November 2024

Outside The Writer’s Studio

How can it be that I am outside chasing the last of the fall leaves already! Fall term always rushes by so quickly, but when you have the added chores of book editing and contracted assignments along with all the other bits of survival, the hours are eaten up quickly! As much as I want time to slow down, there are also parts that I wish would go by faster - so I should probably stop complaining and measuring and get my head down.

This month I have made plans for the next half decade, and I hope that by the time seventy rolls around, I will have contributed in a good way to some needed social change. I will work hard at it, at any rate.

This month I have my long awaited UK history journal article coming out, which is a revamp of my final work at Oxford last year. I will link when it's out. I also have a lot happening behind the scenes this month, which I will be able to talk about in the December post, at last!

I was so happy to receive an email today that an editing project I worked on has been picked up by a major publisher and the author is over the moon! I will link to her page when the announcement is made. I am so happy for her! Some of my other work in the area of Indigenous text book content is nearly complete and its looking like a release date in early 2026 for Biology: The Dynamic Science 6e. I am honoured to be part of this project again, I also worked on e5 and we have been able to add so much more Indigenous content this time around!

It's Halloween morning as I write this and I have to say our new neighbourhood is blissfully quiet, not a firework in sight. I know in our old hood some policy was put in place as well; it will be interesting to see if they were able to enforce it. It makes me so happy to see people advocating for our animals and nature.

I wish you a happy November and I'll see you in a month!

I am reading:
The Secret Language
By U. Nordstrom

and

The Old Man Told Us
By R. Holmes-Whitehead

I am listening to:

October 2024

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Happy spring! It's still quite cool here, but our yard is starting to blossom, and it's exciting to see everything! We arrived here near the end of September last year, so most plants were already dying back, so there is much we don't know!

I am in the final throes of the semester with about 5k words left to write. I hope to be finished this week. I've given myself a leeway of a handful of days, so fingers crossed nothing comes up. Afterwards, it's right on to taxes and then preparing for a talk I'm giving to the BC Editors Assoc. That should be interesting because I think they are looking for one thing, but I will surprise them with something probably unexpected, given our conversations so far!

I am feeling pulled to finish the final chapters of my book. I watched American Fiction last week, and I am ready to go through the publishing experience again! This book needs to be out in the world because I have other ones that I want to focus on now. Thankfully, I'll have five solid months to work on it before next term; yay! I'm also looking forward to getting to the last of the unpacking and sorting out a few rooms - at last!

Last month, I received two of the textbooks I wrote for, and wow! That feeling when you have accomplished something you always wanted to do is heart-bursting! Sort of like when I discovered that our yard has a scarlet hawthorn tree, my very favourite tree, one I always said I'd have in my yard one day - and there it is. I am in the perfect spot in my life where everything from here on out is gravy. What an exceptional place to be! I am so grateful every day;-)

Thank you for being on this road with me!

I am reading:

Barking to the Choir
by Gregory Boyle

I am listening to:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2QSPrJfYeRXaltEEiriXN9?si=Ftlmc4-dSPW8IOK7gAkhpQ

March 2024

Outside The Writer’s Studio

As is always the case with me, it seems, when I have some spare time, I fill it. My reading week was filled with two big jobs I took, one for a museum and one for a massive biology text book, but when you are self-employed, you 'get while the gettins good' as they say. It was also a month filled with applications and writing submissions, fulfilling scholarship paperwork, and preparing for tax season. February is a busy little month indeed!

I had one piece published here, and attended a very hectic three day conference. And as conferences are - it was brilliant and exhausting, but I’m so happy I persevered. I also managed to squeeze in a couple of illustrations for the next issue of the Retrospect History Journal and will post once it's available. I love being able to keep my art relevant alongside my school and written work. I am so fortunate!

We're having fun planning the garden here at the new house and I already have loads of seedlings to plant out, but with our pending little snowstorms, I'll keep them under the lights a bit longer. This month ahead will be head down in school work as I write two papers, and I'll find out if I'm delivering one at this conference soon. They're reading the Abstracts this week. Fingers crossed!

I hope you have a happy spring!

I am reading:

Essays and book chapters.

I am listing to:

February 2024

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Happy Feast of St. Brigid! Well, that month flew past! Aside from having a bad tooth out, I had such fun at a book club chat for Yukon Libraries! You can check out my interview leading up to it here.

School is back in full swing, and in and around that, I am preparing two journal articles; one will be out in August, and I am not sure about the other, but I will link them both here when they’re published. I’ve also accepted an Illustrator role for the University’s History Journal Retrospect! It’s going to be a lot of fun!

I also have two other projects coming up. One is a book project (not my own) that is very special to me, more on that soon, and the other is a museum job, working on one of their publications. Also super exciting! And now that I’m finally on the mend from my tooth, which was honestly one of the most painful things ever, I am starting to look at seed catalogues and make some plans for the yard - one word - sunflowers!

I hope February treats you well. We’re hoping for some more seasonal temps this coming week, and I’m looking forward to having it a bit cooler! I miss my sweaters!;-)

I am reading:

Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods
by Shawn Wilson

Medical Anthropology: A Biocultural Approach
by Andrea S. Wiley & John S. Allen

I am listening to:

The waterfall out back;-)

January 2024

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Happy New Year! Gosh, this one has been a whirlwind for us! As great as it was, I'm always glad to be moving forward, ..."to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations,
to boldly go..." oh wait, that's something else lol, but it's accurate!

