Hurricanes and Turnaround Times
Plus: The Interior Gaze starts next Tuesday!
Well, I survived the hurricane. Many others did not. Many lost everything.
It’s my third hurricane— I know many of you have been through more than that, and some of you are facing extreme losses from Hurricane Helene. This month I will be donating 10% of membership fees from September to several mutual aid groups for those impacted by Helene. I’ll post those donations within the next week.
Watching the Helene approach was a surreal experience. Classes were cancelled last Tuesday and many folks in Tallahassee evacuated. I stayed, mostly because my cat Edna is terrified of traveling and I live on the second floor. I knew it was a risk, especially as I watched Helene develop into a massive system larger than the entire state of Florida. Many of the spaghetti models (a silly term for the squiggly lines projecting a hurricane’s path) predicted that Helene would make landfall about 50 miles south of town, and the eye would pass directly through. I can’t even remember which day she came— ah— Thursday. I obsessively checked forecasts. Helene went from category 1 to category 3 in less than 12 hours. At the last minute she took an eastward wobble, landing in a coastal region that’s seen so much destruction in the past two years. It was night when the winds kicked up. I stood on my balcony, my hand on the doorknob, watching the trees sway and moan, hearing occasional sounds of a shotgun followed by a report. That’s what it sounds like when the trees fall. Like cannons exploding.
It was exhilarating, standing outside and feeling the power of nature. And scary. My power went off a few minutes after I came inside, once the winds got too strong for comfort. We got the westward side of Helene; the calmer side (but not calm). Many, many people have lost everything, both in Florida and across the south. It’s hard to feel lucky when I know so many are suffering right now. But I do feel lucky. And I know that luck doesn’t last.
I’m considering leaving Florida next August, when my lease is up and my book comes out. I can easily finish my PhD out of state if I want. But part of me feels trauma bonded to this place now. More than anything, I deeply understand why folks don’t evacuate. We were never ordered to evacuate, nor were many of the folks most adversely affected by Helene. Evacuating means admitting you’ll lose everything. Evacuating takes resources many folks don’t have. I get it now, viscerally.
If you have been adversely affected and need funds please let me know. I’d rather donate to individuals that huge organizations, although this newsletter does not generate a ton of revenue, it is something.
Click below for a list of small organizations accepting donations for marginalized groups affected by the hurricane.
Above is a video I recorded. You can’t see anything, but you can hear the rain and wind.
My Book Went to Copy Today
In the midst of the hurricane I was fielding emails from my editor as we navigated last edits— tiny changes that needed to happen before the book went to copy.
Today it went to copy.
Soon enough I will (hopefully??) have a production schedule. I’ll know the exact pub date. And I will be able to start my next project! I cannot wait to start my next project.
Because I am catching up on work and my energy is limited, I’ll save the hairy details about last edits for the next newsletter.
I haven’t really had time to process things, or take a break. Last year I promised myself that I’d take a trip to Europe when I got the last of my advance. I am really going to try and hold myself to that…but what about my credit card debt???
I did get myself one gift, which is a reading with my favorite astrologer, Amy Bird. She gave me a natal chart reading last year that blew my mind. I’m really looking forward to this reading, as we’ll chat about the year ahead.
Right now I feel shiny and hard on the outside; lush and overgrown on the inside. I want to melt some of that hardness so everything that’s changed internally can sprout through my exterior and bloom in the world.
Read and write with me, starting next Tuesday!
The Interior Gaze begins next Tuesday. This is a six week gathering. We’ll read essays. We’ll write. We’ll discover and come together and discuss. All paying members are welcome to join, and you can participate as much or as little as you’d like. (Note that we were going to start today but I postponed class until next week because of the hurricane).
Find out more about The Interior Gaze:
As always, thank you for being a part of this community. <3
From now on, comments are only open to paying members. This is to minimize trolling. Thank you for understanding.
Sorry you’ve been dealing with trolling! Jesus christ. Congrats on your book going to copy! Can’t wait to hear about your next project!