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gist du jour :
Montreal's friendly literary/music MC (à la here and here) interviewed Jenny Erpenbeck for LitHub new essay in World Literature Today more nonfiction soon in 68to05, with other goodies en route novel in the works, nonfiction en repos learning German! swim lessons recap of the recent:
Jenny Erpenbeck interview in LitHub November 16, 2023 Last month, I interviewed German author Jenny Erpenbeck—literary hero and, turns out, dynamite conversationalist. I spoke with Erpenbeck about Eros, infidelity, surveillance, and violence for LitHub among the shelves of Montreal's De Stiil. Before that, I had the delight of speaking with De Stiil’s Aude Le Dubé about the Montreal “cult” of Jenny Erpenbeck. You can read the article here. Photo below by Stéphane Chaput. 
back at American Folk Art Museum August 3, 2023 I am delighted to be playing out again—and even more so with the good folks at American Folk Art Museum, especially Lara Ewen! Wherever you are in this world, you can tune in to this live-streamed show Friday, September 8 at 6 PM ET for a lovely bill including R.W. Smith and Silbin Sandovar. I'll start my set at 6:30. Can't wait to share some new tunes, plus a re-worked song from the vault! Details here. 
time capsule project February 23, 2023 I'm building a time capsule. Can you help? Via email or snail mail, I’d love to receive items, documents, notes, images, [your idea here] that capture the “now-ness” of this now. It might be personal, global, irreverent, profound, political, ephemeral, ongoing, environmental—whatever represents your now! I'm aiming to have the contents gathered by the end of March. Before these items get put into their time capsule, they will be celebrated at an in-person event in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) in April. Feel free to reach out via email if you'd like to join—and thank you! 
nonfiction mentor for Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program February 16, 2023 I am thrilled to be mentoring nonfiction writers for this year’s Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program. Know a high schooler or recent grad who loves to write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction? Please let ‘em know about this all-online, scholarships-available program! Program details can be found here, and the application here. 
Canada Council for the Arts Research and Creation grant November 30, 2022 Overwhelmed (!!!) with gratitude to be awarded a Research and Creation grant from Canada Council for the Arts to support my novel-in-progress. This generous funding will enable experiential research in monastic communities, archival research out West, continued interviews, and the completion of the first full draft. Hot diggity. Merci, Conseil des arts du Canada! (!!!) 
De Coeur, de vie, de nostalgie at Fondation PHI February 19, 2022 Last year, I had the good fortune of taking a photography workshop with the incredible Andrew Jackson (thanks, Fondation PHI!). A few fellow atelier-ers and I contributed some of those photos in a zine for the just-opened De Coeur, de vie, de nostalgie exhibition. You can find the details here! collaboration with Nuttawat Attasawat for Res Artis' annual conference September 20, 2021 I was delighted to be an inaugural virtual artist-in-residence for Res Artis' annual conference. I was working on an ongoing collaboration with filmmaker Nuttawat Attasawat—can't wait to share how the project continues to develop! Here's a little video about the work we did together. Thank you and ขอบคุณมากนะคะ Res Artis and SAC Gallery for your support. 
in conversation with Joshua Henkin June 16, 2021 It was a total delight to speak with Joshua Henkin for Literary Hub about his latest novel Morningside Heights, which offers an unflinching narrative of early onset Alzheimer’s and the many ways it impacts a family. Read on here for some neckties and craft gems, and then do go read this v. v. powerful book. (Maybe with some tissues nearby...) 
come write & dance with me on april 10! March 31, 2021 I am so, so, so very jazzed to be guest-teaching for Molly Thornton's The Write Moves on Saturday, April 10. Deets below, and you can sign up here! The Write Moves is a live online workshop that combines free movement and writing time to generate creative writing and creative practice. It incorporates mini-dance parties & inviting writing prompts to support creative habits, unblock ideas and feelings, pursue joy, and take respite from the everyday. Each session includes opportunities to dance freely, to write with abandon, and to collaborate and share with fellow participants. Our Aries Season Guest Co-teacher is bringing you FIRE and all its brightness, action, and wonder to ignite your creativity through dance & writing. Ellen Adams will lead us through a series of prompts to bring action into our writing, plus some extra-fiery dances in honor of Aries season. Join us for an hour and a half of movement and writing that will light you up. 