The tail end of this year saw an Award of Merit at the Canada Shorts - Canadian & International Short Film Festival for my short film: What the Dirt Don't Like, and a short NF story accepted into the Chapter House Journal at the Institute of American Indian Arts. I am so grateful! (I will come back and link when it's available).

I have one big project this year that I'm very excited about, and honoured to be working on, and aside from school, I have no other plans yet. It would be nice to finish another book, but we'll see. I have a few more chapters to write on my main book project before I send it out again, but I might put that on a back burner while I complete a new screenplay and work on my other book projects.

I'm leaving myself open with no goals or expectations as I focus on school and removing the brambles from around the pond. I have the entire summer off this year, which right now shines like a blinding light I can't even look at, you know I like to be busy! But it's still some months away, and now, lots of space for something to emerge.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, and thoughtful, best ever new year!

I am reading:

Songlines: The Power and Promise
By: Lynne Kelly, Margo Neale

I am listening to:

December 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

And just like that, another year has rolled by! My school term has nearly ended, and I'm just revising. One thousand more good words to go!

After that, I will finish unpacking, only three months late! But I think better late than never, which has been the theme of my week. On Wednesday, I presented a paper to the History Society, which will be coming out in the School's History Journal, Retrospect (I'll come back and link when it's available). I spoke about our Invisible Indigenous Veterans and their Residential School beginnings. Afterwards, people said, "Thank you so much; we didn't know any of that!" as always, I was shocked and pleased by that response. I hope they'll ask me back; I would love to continue using that platform to open more eyes to our History—file under Better late than never.

Once my final paper is complete, I should be hearing back about a few things, and I will give one talk to a writing school closer to the end of the month. I'm excited about Christmas in our new digs and can't wait to have time to make and send some cards around. I've also been checking out the local arts scene and joined one of the groups; we've certainly moved to the right place!

This is a small update for the end of the year as my head is sitting in a 17th-century coffee house, and I'm reading medical advertisements on the back pages of the Old Bailey Proceedings. The new year is going to be brilliant, and I can't wait to write my January update with, I hope, some amazing news;-)

Happy Holidays, and as always, stay safe. Thank you for being on this wacky journey with me!

I am Reading:

The Old Bailey Proceedings

I am Listening to:

and this:

and of course:

November 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

We are so close to Christmas! Even though my shopping is complete, which tells me it’s true, I can’t get my mind around it. That also means I’m nearly finished with the first Edinburgh term. Time flies when you spend half a year moving!

I don’t have anything scheduled for November in terms of workshops or seminars, but I do have one booked for next month and another in the Yukon in January, which I’m excited about. I’m not expecting any changes, but if something comes up, I will post it on my schedule here.

This month, I have a piece coming out in a book by The League of Canadian Poets, which I will link to next month. It always feels extra special to be seen as a poet, as that was the first genre I wrote in when I was around six years old. Believe it or not, that time flew by, and I can still recall the joy of sitting with my little pad of paper and pencil, scribbling out my words.

I also had a piece out in the 10th Anniversary Issue of Destinations, which is the Journal of the Society for One-Place Studies. Being published in another country also makes me feel grateful to be part of such an incredible group of historians and writers.

As the nights grow longer, I expect to do much more writing now that we’re settled; my brain is fairly bursting with ideas. Come on, winter, let’s do this!

I am reading:

History and Material Culture
Ed. Karen Harvey

To be Insert in the Mercury': Medical Practitioners and the Press in Eighteenth-Century Edinburgh
By Helen M Dingwall

I am listening to:

October 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Welcome to October! This month is the beginning of my favourite season (I say that about every season when it starts), but I do like autumn best. It also sees the start of many Birthdays, including my own, which this year is a big one, making me pause to reflect. I’ve certainly come a long way from a ten-year-old scribbling stories into pastel-coloured sheets of paper and coveting every book on her bookshelf: Gulliver’s Travels, Charlotte’s Web and my mother’s old storybook, something like a story a day for a year. Now, my speaking engagements are booked far in advance. I write many different things that people read and mentor other writers on their journies. I had no idea how rewarding the life of a writer could be. This is in huge part to the writing mentors I have had, chiefly among them Stella Harvey, herself a brilliant writer, who took me on as a student in The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University and helped shape me into who I am today. But her mentoring didn't end there; she continues to be my cheerleader and is always there for me in anything I ask, and I cannot begin to tell you the value of having a person like that in your life. A heartfelt and huge thank you, Stella, for everything you do for people like me!

Since last I wrote we have moved house. Not a tiny move, but a big move to another place entirely, one only accessible by ferry boat, and we are in love. The ravens greeted us, and cedars surround us. We have a resident pear tree complete with a resident bear, and the people are calm and cheerful. Our house is rather grand and feels palatial after our last two homes, and we’re rich with space inside and out. The best part is our proximity to the ocean, precisely what we wished for, just a few minutes down the road to a deserted beach. We thought maybe we were in heaven, which gave me an excellent idea for a story - watch for it soon!

I fell behind at school quickly without the internet for 8 days, but I have almost caught up to the point where I can watch cricket guilt-free. The work is hard, but I am getting back into it. It feels like a long time since school let out, but it’s only been a few months. I do thrive on a challenge, so I hope to do okay.

Please follow me on my social media for photos, art and updates where we can chat and you can see me blather on about writing and life. And I hope you enjoy your fall; it looks like a warm start, but hopefully, by the time it cools, I can find where I’ve packed my sweaters.

I am reading:

Henry Drummond, Baxter's Second Innings - Specially Reported for the School Team (1892)

C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (1955)

And another million books and articles on cricket.

