get out of the office and explore. I visited downtown Oakland and learned a little bit about Jack London, though there were other things that interested me.

Two things did occur. The first: I found a review on Yelp connected to a closed restaurant. One that has been closed since 2017 or earlier. I went to the location: where a former Rainforest Cafe used to be. There is a Madame Tussauds with an entrance that’s practically boarded up with a McDonald’s next to it. I determined this space is where the Rainforest Cafe used to be. If you want to be really specific, it’s where “Fisherman’s Wharf” is stamped on Apple Maps.

Gifts from the past from my chosen family, Alexis, Ally, and Terri.

So clearly this reviewer got the wrong location. And I found this hilarious. I spent the afternoon figuring out where this mysterious restaurant might be. So I went to Applebee’s at the other end of the block, where I paid $16 for mozzarella sticks. I did not find this hilarious, although the views were nice. I decided to come back and try the sourdough bread at Boudin’s at a later time.

The waitress and I determined this had to be the Hard Rock Cafe. The sun was starting to go down, and I don’t like being outside after dark (whoa is me).

The second: I want to help more queer art be made. I don’t exactly know how I’m going to make this happen, but I have the equipment and drive to help make that happen. But I’m working with my business partner to make that happen. Because that’s how I want to express myself. By helping queer art (especially if it’s film) come to life.

The writing done this week has been two fold. One is the outlining of my next next novel. But there’s also a short pice that I’m working on called Life After Trans. It deals with the issues faced after transitioning and the people and hobbies picked up along the way. This is a story about the journey, about becoming comfortable with the space around you. And I’m having fun expanding upon this three year old short story.

There were a couple of birthdays of my chosen family this week. I created a couple of videos specific to them and I couldn’t have had more fun.

On a slightly different note, I’ve been dealing with religious trauma lately. It’s not something I can put into words yet exactly (beyond this sentence). But I’m looking at paganism in a new light. I’m not looking into crystals or spells, though that would be amazing to learn about. What I am doing is looking up Norse gods and seeing embodiments of nature that fit my personality. The research is fun and speaks to the Scandinavian and Irish part of me.

I started watching Wednesday this week. I am enjoying the show. It’s a great progression of character and lore around the family. The show itself seems to embrace the absurdity and weirdness and runs with it, and adds to the family’s history. That much I really enjoy.

Who knew that a writer would watch for the story!

Things I enjoyed this week:

Sovereign, sequel to Dreadnaught
Chloie P. and The Scouts
Queer Classics presenting the next movie (December 11).