interviewed in World Literature Today March 29, 2021 I spoke recently with Wendy Call about all things writing and music and process, now up at World Literature Today. It was a treat to talk about some of my favorite creative forces, including Madeleine Eve Ignon, Kyo Maclear, and Rachael Dadd. You can read the interview here. 
teaching for Hedgebrook in April! March 10, 2021 Ten (!) years ago, I experienced the life-altering gift of a residency at Hedgebrook. In so many ways, my time on Whidbey and in Waterfall Cottage set the rest of my writing life in motion. What a treat to return--even if virtually!--to teach a session about creativity, writing, and song-making on Saturday, April 24. Registration opens soon on a pay-what-you-can basis. 
new work bientôt in Lez Spread the Word! January 19, 2021 I am très, très stoked to have an essay in the soon-to-be-released issue of Lez Spread the Word. I ~love~ this mag and am delighted to be a part of its bilingual pages. It's also my first experience seeing my work translated en français! You can pre-order here. Merci bcp to Florence Gagnon and Lisa Cecchini for welcoming this essay into the world!
talking craft c/o Zoom January 16, 2021 Happy New Year to all, and may we each remain in good health in the months ahead. I'm thrilled to be joining the series of author interviews below, curated by writer/translator/make-magic-happen-er extraordinaire Wendy Call. I'll be closing out this wonderful lineup on Friday, February 12. These talks are free and open to all! You can register here. Thanks, Pacific Lutheran University, for hosting! 
Canada Council for the Arts grantee May 25, 2020 I am deeply, deeply grateful to share that I've been awarded a Research and Creation Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. This here Permanent Resident is both floored and filled with joy. This generous grant will support my nonfiction manuscript: interviews, research, pen-to-paper, and revision. Over the next months, I'll be nose-to-grindstone on a book about adult language learning, identity, and belonging. I could not be more thrilled. Merci mille fois, Conseil des arts du Canada.
nebraska! January 22, 2020 Excited to share I'm headed to ~Nebraska~ for a residency at Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. My previous encounter with Nebraska entailed trying to outdrive a blizzard, and this time around I'm mighty glad to get to know its landscapes at a slower pace. I'm also looking forward to teaching a workshop while I'm there! If you're in the Nebraska City area February/March, give a shout and I'll be sure to keep you posted on events. I'm so grateful to KHN for their support of my work! 
playa December 28, 2019 I was deeply, cosmic-level-y blessed to spend December in residency at Playa in the high desert of Oregon. Days alone in the quiet of a cabin with this ever changing view out the deck, and evenings and adventures lived alongside an incredible cohort of poets, painters, geologists. No cell service, the slightest wifi via satellite: whatever the non-technological version of "rewired" is, that's what happened to my brain. I wrote more than I thought possible. I feel changed by this landscape, the silence, the instructive solitude. I am grateful beyond words. I first learned of this residency from fellow raised-in-the-Inland-Northwest writer Jeremy Pataky. I revisited his poems while at Playa, and they seemed especially at home among these views. 
video from my reading at Marble House Project November 8, 2019 I'm so excited to share a video of the recent reading I did while in residency at Marble House Project. You'll hear some new pages from the nonfiction book I'm working on about language learning. Thanks again for an incredible October, MHP! 
first concert à montréal November 4, 2019 Thrilled to be back in Montréal--and to announce my first concert in this beautiful city. Come on by L'Escalier for a 5 à 7 on November 19! 
"The Something I Am Telling You" makes the list in Best American Essays October 14, 2019 I recently learned my essay "The Something I Am Telling You," originally published in Ploughshares, was listed as a notable in this year's Best American Essays, edited by Rebecca Solnit. I'm thrilled to see my work in such great company! You can read the essay here. in residence at the anderson center September 4, 2019 Greetings from Minnesota! I'm here for a month as artist-in-residence at the Anderson Center. I arrived to find a grand piano in my studio. Heaven. I'm deeply grateful to Stephanie Rogers and all here at the Center for their support of my work. 
nun time July 26, 2019 I'm off to the temple to learn from nuns for a good while. Feelin mighty grateful for the places writing takes me. See you next month, internet. 