I am listening to:

September 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

The season is changing, and we are playing a big part in the change this year! We’re moving house on the 16th, to a new town. It’s very exciting, and was time, as our tiny house was bursting at the seams. The choice of place was not random, we felt it had everything we were looking for: more nature, less noise.

We’re looking forward to more roomy adventures, interesting creative pursuits and lots of beach time. It will make up for how hard this move has been! We are quiet and solitary people, so this experience has been shocking at times, with loads of people tramping through the house on short notice.

At the same time we’re transitioning to our new home; I’ll be starting at the University of Edinburgh. I’ve been preparing as best I can for my two-year stint since May, and I think it will pay off with a more relaxed month. It already seems less intense than Oxford, so that was a good warm-up for me!

I’m also working on applications for a project I hope to get funding for, and I'm already feeling the pull to write more chapters for my book. The new house feels like a really creative space, and I’m looking forward to the cosy writing winter ahead.

I have a little film sitting near completion, I’m still awaiting word on music licensing. I have so many ideas for the next one; it’s just about finding the moments to begin this larger piece. I’m slowly collecting bits for it and am so pleased with some archival stuff I’ve found. It’s exciting!

I’ve been booking talks into next spring and will update my website once I have more details. Stay tuned!

Signing off from North Vancouver; see you next time from the Sunshine Coast !

I am reading:

Skirting the Boundary: The History of Women’s Cricket
by Isabelle Duncan

A Social History of English Cricket
by Sir Derek Birley

I am listening to:

August 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

August is here, and change is in the air! The sun hangs low in the mornings, and we hope to move in 6 weeks. We're ready for a change as we move into a slower - beachier time of life. The ocean calls!

I've spent the last week setting up all my accounts for Edinburgh, and I'm set. I've already been on my reading list as I plan to be ahead of the game when the moving week comes at the same time as the start of school. One giant relief was the receipt of a scholarship. I am so grateful that I can focus on my studies and not how to pay for them; if my grandfather could see me now, I always think, espcially now as I graduate Oxford with Distinction.

Last month I had a haiku published in a haiku newsletter, The Solitary Daisy. I love writing haiku, and I'm still trying to figure out why I don't write more. They feel like an indulgent sweet available only at certain celebrations, and maybe that's a good way to keep it.

I was accepted into a film program a few weeks ago but had to drop it because of the move. It felt too congested this fall on top of the other events I'm doing, plus school. But I hope to be asked back next time it's run! My short film What the Dirt Don’t Like was also accepted into two more festivals, details soon!

My friend Heige and I also presented a talk you can watch here. It was fascinating and brought up more questions and ideas on our end, so we'll continue the conversation in a podcast before the end of the year.

Last month I received a kind book rejection that filled me with hope as they gave precise feedback, so I hope once we're settled into the new house (or settled back in here!) I can pull it out and begin revisions; I've already started making notes for new chapters. Our hopeful new home looks like an exact copy of the Walton's house in the TV show, and my dormer window will sit where Jon Boy's was, and it feels like a powerful writing place for me. Earl Hamner's story resonated with me throughout my youth, giving me an immediate connection with the house. It feels full of writing potential.

Enjoy these waning days of summer!

I am reading:

History Beyond the Text: A Student’s Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources
by Sarah Barber (Editor), Corinna Peniston-Bird (Editor)

Memory and History: Understanding Memory as Source and Subject
by Joan Tumblety

The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction
by Christopher Tyerman

Understanding Medieval Primary Sources: Using Historical Sources to Discover Medieval Europe
by Joel T. Rosenthal

I am listening to:

July 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

The end of my fantastic year at Oxford and the start of my summer vacation came in quietly but grew to a bang as we decided to move house. The decision was made quickly, but all signs pushed us to do it, especially the impending construction on the property next door, which began with a backhoe through our water main. There are some signs you can’t ignore. Another was last night when a group of drunk teens vandalized some of our things in broad daylight (while we were standing not ten feet away). It was shocking.

But I won’t let my lousy mood dictate my blog this morning because we are all healthy and well, and the sun will shine in the window at any moment!

This month sees the start of my monthly speaking engagements across the country, and here is the first, a discussion with my friend Heige. Whenever we get together, we talk so much about ‘reconciliation’, what that means, and how it looks for different places and populations. Heige will bring the German perspective, and I find it so interesting! We can learn so much from the past and other people and places; I hope you’ll join us if you are interested.

Aside from packing and moving, I’ll also be starting on my reading list for Edinburgh this fall and finishing up a series of crow paintings, so we’ll not forget our corvid pal Schwartz who visits every day. I’m also finishing up a short film and just waiting for word on music licencing. GEMS Vancouver spotlighted me along with some of the other amazingly talented women I studied screenwriting with last year, please check them out here! So much goodness to come!

I’ve also started some Ai experiments with my art and am really enjoying the process of creative writing with the immediate gratification of an artistic outcome. If nothing else, it makes for interesting story prompts!

I hope wherever you are; you can enjoy a bit of summer; it will be a hot one here in Western Canada, so keep cool and drink water:-)

I am reading:

Crusades : A Very Short Introduction
by Christopher Tyerman

I am listening to:

June 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

The garden is alive! And so is my brain. I'm currently writing my final paper and so a number of 'other' projects have sprung up, a quilt and a film and various other writing bits that squeeze themselves out when I'm spilling my thesis onto the page; 'scuse me, scuse me' they say as they slip through that narrow doorway with a group of Tudor women.

The biggest news item last month, was of course, the premier of Killers of the Flower Moon at Cannes, and which I am now allowed to say that I have a small part of, in that I helped David Grann (the author) revise the book for its next printing. Whew, I had to hold that in for a year!

