Many thanks to dear @chenchenwrites.bsky.social for spending time with some of my new work. Grateful. 🧡✨

Yesterday was my Lolo Gabriel “Ling”’s b-day. He would have been 111 today; he died shortly after the devastating 1990 earthquake in my hometown of Baguio in the Philippines. I made an atang, a traditional food offering, of persimmons and candied ginger for his spirit. He’s with us still. 🧡✨

I’m just leaving this here.

This was in one of my backpacks. I have never seen this. It just appeared. I have not used this backpack in two weeks. A mystery. 🧐

Many many rejection. Very plural. Much plodding on.

Tonight!!!

These days I am musicking and art-ing more than writing and I think that’s okay. ☺️ It comes and goes.

Every time I eat with chopsticks (as I am at the moment) I annoyingly remember when I watched a yt woman “teach” an acquaintance of mine, her then-partner, how to use them. She said “It’s supposed to hurt.” I was flabbergasted. Like…wut. Anyway, this is what my filing cabinet brain is like. 🧠🥲

For those in or near the Triangle area of NC: my poetry reading series for marginalized creatives, Indigena Collective, is holding its next event at So & So Books in Raleigh on 11/24 at 6:30 pm! Feat. Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Carlina Duan, and Mack Rogers. Come thru! ✨

I’m often asked when I do readings or workshops at which university I teach and more often than not people are surprised that I’m not in academia right now. They’re even more surprised to find out that I’m a barista in my 30s. There’s a strange cloaked disdain. Anyway, here’s a picture of 2 grapes.

There was a long period of time before just now when I didn’t submit to journals and now that I’ve submitted to like, 20 in a row I remember how it feels to get at least 3 rejections in the span of a few days. 😊 This is a silly game, but, onward!

Grateful for persimmon bounties from dear friends.

FREE PALESTINE

So uhhhhh I might’ve umm whatchamacallit (whispers) finished my second poetry manuscript today… 👀

Me, emerging.