Marble House Project writer-in-residence! June 20, 2019 Thrilled to share I’ll be back in Vermont this fall as a writer-in-residence at Marble House Project. Can’t wait to work alongside such an incredible and interdisciplinary crew of artists! next stop: new york May 27, 2019 Very excited to be heading back in New York for a bit between residencies. I'll be playing a concert at Rockwood Music Hall, as well as conducting interviews and research for my nonfiction book. Here's a poster for the upcoming show. See you there! 
hello, burlington! May 14, 2019 A beautiful start-to-summer evening playing new songs at Radio Bean last night. Consider me Burlington’s newest fan! The past few shows on the road, I’ve been really touched by some surprise cameos & reunions. Grateful for all the ways music keeps us in each others’ lives. 
vermont studio center May 14, 2019 First day of stillness after a few wild weeks on the road/in exquisite company. Grateful to Vermont Studio Center for the opportunity to be here, and the funding that made this possible. Fresh printout of the novel. Here goes. 
back in brooklyn April 30, 2019 So, so glad to be heading back to Brooklyn to play a show at Pete's Candy Store. Can't wait for reunions on ye olde stompin' grounds. Come on out May 6! Got lots of new songs to sing you. 
first stop: city of angels April 20, 2019 Thrilled to be kicking off this first round of US tour dates by opening for Brent Cowles at The Mint. See you soon, Los Angeles! 
on tour! April 19, 2019 Pleased as pie to announce my first round of US tour dates! Still working on dates for this summer, but count on some shows in Minnesota and Vermont, (et Québec aussi!) this fall! Sign up for my newsletter for future tour dates and other goodies here. 
new work in Southern Humanities Review March 19, 2019 Feelin’ very hooray to have to work in the latest issue of Southern Humanities Review with these fellow writers and...that BAT! (Fun fact on this beaut of an issue: I literally gasped when proofs came and I saw the gorgeous layout for my essay, “They Say When I Turn 60, You’ll Be in Your 70s.”) Thank you, SHR! Snag your very own bat at a favorite local bookstore/via SHR’s site/at AWP next week! 
now on spotify March 7, 2019 Why hello, high technology — I've finally arrived. Happy to say I'm now on Spotify, starting with my single "CNX." This song, in English and Thai, explores a goodbye at Chiang Mai International Airport. Be sure to click follow — plenty more comin' from whence that came! 
concert in kimberly February 25, 2019 Excited to be back in BC soon for a concert at Paper and Cup. I'll be playing some songs from the new album I've been recording. Advance tickets available here — send over you Kimberly folk! 
rescinding my marriage proposal in No Depression February 14, 2019 I've rescinded my 2005 marriage proposal to Ryan Adams. Here's my piece for No Depression about the proposal, plus the ever-present undercurrents of sexual misconduct in the indie music scene. Happy Valentine's Day! 
new essay in Bennington Review February 13, 2019 I have new work in Bennington Review's latest issue: KISSING IN THE FUTURE! Many smooches ahead in my essay, "Sexuality Matching Quiz." Pick up a copy at your favorite local bookstore and get fresh with a pop quiz! Mmmm.
concert in calgary February 3, 2019 Pleased as pie to announce I'll be playing a concert in Calgary! Come on by and/or send your in-town friends to Koi on Monday, Februrary 18, 8PM. Can’t wait to share some of the new folky/country songs I’ve written while artist-in-residence at University of Lethbridge's Gushul Studio. I'll see you soon, Stampede City! 
new poem in Pacifica Literary Review February 1, 2019 Hot off the press: I have a poem in the latest issue of Pacifica Literary Review. It'd been a long minute since I'd worked in poetry; I'm so glad some of this new writing has found a home. Special thanks to editors Matt Muth, Katherine Eulensen, and Willie James for their support of this piece. You can read "searched" here. 