Even though I'll technically have the summer 'off', I'm already planning for Edinburgh in September and still working on submissions and grant applications. Another publisher has asked to see my MS so that's hopeful as well. I should be hearing about a few things this month and am hoping for a healthy garden and greenhouse. Unfortunately, we have already noticed rodent activity; rats, squirrels, and mice, now that we are down one Rat Terrier. I may have solved the problem with a bit of old mosquito netting though, fingers crossed. On the plus side we have invited crows into the yard with our new bird bath, so, as it sits beside the greenhouse, that will probably help as well. They love to hang out there.

And of course, today is Census Day and I'll be deep into it by the time you are reading this:-)

Have a great month!

I am Reading:

Medical Conflicts in Early Modern London: Patronage, Physicians, and Irregular Practitioners 1550-1640.
By Pelling and White

I am Listening to:

May 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Spring is always a bit late on the mountain, but the cherry blossoms finally appeared this week. It was a bittersweet month as we lost a family member, but life continues, just a little more slowly and sadly.

Last month my short film premiered at the VISFilm Fest, and it was a blast! I can't wait to make more films and have loads of ideas. I had a table read of one of my screenplays with a group of actors, and it was so surreal; what a feeling to have your work come to life! I want more of that. But...I have a final paper due, and my head is already back in Tudor times.

I have a piece coming out in the Bodleian Libraries Student Writing Competition Zine this term; I'll link when it's published, and I have a reprint of a short story coming out in subTerrain Lit mag this spring, just in case you missed it the first time around!

I've finished all my painting commissions and have some happy customers, and I have a bit of editing work to complete now before my month of committee meetings.

There's a lot of pomp going on in England right now, and the students and staff at Oxford have been invited to some of it. It's an exciting time in history right now.

Along with meetings, work, and school, any spare time I have this month will be about applications for scholarships for school in Edinburgh this fall.
I should also be hearing back about some other grants and project submissions. As my greenhouse shows me, May is a key month in many ways. It tells me if a crop will be good or bad, ravaged by bugs or disease or calm and happy. As with all else, time will tell!

I am reading:

Medical Conflicts in Early Modern London: Patronage, Physicians, and Irregular Practitioners 1550-1640.
By Pelling and White

I am listeing to:

April 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

As expected last month flew by. I was successful with some applications and submissions and not with others, - this is the way - ;-). My short film What the Dirt Don’t Like will be screened at the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival on April 21st, and my screenplay The Set Up will have a table read on April 8th. Having actors read your words certainly adds a surreal dimension to your work!

I received another scholarship for Oxford and a painting commission for a really special project, as I finished up two others. I have a couple of pieces coming out in Lit journals this month and a fun radio interview for the film (I’ll come back and link to them when I have the information), and I’ve been invited to speak at the Victoria Festival of Authors this fall.

Last month was full of meetings from Vestry to all the committees I’m part of, but this month will be quieter as I get my head down and work on a large project for school. Only one more to go after that!

Happy Spring!

I have created this:

(...and this is my Instagram page where I post all my work as I complete it.)

I am reading:

So many case files!

Wet Felting: Creating texture, Pattern and Structure By Smart, Natasha

I am listening to:

March 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

I’m unsure if we’re in like a lion or a lamb today with a pending snowstorm; I guess it will be another bit of ‘wait and see’, which is what I am doing right now for several projects, including some screenwriting funding as well as one other project I’m waiting to hear about.

This past month has been a blur with a term break where I thought I would get a lot done but ended up nursing a very sickly dog (who is on the mend now, yay!). It’s frustrating, but then being able to prioritize the important things is what gets me through, and the people and animals in my life come above all else, even writing, art and school. Thankfully if I relax into it and find balance, equilibrium prevails.

I’ll be starting at the University of Edinburgh in the fall, and once again, I am so grateful for this opportunity. Oxford has given me the headstart I needed, and the history book I long to write is coming into focus.

I have several written pieces this spring (see last month’s update), and I’m truly honoured to be judging a children’s art contest and doing some work for Penguin/RH. I’ve been booking book talks into 2024 and am finally learning Procreate! It will be a fun and gently busy month. Happy Spring!

I am reading:

Knots and Crosses
by Ian Rankin

I am listening to:

February 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Gosh, January went by in a flash! There were lots of good bits and not-so-good bits, but that's a writer's life. After a string of rejections (that always seem to come within days of each other), I received some great news: my comic will be published by one of my school magazines this term (HT23) (check that off my bucket list!), and I have a piece coming out in the Good life Review in April.

This month will see the results of last fall's applications for grants and screenwriting program submissions, and I'll be happy with whatever happens. Something about me loves the excitement of waiting; it's like getting the post or waiting for Christmas morning. I am five.

School is fantastic, and I just received my first, first! I've also joined another committee: The Committee on Library Provision, Bodleian Libraries, and I'm so excited about that!

In the past two weeks, I have entered my new short film into two competitions, one local and one international, and it will be spring before I hear about the results, so more fun waiting. I was also recently gifted new art supplies, so I am back to painting and drawing daily, and one of my goals for the year is to spin all my wool stash.

We're also getting serious about food sustainability; and after our first greenhouse year, we've learned so much! We were gifted a grow light for Christmas and already have edible-sized lettuce as well. I can't wait to plant some seeds, as I think we're going to have a proper mild spring this year. Hmm planting seeds, and waiting for crops, sounds familiar.

I am Reading

Thinking About It Only Makes It Worse
by David Mitchell

English Society in the 18th Century: Second Edition
by Roy Porter

I’m listening to:

January 2023

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Happy New Year!

