Good News, Bad News November: AWP Featuring My Panel, Losing Our Beloved Shakespeare, A Lunar Eclipse, Sprained Knee and a Monoclonal Antibody Shot, A Holiday Visit to Molbaks, and a New Poem in the West Trestle Review

Good News, Bad News November: AWP, Beloved Cats, Lunar Eclipses, Poems, and More

It’s November, and it seems that often this time of year good news and bad news comes together. Sharing a bit of good news, AWP decided to feature the panel I submitted on writing disability and chronic illness, so that’s very exciting news, and I’m extra happy for my panelists.

On the sad news, we lost our beloved 16-year-old Shakespeare this week. He has lost half his body weight in six months and was failing to hold down water, so we had a vet to the house and said goodbye to him there. It was incredibly sad, more than I ever expect (why is that the case?) Glenn took it very hard.

And then this week a lot of weird body stuff (along with a full lunar eclipse)—a first-time ever torn knee MCL, and I have to rest that for a month—on the way to get physical therapy for my knee, I got a concussion and spent election night in the ER watching the results, and then today received my hard-fought Evushield injections—preventative monoclonal antibodies. It’s not as effective as it was on earlier versions of Omicron, but it should provide more protection than just my J&J vaccine would have and lasts six months. Glenn got his bivalent Omicron shot at the same time. Hopefully we will continue to stay covid-free throughout the next six months, through AWP and my birthday and books launch? To be fair, I usually have really bad luck during eclipses, and this was no exception. Better luck next week?

AWP Features the event: Mutant, Monster, Myself: Writing the Disabled/Chronically Ill Body

I couldn’t believe it when I got the news that AWP wanted to feature the panel I’d submitted it seems just a few months ago. I was especially glad because it will have ASL translation and livestreaming, as well as being in a ballroom at the convention center, so it should be accessible to more people. And the panelists are all people I would want to hang out with under any circumstances, so I feel very lucky. And since my book is debuting at AWP, it seems like great timing. I’m really hoping to see some writer friends at this upcoming AWP – the last one I went to was in Portland!

Shakespeare as a kitten in a Halloween candy bowl

Saying Goodbye to Shakespeare

It was very hard saying goodbye to this little guy who’s been our companion for 16 years. We got him while I was touring for my first book! I wish he had been able to stay with us through this sixth book. Glenn took it very hard as Shakespeare was especially attached to Glenn, and followed him around the house. He was friendly and cuddly and just an all-around good cat. We’ll miss you, Scrummy.

Three more pictures of him—in 2016, in happier times, as Santa cat, with Sylvia, and as a kitten on my printer.

A New Poem, “In a Plague Year, a Glass Baby Grows Inside,” in West Trestle Review

“In a Plague Year, a Glass Baby Grows Inside” appears in the current issue of West Trestle Review, and appropriately enough, is accompanied by cat-themed art. Check out the whole issue. And a sneak peek below:

Glenn and I at Molbaks with poinsettia tree

Finally, a Holiday Outing to Molbaks, A Lunar Eclipse, a Sprained Knee, a Concussion, and Evushield

See, look at us? That was earlier in this week, at a Molbaks holiday party, blissfully unaware yet of what awaited us later in the week! But at least we had fun for a few hours and were reminded that it is the holidays and there are good things to celebrate.

Lunar eclipses rarely spell good news for me—in fact, they usually include a trip to the ER—and this year’s was no exception. The night of the Molbak’s party was also a huge windstorm that knocked out power for a lot of people, including a lot of my friends and my little brother, and I had my first “old age” injury—a torn MCL ligament on my knee from…I don’t know, walking around in flats? Using my exercise bike? Still not sure but seems like one of those “age-related” or maybe “hyperflexibility” injuries that take a quick moment of barely anything to happen and ages to heal. To add insult to injury, I got a concussion getting into my physical therapy building (not at all an accessible building, of course—why??) and ended up getting a CT at the ER and being diagnosed with a simple concussion and instruction to wake up every two hours to make sure I was okay.

Today I woke to an 8 AM virtual doctor’s appointment, and then a 2 PM Evushield appoint. Evushield is a preventative covid treatment for people with allergies to the covid vaccines who have immune system issues. I was the very last Evushield patient at UW to receive the treatment, even though I had been approved for the treatment in June. So hard to get ahold of, and is a little less effective than it was six months ago, but hopefully will provide a little more protection for me for the next six months. I am thankful Glenn also got his Omicron covid booster with me. I expect to be a little down, sore, and achy for a day, a small price to pay to avoid covid. I found out Evushield is just now making its way to my friends in England, for a price: $1200. So I feel lucky to be able to get it at all.

Anyway, here are a few happier scenes to send you into the rest of November. Wishing you a happy holiday season, a balance of good to conquer the bad. I’m going to try to have a happy, illness-and-injury free weekend, and wishing you the same!