Crazy storms blew in overnight, most of which I was awake for while watching the new Persuasion, but another burst around dawn had me scrambling to close some windows to stop the deluge from soaking my windowsills. The cooler air was nice, and I slept the rest of the morning away after a couple fitful overly-warm nights. There are summers that seem rather stormless, but then again, maybe it was storming all along when I was trapped in the library's depths where I couldn't see outside. This summer has proven to have quite a few that send the tree in the courtyard between buildings bending sideways. This same tree that was once just a sapling 6 or 7 feet in the small overgrown garden of the polish couple now tops out at the 4th floor. A few more years and I imagine it will be wide enough to skim my windows. I've always wondered how it even grows at all in the north-facing shadow of this mammoth 17-story building, but at certain parts of the day, small slivers of sun hit it between the other buildings and that must be enough. It loses its leaves later in the fall, well into November, and takes a long time to come back in late May, but always does.
I've spent the week puttering on writing assignments, lessons on textile dying, a rather brutal and sad Edwidge Danticat story, and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Some south side Chicago schools for the neighborhood guides, children's foreign language and reference books for the antique site. My home decor pieces included a formidable piece on groundcovers, a celebration of orange, and some throw pillow suggestions. I find that my late-day design writing balances out the early part of the day's dryer more research-heavy topics. Switching back and forth on topics and styles (academic, informational, informal and chatty) keeps things interesting.
Creative-wise, there are a slew of new chaps ready to be released after a couple of weeks working solely on author copies and more submissions to read. For my work, more videopoems, edits on early pieces of granata, and a cover design for the forthcoming book due out October--automagic, my spooky little book full of victorian spiritualism and serial killers. I did give a sneak peek of the design in my latest TinyLetter, so subscribe if you want some early looks at things, including one of the Persephone poems, none of which have seen the light of day just yet. Also, general newsiness all in one place that's usually scattered across social media and here all tidy, folded, and placed in your inbox.
Other than that, I've spent different parts of my week decorating my freelance notebooks like junior high (they all were the same and I got tired of searching out the right one), listening to a lot of 80's rock, and rewatching both seasons of Emily in Paris, which is totally soapy, but has pretty clothes, hot French men, and endless Parisian views, what more could you want?
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