While I always try to look ahead, this year, it's impossible not to tally the past year's events, especially when the loss of friends and family has stood so prominently at the forefront. All will be so missed.

There have been many greats, too; seeing my past students win awards and be newly published is top of the list. Well done, everybody!

Oxford is also up there, and as I move into Hilary Term, I feel so grateful for my achievements, primarily as I work on book revisions, and I can measure the distance from my beginnings to now.

Writing will be moving back into my life as I am more comfortable with my school schedule, so I will continue to work on my little TV series and my book revisions. I should have a lot of responses in the coming months to applications and submissions that will help to provide focus as I move forward.

It will be an exciting year ahead, and I can't wait to share some news I've kept under my hat for more than a year; there are only a few more months to go!

All the very best to you in 2023! Look how far we've come! I think we've outlived every old sci-fi movie date;-)

I’m reading:

The Difference
by Marina Endicott

I’m listening to:

December 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

It's the end of term, and I'm pleased with the results. It took lots of hard work and tedious scheduling, but it paid off, and I'm looking forward to my Dept.'s Christmas party on the 15th! I'm heavily into planning school for 2023/24 and beyond, and I think I'll stay for studies in the UK if I can.

I've not written much this month, but I have an idea brewing for a short story. I have sent a piece of flash to Isis magazine and hope to be a member of their Art Team for Hilary Term. I've also applied to be on the Department's Bodleian Library Committee for the following two terms. My work with the ISC is ongoing well, and we're working on a new publication. I'm so glad I joined them; apparently, it's where the Canadians hang out!

As usual, I am awaiting word of a few grants that will help see me through my writing and screenplay work in 2023. I think I'll know this month and early next year. Never hold my breath, but they would be helpful.

This month I plan to get ahead on my reading and the following paper and prepare for my final paper next summer. The term break is a massive gift of time to work on all these things, and I'm so grateful!

I wish you Happy Holidays
and all the very best in the New Year!

And as always, thank you for visiting me here!

I am reading:
Population Studies and statistics, nothing novel-ly at he moment.

I am listening to my favourite:

November 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

I can hardly believe it's coming to the end of the year! But I don't even have time to stop and wonder about it as I'm settled into my school routine and can't stop for one second. I've been named the Student Staff Rep. for my Dept. and am also in the International Student Society (awaiting my role), a member of a DisCam Family and in the Harry Potter Society, of course. I am squeezing all I can out of this Oxford year and want to experience everything! But as rushed as I am, my weekday always includes some meditation time with the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation daily meditation, where I sit in mindfulness for 30 minutes with 100 others around the globe.

As is usually the case when I'm so busy, words creep out of me in my dreams, in the bath and the greenhouse. Basically, everywhere I don't happen to have a pencil with me, so if you see a blur, it is me running because I've had an idea and have to write it down before it's gone. Some of these thoughts have come in the form of poems, and I'm eight pages into a little poetry book project where I have accompanied my odd haiku with a painting or photograph. This little book is making me so happy!

I've submitted to a few flash publications this past month and even finished a few paintings, some cedar work and a sweater!

I had a piece of flash reprinted here and will be teaching a workshop in a few weeks on revision.

My last screenwriting class was this past Saturday, and I'm sad it's over; I have learned so much and am so grateful to my teachers! What an experience! I've completed two screenplays and have a dozen new and massively talented friends:-) We've been together since June, and it will be strange not spending Saturday mornings with them!

Stay warm, and thank you for reading!

I am reading:

The Pursuit of History

by John Tosh

...and half the Bodleian Library

I am listening to:

Alex Highton's older works from an album I produced a million years ago.

October 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Today I jumped out of bed after sleeping late and wrote down the outline for the last chapter of my greenhouse book. I'm so happy, but it felt like a struggle to get to the right words. I always have to remind myself that even after a lifetime of writing, I need to trust the process and know the words will always come sooner or later.

September was a blur. I caught COVID the week before Michaelmas term started, so I feel like I've been playing catch up ever since. I'm already behind in my readings, but I hope to regain ground this weekend. I love reading in the fall beside the fire but will need to force myself into a different pattern now, as we expect hot and sunny weather for the entire month.

I've purposefully kept my schedule quiet this winter so I can focus on school, which is brilliant! I have a few things submitted that I'm waiting to hear back about, four books and one contest. I'm also judging a competition and need to prep for a workshop I'm teaching at the end of November.

I wish you a happy autumn!

I am reading:

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

By Christopher Moore

Loads of history books and 2k pages of notes.

(My Bodleian Library card is taking me to places I would never have imagined!)

I am listening to:

September 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

I’m so excited to begin school at the end of the month! I have loved this feeling since childhood and am so fortunate that I can continue to have it as an adult! I loved school so much, all the learning and reading, sort of hard to believe if you read my next book! And speaking of my next book, I’m in the process of shopping it, so more waiting. I have three manuscripts at different publishers, hoping to get a bite.

My greenhouse is coming to the end of its season, so I can take my year of notes and start formatting them into the book I’ve dreamt up. I’ve also been taking loads of photos, so I’ll have lots of material to use for the illustrations. I’m thinking watercolour.

This month I wrote my last article in my two-year stint as writer in residence at the BC History Magazine. (Watch for it in the winter issue). It was bittersweet; I’ve had such a fantastic experience there! But it also feels good to be moving forward into the formal study of history. I want to write about it in a better way.

My screenplay course picks up again this month, and I’ve done so much revision on my little short, and I’m pleased with it. I look forward to the next six weeks of class and hope this project will make it to the screen one day so you can watch it.