new recording: Workin' 3 Jobs January 11, 2019 Pleased to share with y'all a new live recording, "Workin' 3 Jobs," about some hard times for heart and pocketbook. This track comes from a benefit show I played a little while back. You can give a listen on Soundcloud here or on YouTube here. 
back in the studio January 7, 2019 Still settling in at the Gushul Studio — and definitely still overjoyed each morning to come downstairs to this incredible space and light. One million thanks to University of Lethbridge's Faculty of Fine Arts for the opportunity to work here these next few months. Want to hear how it all unfolds? Sign up for a monthly-ish newsletter here! 
new recording: Mama Don't Let December 6, 2018 Glad to share a new live recording, "Mama Don't Let." This song's a play on an old Willie Nelson tune. It's also about the bad behaviors that pass down generations. Written a while back on a balcony in Chiang Mai, then recorded at Friday's concert at the Sointula Athletic Hall, this song's one of my favorites to play. Give a listen here on Soundcloud or here on Youtube. 
exhibition at The Sointula Art Shed's Window Gallery December 5, 2018 This week I had the good fortune/adventure to put together an exhibition for the Sointula Art Shed's Window Gallery, called Malcolm Island Voices: Impressions, Delusions, & Imaginations. It was great fun to collaborate on this with the students of the weekly writing workshop I've been teaching. I’ve so enjoyed working with these writers and their stories, and it's definitely a delight to share their powerful words with the community. Thanks so much to the Sointula Art Shed's Kerri and Tyler for the invitation to the Window Gallery! Pop on by if you find yourself in Sointula! concert at Sointula Athletic Hall November 15, 2018 Come one, come all, to the Sointula Athletic Hall! I'll be playing a concert at the end of this month. I'm really looking forward to sharing new songs in such a beautiful space. 
profile by Brooklyn College November 14, 2018 Thanks, Brooklyn College and Beth Evans, for this profile on my current work and my time in the MFA program. You can read the full article here. 
Sointula Art Shed November 2, 2018 First day here at The Sointula Art Shed. What a warm welcome! And what a view for the words and music...wowza, wowza. While in residency here, I’ll be teaching a weekly workshop, playing a concert, jumping back into revisions, and also recording (!) some new songs. So, so glad to be here in Sointula! 
Artist Trust GAP Award Grantee October 22, 2018 Thrilled to share that I've received a Grant for Artist Projects from Artist Trust. This funding comes at a critical moment for my nonfiction manuscript — more details on that here. I'm deeply grateful to Artist Trust and jurors Laura Lucas, Matthew Nienow, and Kristen Young for their support of my work. Banff Emerging Writers Intensive August 28, 2018 I recently learned I'll be returning to Alberta a bit earlier than planned! I'll be headed back to the Rockies to participate in Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity's Emerging Writers Intensive this fall. I am so looking forward to the chance to work with Kyo Maclear — one of my favorite Canadian writers! — on my in-development nonfiction project. I'm also incredibly grateful to Banff Centre for the generous funding to participate in this program. bonjour August 22, 2018 Greetings from Northern France! Here at Centre Pompadour, laboratoire néoféministe, I've been sinking into revisions of my novel. What a gift to have the time and space to hold the whole book in my head. This feminist château, hosted by artist Michaela Spiegel, brings creative practitioners from across the continents to the tiny town of Ercourt. Still pinching myself that I get to spend a month in residency at such a jaw-dropping setting, working alongside a pretty tremendous crew of artists, writers, scholars, musicians, performers. I'm spending my days elbows-deep in novel revisions and my nights developing new essays and recording my music. I feel pretty darn blessed by the cosmos to be here. Most recent adventure: I cycled a couple hours through wheat and corn fields to get to the nearest town with a print shop. That stack of paper in the final picture? New draft of my novel!
