December '23 Madhouse Recap
Yuletide Cheer, Mythology, and End-of-Year Thoughts
Hello friends and fiends–
December started off with some bad news for me, and while I took a few days off to be sad about it, I ultimately think that this particular opportunity not working out is going to be good for me and my family. It’s going to allow me to move in a different direction (one that I’ve been side-eyeing for years), and I spent a lot of time in therapy last year talking about it (and my stress levels). If I’ve learned anything in 2023, it’s been that I need to leave behind people, projects, and jobs that no longer serve me, enrich/inspire me, or acknowledge my self-worth.
That said, the rest of December was nice after the intense weeks of grading came to an end. Evie went to a gingerbread party, where we discovered she’s deathly afraid of Santa Claus. To try to ease the fear a bit, we had a friendly visit from a special Santa on Yule: Evie put out milk and cookies and before we knew it, there were bells and glitter, and while she still cried at first, after she saw me give him a big hug, she said “Santa” and waved. I think we’re making moves in the right direction….ha!
Evie and I baked a TON of cookies. Dennis made two batches of fudge, and then our niece requested gingerbread cupcakes for her birthday on Christmas Eve, so I whipped up a dozen of those for her, too. I tried hard to do a homemade/locally bought/thrifted holiday this year, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I think it’s something that I’ll try to carry into the new year as well.
Something else we made time for last month was seeing the holiday flower show at Phipps. We took Dennis’s mom there for her present this year, and it was beautiful. Evie held my hand, walked through the entire exhibit, and showed me all her favorite plants. Dare I say that we have a future herbalist among us? I think so and it makes my heart so happy. I even picked up a box of flower/plant flashcards for us to work with this year. I want to continue growing my skills, and I’m hopeful that these will help me on my journey.
We spent New Year’s Eve having a quiet night in after eating pork and sauerkraut at my mother-in-law’s. Evie was up till 10:30 and I needed a power nap to make it to midnight, but I did and Dennis and I had a quiet glass of champagne and a kiss to celebrate.
On the writing/teaching front:
I mentored five brilliant students (two of them thesis students) at WCSU and I’m so incredibly proud of the work they accomplished throughout the semester. I’ll be staying with two of them in the Spring, and then I have three new students who I’m excited to get to know and continue chatting with.
I finished my 4-person independent study of Witch Lit at Point Park. The final papers were so interesting, and I’ll be working with two of those students again in the spring in a Haunted Women-themed course. I’m still finalizing our book list, but I’ll be sure to share it with everyone once I finish drafting the syllabus.
My first semester teaching UNIV 101 for Funeral Service Students wrapped up with us all staying an extra 30 minutes or so after class talking and reminiscing. There was so much vulnerability and emotional sharing in our class that a few of them hugged me and cried at the end…and I got a little emotional, too. The death industry is in fantastic hands with this generation; they’re compassionate and respectful and it was an honor to get to know all of them. I’ll miss our death cafes in the spring.
I participated in The Pixel Project 2023 Selection 16: Poets Against Violence Against Women. You can read my contribution, along with everyone else’s, here.
On the Subject of Blackberries was included in the “5 Horror Poetry Collections with Unusual Themes You Might Have Missed” listicle by Gwendolyn Kiste, via The Lineup
I’ll be teaching a mini-version of my Witch Lit class via the HWA’s Horror University on March 11. 2024. Join me for Writing the Witch, and stay tuned to more updates on my course offerings.
As a reminder for your winter reading, Gaby Triana recently released the second book in her Literally Dead anthology series: Literally Dead: Tales of Holiday Hauntings. My short story “Ghosts in Glass Jars,” is included within.
This month, I read:
“If you were red riding hood” by Hannah Grieco (poem), Fairy Tale Review
Fangs by Sarah Andersen
I read the following short stories from the anthology My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales ed. by Kate Bernheimer: “Baba Iaga and The Pelican Child” by Joy Williams, “The Snow Maiden” by Jonathon Keats, “The Wild Swans” by Michael Cunningham, “Little Pot” by Ilya Kaminsky, “Blue-Bearded Lover” by Joyce Carol Oates, and “Whitework” by Kate Bernheimer.
White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese (ed)
Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg by Emily Rapp Black
I’m still casually exploring My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales ed. by Kate Bernheimer and just started Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology by Jess Zimmerman
On the media front:
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023), Violent Night (2022), Barbie (2023)
Dragula, Season 5 (2023): To nobody’s surprise, I’m yet again extremely invested in another season of the Boulet Brother’s Dragula. My choice of the season–which I made pretty early on–is Throb Zombie, which again, I’m sure surprises no one. Excited to see how this one plays out (and yes, I’m still mourning Jarvis).
Six Feet Under, Season 1 (2001): It’s been a heavy semester having taught a class about death and funeral services, but it inspired me to check out this show, which has always been on my watch list. I quite enjoyed the first season and it sent me on quite a few existential thought journeys, which, while heavy, I appreciated. I plan to continue watching, but I don’t think this is something I can binge or watch all the time. Gonna take a beat and dive back in in a couple of weeks or so.
The Santa Clauses, Season 2 (2023): We watched the first three episodes of season 2 over the holiday weekend, and while Dennis isn’t a huge fan, I’m enjoying it. I’ll be finishing this with Evie soon–and have I mentioned how much I love the fact that La Befana is in this?
The Act (2019): I mean, now seemed like the best time to watch this considering Gypsy Rose was released from prison on 12/28. I have a lot of complicated feelings to process, but I remain fascinated by this case. I’ll definitely be watching her Lifetime docu-series.
Podcasts:
Hard Feelings with Jennette McCurdy, “abandonment issues,” “burnout,” “authentic connection,” “acne,” “i miss my 20s,” and “end of year reflection.”
I’m all caught up on this podcast now and I have to say that I really appreciate it. I’ve been following Jennette’s career since I was a child, and then I read her memoir and I’m just so proud of her and in awe of her vulnerability and honesty.
Haunted Detective, “Who is Anatoly Moskvin? The Criminal Who Was Married to a Corpse and Haunted by her Ghost,” “Can Someone Really be Haunted? Natasha’s Spirit, Black Magic, and Ghosts Who solved Their Own Murders,” and “What is Necromancy and the Celtic Afterlife? Folklore, Ghosts, and Anatoly’s Crime.”
Talking Scared, “The Best Horror Novels of 2023”
Myth Monsters, “Leshy,” “Trolls,” “Wendigo,” and “Slenderman.”
Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery: I listened to the first two seasons on Spotify while I built a puzzle and I enjoyed the subtle eerieness of the narrative. I know there are a few more seasons and I’ll definitely be checking them out in the new year.
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