Enjoy the beginning of fall!

I am reading:

Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God
by Joe Coomer

In Praise of Shadows

by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

and about 500 kilos of history books!

I am listening to:

and

August 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

I've been head down most of the summer, and I can't believe how fast time has flown. A small part of me can't comprehend that we're marching into the end of the year! It's the same part of me saying, "I can't believe I just wrote a screenplay!" but we are, and I did. It took me weeks of learning how to write in a new way, but draft one is done, and so is my book.

This month begins full of gratitude to the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, who have gifted me their Scholarship, which will cover my school year at Oxford. It's a fantastic feeling when people put their faith in you, pushing me harder to succeed. I feel held up and am humbled by the gift.

This month will consist of editing and starting the next screenplay in the series, beginning edits on my book and trying to get through my vast reading list before school starts at the end of September. I will also be finishing up a big project for a textbook publisher, which entails adding Indigenous content to a nutrition text; it’s been a satisfying and meaningful project!

Happy August, keep cool!

I am reading: My list is too huge to share, but here are some essential books by my tutors to get me started -

Crime, Courts and Community in Mid-Victorian Wales: Montgomeryshire, People and Places by R. Jones

Baal’s Priests: The Loyalist Clergy and the English Revolution
by F. McCall

Ledbury: A Market Town and its Heritage and Ledbury: Parish and People before the Reformation
by S. Pinches

The Political Worlds of Women: Gender and Politics in Nineteenth Century Britain
by S. Richardson

I am listening to:

and

July 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Well, although I didn’t win the Indigenous Voices Award, I met some fantastic people during the process, and as a direct result, my manuscript is being looked at by a fancy agent! She asked for an exclusive peek, so I’m hoping for good news, and if she doesn’t take it, I have a plan B which I am also super excited about, so it’s all good!

Last month I was also awarded a spot in the prestigious National Women in Film and Television Tricksters and Writers Screenwriting Program and am going into week 4 of that. What an eye-opener. It’s another world, and I love being in it! It’s helping with my everyday writing and providing a different, clear perspective. It suits my style, plus meeting so many fab, like-minded people is a bonus, and talking about TV and movies for 2 hours on Saturday mornings suits me fine! (Although trying to balance all this fun with reading all the history books I need to consume before September is a bit daunting;-)

I’m working on the last chapter of my book and plowed through last month. It wasn’t work ethic but rather a way to soften the grief as we lost our youngest dog to a brain tumour. I’m so thankful that my life revolves around deeply experiencing and writing about everything. It’s part of the way I can process the word and is a comfort in times like these.

My other project, the book about the greenhouse is coming along, and I find I have something to add daily, so it never feels like a chore to write. There is always something new and accessible. (And the greenhouse project itself is going gangbusters!).

I hope you have a comfortable month ahead, keep writing, and if you need a break, read something fun!

I am reading:

The Dreaded Curse: Screenplay Formatting
by Kat Montagu

and

Writing Local History
by John Beckett

I am listening to:

Spank Williams

and

June 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

So many happy things to report! This month I was shortlisted for an Indigenous Voices Award here, which is a tremendous honour, and I consider it a win! The Gala is on June 21st, and I hope you'll watch it with me!

On Monday, I had a manuscript consultation with one of my lit heroes Evelyn Lau. Talking to somebody who has a similar lived experience is extraordinary. It was maybe the best 80 minutes I've ever had. My brain was so lit up afterwards.

I also learned that I'll be teaching a poetry workshop at Massy at the end of the month here, and it's now open for registration!

Although I didn't get the Residency I applied for, this morning, I did wake up to this:

"Our admissions round is extremely competitive, and we would like to congratulate you most warmly on your success. This offer constitutes your formal offer of a place at the University of Oxford, and when you accept it you will enter into a contract with the University."!!!

So this will be my next year, and I can focus on school and writing, my two very favourite things:-) I am indeed blessed.

Also, I have not killed anything else in the greenhouse, so I am pretty happy about that! But I still have no expectations, so we'll see what happens now that the weather is warming:-) It is all making for excellent writing!

I am reading:

The Oxford Student Handbook

The Art of the Graphic Memoir
by Tom Hart

I am listening to:

and an old favourite,

May 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

At last! May is the month I’ve been waiting for, mostly impatiently. There will be some big changes coming in my work/writing life and our physical living space. And I should state right now, that even though the outcomes might not be what I want, I will learn from everything that happens, so it will all be positive:-)

I’ve just finished a big job for Penguin/Random USA and received such kind feedback that I’ve been walking on clouds all week. Plus, our greenhouse is doing so well, despite the snow we had just two weeks ago! It’s giving me plenty to write about, and lots of time to reflect, as I sing to my little green things.

I’ve been steadily writing every day and even though writing two books concurrently is a bit of a jumble, when I get my ideas they are very clearly delineated, so that makes it a lot easier, and each seems to spur the other on, thank goodness for that!

I am more and more interested in graphic storytelling, and I feel like that might happen in my future, these courses with Tom Hart are looking quite yum!

And finally, after a lot of publisher silence, I sent Ravens out again his time to an Indigenous publisher. After re-reading it I realize that I’m becoming a better writer, I made so many changes before I sent it out, those kinds of things where you say “how could I not have seen that?”, it was heartening! I have a few other things going out this month, I’ve been waiting for submissions to open. I also have three articles coming due for various magazines; I’ve gotten some ideas down, just need to sit and do the work.