Elizabeth George Foundation grant recipient August 2, 2018 I am beyond thrilled — and still a little bit floored—to share that I've been selected for a grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation — a generous award to a writer who has not yet published a book — which will enable me to spend this next year focused full-time on my creative work. I’ll be completing revisions of my novel, conducting field research in Myanmar, and getting started on my next book. I'm deeply grateful to the Elizabeth George Foundation for this life-changing opportunity and for their commitment to providing catalytic support to emerging writers. Lambda Literary Fellowship May 8, 2018 Over the moon/rainbow to be selected a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow! Can't wait to join other fellows in LA this August. I'll be working and writing alongside LGBTQ nonfiction writers from across the states and beyond. I'll be doing a reading while in the city that month and will share the details once I've got 'em. 🌈 
une bonne nouvelle March 5, 2018 Downright overjoyed to have been accepted for residency at Centre Pompadour, laboratoire néoféministe, in France. When I first learned of this residency, my initial thought was, "Nuh uh. International feminist creative practitioners with a sense of humor in a château? Too good to be true." Ben dis donc! I am beyond thrilled to have this opportunity to focus not only my writing but also a bolder vision for my creative practice. While at the Centre, I'll be developing new essays that examine the language of genders, sexualities, migration, and power as well as revising an in-process work of long-form fiction. Mille fois merci, and also a million thanks, to Michèle Larue, Marie Deparis-Yafil, Michaela Spiegel, and Régis Durand for their support of my work. 
talking shop with architects at rhaRIFFS February 20, 2018 I'm looking forward to giving a talk at Robert Hutchinson Architecture early next month as part of their bi-monthly rhaRIFFS series. I'll be joining a few other creative thinkers to share work and ideas around the topic of The Perverse. It's bound to be an interesting evening! Thanks, RHA, for the invitation. 
teaching again February 18, 2018 So good to be back in the classroom this weekend! (Just as good: a break from Seattle's grey for some California sunshine.) I'm teaching a creative writing workshop about finding the unexpected on the page — and the Josef Albers and Natalie Diaz handouts ready to rock n roll. 
Emerging Writer in Nonfiction winning essay now out in Ploughshares January 24, 2018 My Emerging Writer in Nonfiction winning essay, “The Something I Am Telling You,” is out now in Ploughshares. You can get it digitally at Ploughshares’ site or in your most beloved bookstore. A million thanks again to judge Meghan Daum for her support of this work. She shared the following about the essay: "There is lyricism and soulful reckoning here but there are also synapses, receptors, electricity. It left me more feeling more alive than when I started, jolted into attention at the strangeness and fleetingness of life." 
"Military Coup Matching Quiz" now live at Kenyon Review Online January 17, 2018 Pop quiz! A new essay "Military Coup Matching Quiz" is now live at Kenyon Review Online. You can read and take the quiz here. You won't see an answer key there — if you find yourself stumped, you know how to reach me! Thanks again to editors Sergei Lobanov-Rostovsky, David Lynn, and Geeta Kothari for their support of this work. This essay is part of a larger series that invites the reader to assess received linguistic and cultural meanings through the forms of quizzes and tests. Next test date: late spring in Bennington Review! 
craft lecture at Ballard Public Library January 12, 2018 Thanks to all who joined last evening's program at the Seattle Public Library's Ballard Branch. Had a great time sharing my craft talk, “Left of the Middle: Sidestepping the Expected in Writing,” c/o the It’s About Time series. Mega thanks to the readers and to Peggy Sturvidant for hosting! 
season's greetings December 24, 2017 Happy Holidays from Crowsnest Pass. Having a merry time mapping and drafting a new nonfiction manuscript up here at the Gushul Studio. Sending my best to you and yours from O Canada! 
new essay in print in Black Warrior Review November 27, 2017 Fresh off the press: issue 44.1 of Black Warrior Review. Tremendous gratitude to editor Nabila Lovelace for her support of this essay, "I Lose My Grandfather in a Class on Scent." You can order a copy, featuring Farah Al Qasimi's cover art, here and/or you can pick it up at your favorite independent bookstore — like, for example, the one pictured here: Elliott Bay Book Company! 
