Aromatica Poetica Summer 2023 Newsletter: Multisensory Explosion

After traveling to four states in two months, my spring speaking mini-tour ended with a final virtual talk and blog post for ACT (famous for their college entrance tests). The summer kicked off with a story at TALE: NYC’s Finest Storytelling, and we’re settling into summer in the East Village with Tompkins Square Park as our living room, so come… Read more

Smell Menagerie: ‘Aromatica Poetica’ Winter Newsletter

The AP Winter Newsletter features: Open submissions, talks and travel, exploring barnyards by nose, chocolates by touch, a soap/burgers story, and more… Dear friends and family, The new year always launches me into a gratifying state of cautious optimism. Thanks to a small burst of speaking invitations, I’m looking forward to connecting with some of you in person over the… Read more

“Inspiration Porn Star” * Fiction First Published in ‘Artificial Divide’

“Inspiration Porn Star” is a raucously dark, debauched, and ill-tempered short story about a blind comedian published last year in Artificial Divide. This anthology, edited by Robert Kingett and Randy Lacey, was a first-of-its-kind own-voices collection of fiction by blind and visually-impaired writers. Several friends also have stories in there, including Alice Eakes, who makes some memorable appearances in There… Read more

“Revealing and Rewarding Work of Impressive Scholarship” * ‘There Plant Eyes” Review by Author Lazarus Belle

Every author knows how important reviews are, and although we all like to hate on Amazon, it’s a very good place for finding and publishing public reviews. Of course Goodreads is the other biggie. My friend and fellow author published this thoughtful review of There Plant Eyes (now out in paperback) in both places, and to show my appreciation (and… Read more

Footnote on ‘So Lucky’ by Nicola Griffith

I first read So Lucky (2018) by Nicola Griffith not long after it was published. I remembered loving it and laughing out loud several times. Somehow the darkness and creepiness had slipped my mind. Upon rereading it for this Footnote in honor of Disability Pride Month, I experienced all the feels, as the kids say! Griffith is a fantastic writer… Read more

NY Times & Inside Edition, Books & Bakes, Scent &Architecture, Hyacinths & Timberlines, and AP open for submissions!

New beginnings collide with old haunts in recent months as Alabaster and I settle back into New-York-City living. A sudden teaching gig landed me back at NYU, helping out a favorite former professor as the oldest TA in the world, . And on the other side of things, I was honored that the New York Times let me weigh in… Read more