I’ve also been thinking about school again, and will probably go back this fall if I don’t get the residency I applied for. I have a meeting with faculty coming up next week to have a chat about it, and at the end of the month, a manuscript consult with the amazing Evelyn Lau. I’ve been wanting to be in touch with her for the past few years, she has felt like such a kindred spirit, and I could never find out how, and then suddenly there she was! It’s funny how things get in front of you when they need to, it’s all about timing. Everything.

I am reading:

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
by David Grann

The Millennium Trilogy
by Stieg Larsson

I am listening to:

My friend Melissa Endean’s latest work

and Amyl and The Sniffers

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr7iv49zibCciRCzlFauotQ

And on repeat these amazing youth

April 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

I feel like a kid at Christmas, crossing days off the calendar and waiting for things to happen; hearing back about awards and residency applications, jobs and waiting for my remaining seeds to show those beautiful little green sprouts. But, I’m an adult now, I tell myself firmly, have a little patience!

Of course, if you have kids, you know THAT doesn’t work, so instead, I’ve been learning how to paint with watercolour, which is forcing me into patience mode!

I also tell myself that even though it's ‘only’ April, there are already measurable fruits of my labours, and in the greenhouse, we have some microgreens ready to eat! And out in the world, I have a newly published piece ready to share in the Anglican Journal here. It’s a piece written about an undiscovered time in my life when I was working 24 hours a day. That time is a blur, so I’m really happy that some of these special moments are bubbling their way to the top of my brain and spilling out onto the page.

Thanks to the Indigenous Editors Association I’ve also been doing some really interesting work in places I never expected, last week it was a job for the Royal Society of Chemistry, which was quite a proud moment for me. Another proud moment came when I was an honoree at the Simon Fraser University’s Author’s Reception. I don’t usually attend awards things or graduations, but I did attend this because I am very proud of my recent book People Like Frank and other Stories from the Edge of Normal, and I shared some happy tears with the other authors.

Now April is here and I have a list of half a dozen pending writing projects, interviews and articles to write, and I have the addition of my twice (or more!) daily trips to the greenhouse to check on all my green children. It's a wonderful life!

I am reading:

Run Towards the Danger
by Sarah Polley

I am listening to:

Mostly just the birds in my garden:-)

March 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Back in September, I felt so burnt out from my two years of book writing/revising and PR that I decided to take off December- March to relax and focus on writing. Of course, as is the way in my life, when I clear some stuff out, it makes room for other things to come in, a phenomena Marie Kondo fails to mention! So, I ended up being very busy, but it was different busy, so I won’t complain.

March is the beginning of my back-to-work period, and that starts on the 9th with a free for everybody class on How To Be Writer at the North Vancouver District Library. It’s all online, and you can register here, from anywhere in the world!

I’ve entered the CBC non-fiction contest this year and the Indigenous Voices Awards again and tried for another Residency for the fall. I’m confident in everything, but now I’ll try hard to put them out of my mind as there are some months to wait.

I’m working simultaneously on a few different projects and am in the flow of my daily writing practice, but house repairs are looming, seeds need planting in the greenhouse, and articles need to be to written. Back to deadlines! I was fortunate though, to have had a great response from the editor of the Anglican Journal on a bit of piece I sent in, and it will be out in April, and he has asked for more, so that’s exciting and new!

On the 15th, I’ll be in attendance at the SFU Celebration of Authors Reception which is online this year; yay! But for now, I’m off to look at my March seed planting calendar and find my antihistamines - achoo! Stay tuned - there is much more in the works!

Happy Spring, I hope your allergies don’t hold you back!

I am reading:

Loose End
by Ivan Coyote

I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death
By Maggie O’Farrell

Greenhouse Gardener's Companion
by Shane Smith

I am listening to:

February 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Sometime between 5 and 6 am, I wake up and start writing. The gift of this habit was given to me by my mentor Stella Harvey and I cherish it!

Today, even though I’m still up early, I’m taking a day off, well earned I feel, after a two-month stint of writing and editing a book chapter for an award submission. (If you want to read more about how this process looks for me, check out this post).

During this period I decided that 2022 will be another ‘big year of writing' for me as I’m focusing on two concrete projects; and as it was in 2020, my goal will be a publishing deal. The difference between last year (where I had ‘hoped’ for a book deal in 2021) and this year, will be the amount of work I’ll put into the projects. Although last year I wrote a ton of words, my plans were too vague, I see now, and I was trying to change things around to fit certain publishers, at their request - those who in the end said ‘no thank you’, and I was left sitting here thinking, ‘but I did this for you?’.

Now, I’m back writing for myself. And I love it. I can pour myself into it. I always said I would be happy digging ditches (apparently they still did that when I was small), and I love farm work and any sort of work where I can use my mind and my body. So here we go, this year my mind is on writing and my body will be in the new greenhouse and let’s see where that takes us!

I am reading:

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
by Fred Rogers

I Am, I Am, I Am, Seventeen Brushes with Death
by Maggie O’Farrell

Rick Mercer, Talking to Canadians
by Rick Mercer

I am listening to:

Lucinda Williams

January 2022

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Happy New Year!

So far 2022 is great despite the leaking roof!

Even though I received just a MASSIVE number of rejections last year, I am so eager to get back to work on all my writing projects to see what will emerge.

Last year I wished for a publishing deal, I felt I needed to have one every year to stay relevant. So, I put in many hours of work, but when I look back now I see that my writing wasn't good enough, not by a long shot, and it humbled me.

I would like to thank the publishers that took the time to consider my writing in 2021. And a huge thank you to all of the people, especially in my writing group, who took the time to give me feedback on my work.