quizzes in action at Drop Forge & Tool residency! November 14, 2017 During my residency here in Hudson, New York at Drop Forge & Tool, I've been working on a series of essays that question received cultural meanings through the form of quizzes and tests. This weekend during Open Studio with fellow residents, I had the chance to take these pop quizzes out for a spin. How cool to see them out in the real world with real pens and pencils! Later in the evening, I did a reading of several new essays. Special shout-out to DF&T Director Katharine Daugherty for making this magic happen. I'm so grateful for the chance to explore new work in such a vibrant community. new essay in print in The Carolina Quarterly October 27, 2017 Look who's here! It's Volume 67.1 of The Carolina Quarterly. Very jazzed to have my new essay "If We Learn From Our Targets" appear alongside Nastassja Swift's artwork. You can order a copy of the new issue here. 
craft lecture at Ballard Branch Library next year September 29, 2017 I'll be giving a lecture on writing and craft at the Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library early next year as a part of the the It's About Time series. Thursday, January 11, 6PM — mark those calendars early! 
Ploughshares Emerging Writer for Nonfiction! September 14, 2017 Wowza. I am thrilled to share that I've been selected Ploughshares' Emerging Writer for Nonfiction. They'll be publishing a new essay, "The Something I Am Telling You," in January. A million thanks to judge Meghan Daum — and to photographer extraordinaire Rafael Soldi! online exhibition and critique of works-in-progress September 8, 2017 A group of Seattle-based artists and I are putting on an all-online exhibition and critique of our works-in-progress this weekend — and you're invited! Put on your multi-disciplinary art critic/enthusiast/interpreter hat and come give us some feedback. You don't even have to leave your couch...I'll be sharing new work at 4:30 PT on Saturday. See you at Space Kittens + Hegemony! Meow. getting ready for off the grid June 28, 2017 I'm headed back to Pender Island through mid-July to hunker down with the novel re-writes. D.I.Y. residency prep: type up longhand notebooks of novel; get ready to fill a few more. 
playing at Seattle Acoustic Festival in August June 27, 2017 I'm excited to announce I'm joining the line-up for this year's Seattle Acoustic Festival. I'll be playing an hour-long set at 5:30 on Saturday, August 26. The festival runs Friday and Saturday across three stages. Come on by All Pilgrims Church at 500 Broadway East! benefit concert for the IRC and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project February 7, 2017 I’ve put together a benefit concert for the IRC and Northwest Immigrant Right Project at the end of this month. Here’s your invitation! Come on by Fremont Abbey on Tues. Feb. 28 at 7:30 for a concert benefitting the International Rescue Committee in Seattle and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project! This will be an unplugged show in a “round” format, featuring:
All (cash please!) donations will go directly to IRC and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Enjoy some acoustic tunes in a beautiful space, and show your support for two organizations making the Seattle area stronger:
on writing non-fiction, and the now-in-print-and-online Crazyhorse essay December 1, 2016 My essay, “After the Coup,” is now in print in the latest issue of Crazyhorse, and I’m happy to share that this new work is also featured on their site. It’s an honor to be included in the pages of Crazyhorse, and I’m grateful to editor Bret Lott for his support of this essay. Check out the link above for a PDF of the work and details on subscriptions, and keep an eye out at your favorite local bookstore for a hardcopy. I wrote this essay at the small table of an island yurt in a few eerie acres of forest. I’d been living in Seattle almost a year, and decided to take an unplugged weekend to hunker down and explore on the page some ideas that had been kicking around my head. Sometimes writing is an act of pulling, and sometimes it feels like letting. This essay was the latter, showing up in a one-fell-swoop fugue form; the ensuing sentence-level revisions were focused on rhythm and word choice. While not much compares to the mailbox arrival of a new publication, it did make me sad to re-read this essay and re-encounter the confusion of loss in its content. A mentor once told me that each time you sit down to write, you develop as a writer. This year more than any other, that promise of development has surprised me. I didn’t expect this essay, nor the past few seasons making works of non-fiction. I long considered myself a fiction-writer, and this essay, c/o that yurt and its stillness, pushed me out from the frame I’d built around my writing. The canvas stretches wider. I look forward to sharing more work soon from that new space I’ve found. IRL Show at Northwest Film Forum November 21, 2016 I had a great time Friday and Saturday sharing new work as a part of The Horse in Motion's IRL: craigslist show at Northwest Film Forum. I enjoyed the craigslist sleuthing, research, and songwriting that went into this collaboration. Here's a photo from Saturday's performance: 
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