

Art for Artists and Brian Wilson
Stare for longer, listen closely, re-read or re-watch. This might not have been made for you, or maybe it was, but it is yours now.

Michaela
Jun 196 min read
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"Threshold Reckoning"
Do we know when we're at a threshold? Or do we just act in the moment and only understand how pivotal these decisions truly were in hindsight?

Michaela
May 263 min read
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Let us Lose and Be Glad in It
We're screaming more often, and louder.

Michaela
Mar 233 min read
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Review: Kabbalah & Jewish Mysticism
Book haul, Florence, 2023 Context In 2023, my best friend (the one I mentioned in another book review ) and I took a trip to Florence. On...

Michaela
Mar 125 min read
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Goodbyes
Sarah Lawrence College. September, 2016 The stages of grief are so well-known they've joined the armchair psychologist's lexicon....

Michaela
Feb 105 min read
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What Did I Write?
View from the roof of the Peninsula Hotel, Manhattan, 2016 In her recent video on Lev Grossman's The Magicians trilogy, video essayist...

Michaela
Jan 144 min read
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Writer's Rush
Hinksey Park, October 2024 In the past two months, too much happened. I got engaged, which coincided with both my birthday party and...

Michaela
Dec 24, 20247 min read
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Speed
I'm always skeptical of when a literary agency, journal or competition has a rapid turnaround. On one hand, it's great to have a clear...

Michaela
Oct 11, 20244 min read
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Review: The Sorrows of Young Werther
Since I last wrote, I've received countless rejections and a couple acceptances. I've performed in my first poetry slam competition, and...

Michaela
Sep 29, 20246 min read
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Performance
Recap: I've been rejected from two prose competitions and one poetry journal. I've submitted my work to many, many more to outpace these...

Michaela
Aug 3, 20245 min read
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Review: Táin Bó Cúailgne
Yesterday, my best friend and I listened to the soundtrack of EPIC the musical. As if my mind wasn't already fixated on mythology, this...

Michaela
Jul 6, 20245 min read
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How to Write Spec Fic
I don't know what I've gotten myself into. A year ago, I launched a Substack on the foolhardy belief I was ready to write a massive work...

Michaela
Jun 30, 20244 min read
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Zero-Sum
Since my last post, I have received one agent rejection and one (or three?) competition rejection(s). Indomitable, I continue to write...

Michaela
Jun 15, 20243 min read
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Nonfiction and Revisitation
I've done it. Maybe. I've used my memory to enhance, rather than overwhelm, my writing. And people responded well to it.

Michaela
May 27, 20244 min read
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Review: A Last Eyeful by Debra Shulkes
What it's about: Mental illness, introspection, finding joy in tragedy Why did I read it: I like to read poetry collections in between...

Michaela
May 2, 20244 min read
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Vienna
I (finally) want to announce some little successes. I've tried not to be too negative here, but obviously when discussing rejection...

Michaela
Apr 19, 20244 min read
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Review: Brehon Laws by Jo Kerrigan
What's it about: Ancient Irish law, customs and culture Why did I read it: Research for Terminal Lucidity 's second storyline. Lá Fhéile...

Michaela
Mar 17, 20244 min read
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The Beginning
A broody 17-year-old coping with heartbreak through poetry, 2013 Happy International Women's Day! Today, I want to tell you about...

Michaela
Mar 8, 20245 min read
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Silence
It might not be deadly, but the silent rejection is a particularly frustrating beast to battle. This past week, while facing intense...

Michaela
Feb 10, 20242 min read
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Living on the Shortlist
It's a glass of strong tea with a slice of lemon—more sweet than bitter, easy to drink, but always bites you at the end. I'm not talking...

Michaela
Feb 1, 20242 min read
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