This year will be mainly spent in the greenhouse, making house repairs, writing, painting, and teaching (Please visit my website as many of my engagements will be open to the public starting in March!).

For you my friends I wish you peace and joy and health and all the good things!

Keep writing!

I am reading:

Mosquitoland
by David Arnold

The Cuckoo's Calling
by Robert Galbraith

I am listening to:

Floex

and
Tove Styrke

December 2021

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Well, would you look at that, it’s December again!

Another year of writing and book PR is nearly done and dusted, and now I’m moving into a few months of hibernation and deep writing.

This year I have received an epic number of rejections, but I have also sent out a huge number of pieces, which is a good thing. I felt some huge disappointment that my new book has not been picked up yet, so I am at that ‘it’s not you, it’s me stage’ where I might decide to shelve the ms for a while and change my focus. The poor old thing is tired and after 40 years of rewrites and travels, maybe it also needs a period of sleep. The only thing that keeps me going with this book is the fact that portions of it are continuously being published and other bits continue to win awards. So I know it is worthy.

Also on my rejections list were a number of residencies, but for that I understand, I feel that I am not actually old enough yet to maybe provide the insight required, so I can wait! I still have a few more things to hear back about before the end of the year and into January.

On the flip side, because there is always one, I am transformed from my time at the Banff Centre, there is no other way to say it. I am so deeply grateful for the opportunity, my words cannot even express it yet, but I know that it will be shown in everything I do and every step I take from this point forward.

One of the other high points of the year has been the huge number of interviews and speaking engagements I have had. The people I have met have just been so kind and welcoming and oh gosh, I just love sharing what I have learned about art and writing and life, every single opportunity has been such a huge honour for me!

I know I am probably forgetting a million little flickers of light that saw me through the year, but I will tell you the banger at the end of it all was an invitation to read for Penguin/Random House USA, and I am working on my first ms for Knopf. While it is not writing per se, it is in the biz and I am helping other writers which is definitely up my alley!

I am so looking forward to seeing what adventures next year brings, I have so many ideas and am working on a few different things. I continue to be Writer in Residence at the BC History Magazine for 2022, so please visit me there and watch my website for upcoming dates, right now I have a few things already booked for March which will be open to the public.

I’m not sure if I will continue on at Harvard next year, it is an intense schedule and right now I feel like puttering in the greenhouse and writing, but the amazing students and teachers always pull me back in, so we’ll see:-)

The creative life is like the swing of the pendulum, and I just have to keep remembering the joy of the swing and the wind in my face, because that’s what it’s all about.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season, I hope the darkness takes you to your page and that great things happen there, to your characters, and to you!

Until next year, keep writing!

This month I am reading:

Norwegian Wood
by Haruki Murakami

Fight Night
by Miriam Toews

Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice
by Brunetti, Ivan

Oh and I joined a choir! So am learning our piece and have this on repeat:

November 2021

Outside The Writer’s Studio

My social media posts in November usually start off with; "Up early, writing". I have grown to love the dark mornings of silence, with just my keyboard clacking away. It takes me back to the days of sitting at my donated kitchen table with my giant green donated electric typewriter with my ream of donated paper, and all I can do is be so grateful for where I am today and thankful to the people who helped get me here.

I think of this because I have had so many rejections this year that the wind of them threw me off kilter for a bit, but I've righted the spinning top and I'm back at it, getting up and doing the work. I know it's all for the best and when I look back in a few years I am 100% positive that I will say 'whew', glad that didn't happen!

So, as my mentor Stella Harvey always says, 'Onward!'.

This week I begin my course at Banff! There is so much prep before our first class tomorrow but WOW, I have already learned so much and I am honoured to have won a scholarship to be able to attend this amazing event.

I'm still awaiting word on a few things I applied for next year, but even if I don't get anything I have so much writing to do that I know another year will pass in a flash. I could use the downtime I have been so busy, and you can watch my recent talks here, here, and here.

For those of you who are participating in NaNoWriMo, I salute you! I am a two year Veteran and your experience will be amazing no matter how many words you write! And for those of you up early like me, we are all in this together, let's not forget that, even though its solitary work, you are never alone, and look how far you've come! :-)

Keep Writing!

This month I am reading:

UNESCO World Virtual Indigenous Circle on Open Science and the Decolonization of Knowledge.

Just One Damned Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1
by Jodi Taylor

I am listening to:

October 2021

Outside The Writer’s Studio

Alex de Boer Podcast Coordinator, CiTR 101.9 FM

for a story on the descendents of Stanley Park Families, and we recetly heard back that the CBC is keen on producing it for

The Doc Project

This is pretty exciting as well, though I will probably only play a small part. For the interview I read my recent ROOM essay; “In The Bentwood Box”. I was nervous, but Alex made it quite relaxed, so it was fun.

In my other world I am still learning how to balance painting and writing, or rather the business of art with writing, because planning exhibits and contracts etc. takes so much time, but I’m getting there. I am booked for 2019 and just waiting to book 2020 shows now. With any luck I will fill my calendar quickly so I can focus solely on writing for a while.

These are all of my plans big and small. One thing I have learned though, is that plans can change and we need to be flexible. So like Gumby, I wait to see what will happen next.

What I’m currently reading:

The Little Prince by St Exupery
No Time To Spare by Le Guin
On Writing by King
The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul
by Adams
Braiding Sweetgrass by Kimmerer
Blueberries For Sal by McCloskey

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How do you do. My name is Jenn Ashton and I would like to tell you about my writing.

Copyright @2023 JennAshton contact me @raveonstudio

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