Middle of July: birthday, small trips, moving on

I turned 25 on July 8th. It feels like a good age, so in the middle–it’s own kind of crossroad between leaving my early 20s, the silvery fog of early adulthood, to something that feels more like permanence and self-assuredness. So I’d hope.

Before I move, I’ve been staying with my parents in Ohio. I’m from Pennsylvania, but this little work motel my trucker dad is set up in has become home during my breaks. We visited The Troll Hole in Alliance, Ohio:

And we took a trip to the Akron Zoo:

In under two weeks, I’ll be leaving again to prepare to move. I’ll be making home in a new place, so far from where I’ve been. I’m nervous but excited for what’s ahead. There’s not much to say about it yet, but I know the words will come.

Rest of Summer: Back Home, Teaching, and Things to Come.

How do you keep blogging from feeling cheesy?

I left Florida yesterday, and was back in Pennsylvania by early morning. A long 18 hour trip. I’m here for a wedding, then spending the rest of the month with my family before I make my move for my phD program. I’ll be back in Florida before the end of the month, so A LOT is happening in a short time frame.

I don’t have a lot to say but a lot to do. As the title of this post suggests, I started online teaching English 102: Composition, Research & Rhetoric. 16 weeks into 6 weeks. (:

I’m trying to think of what to do with this blog. I made it mainly to share my publications and keep it as a creative/personal space, with the intent to include other art & writing-related life things. But still, I struggle with knowing what worthwhile to include here. When I get into my actual own home space, I want to paint and do all sorts of visual art. I want to join community initiatives and take part in more activism. I want to be active in an LGBTQ+ organization again and coordinate events. These are all things I did in undergrad that were meaningful to me but fell away when I began a new chapter of my life and focused on my writing. Of course, I’ll still be so busy with school and writing. There’s so much I want to do, but sometimes I feel like my focus is all over the place.

Lots of things I’m always trying to figure out. What sorts of things would you like to know or read about or see? And the real question is, how do you manage your time and priorities?

Summer Solstice

Happy first day of summer ♡ In honor of the transition, I made a summer solstice collage. My images were primarily retrieved from thegraphicfairy and knickoftime.

Summer is my favorite season. July 8th is my birthday. I have plenty of time until school begins. Today, I made an inventory of all the things that felt like summer. I like to think my best writing comes when the sun is brightest. I’m nostalgic for my childhood days on the porch, sun tea near the steps, chalk staining rainbow on my hands. There were pinwheels and knick knacks, our camper I held sleepovers in, the fire pit where we made ‘mountain pies.’ I love the laziness of the days, how time is more difficult to tell. It always feels like a more magical space, time to learn and enjoy yourself.

Summer feels like a reset. New rituals. What does summer make you want to write? What writing exercises do you find useful?

Middle of June

I felt the sun in so many different places since my last post. Any month, like weather, is variable. May wasn’t without great loss. I talk about this a little in my newsletter: tinyletter.com/heathervmyers.

What helps me is directing my efforts and energy into what makes me feel good. Also, creating a protected and sacred space. This takes many forms. Traveling, really just being somewhere that feels new, gives me peace of mind; my writing and art happens easier, more at ease. Old spaces can also few anew. I like revisiting what I know or where I’ve been. There’s usually more to find.

On my road trip down to Florida (where I’m staying for a little with my partner), these are a few places we stopped at: Blackwater Falls in WV; Richmond, VA; Asheville, NC; Tallulah Gorge in GA, St. George’s Island in FL, Wakulla Springs, and several places in Tallahassee, FL. Below are just a handful of photos from the visits.

Blackwater Falls and Davis, WV:

  • Sirianni’s Cafe
  • Sirianni’s Cafe
  • The Falls
  • Outside of the campground near the falls

Maymont Park in Richmond:

Asheville:

  • Asheville KOA East
  • Over Easy Cafe
  • Native Kitchen
  • View from the campsite

Tallulah George:

  • Bridge to the gorge
  • 750 steps down and up
  • What flower is this?
  • The gorge!

Various places in Florida (Cascade Park, Tallahassee Museum, St. George’s, FSU Rez, Alfred B. McClay Garden):

The month is still early. I will start teaching again soon. I hope you make time and go out to have your adventures, too. ♡

Emily Dickinson Cento

dickinson-centoentry.png

Today I flipped through a pocket-sized Dickinson book and decided to put some lines together with the petals from a dying bouquet.

Dickinson was one of my first poetry loves. I found her in a bin of children’s poetry books at my elementary school. It was a simple, illustrated book; I never forgot it (but I did forget the name).

While I did not come across explicit mention of Dickinson, as an undergrad research assistant I worked on transcribing boxes of letters from her correspondent Thomas Wentworth Higginson. I always hoped to see her name written out.

Last summer, I took a class on Dickinson taught by Mary Ann Samyn, and my final project involved designing dresses based on her poetry, along with a write-up of how I interacted with the poems. This was probably the most enjoyable project I’ve ever done. I used flowers and scrap materials to construct the dresses in a collage-style look book. I also used a prompt to write on the thread Emily Dickinson might’ve used to bind her fascicle. I imagined it as silver. If you’re looking for a comprehensive edition of Dickinson’s work: Christine Miller’s Emily Dickinson’s Poems: As She Preserved Them was a pleasure to go through, and I’d recommend it to anyone with an interest in her poetry. A non-required reading I’d also recommend is Susan Howe’s My Emily Dickinson.

I hope to visit Amherst, one day. I think this article does a good job of encapsulating fascination with Emily Dickinson: https://www.kenyonreview.org/2015/06/my-my-emily-dickinson/

I’m also including some other links for viewing / reading: