New Poems at Villain Era, Losing a Writer Friend, A Few Bright Days, and America, the Ukraine, and Appeasing Bullies

New Poems Up at the Villain Era

Charles Jensen has a new online lit mag called Villain Era, and since there’s never been a better time to be in your villain(ess) era, I have two poems up at the venue. Check them out at this link! Sneak peek of one of the poems below.

A Few Bright Days of False Spring

We had a few bright days of “false spring” here during the last week while Glenn painted the bedroom and bathroom (saving us literally thousands of dollars) and here we are out in a well-deserved break at J. Bookwalter’s and Willows Lodge.

We’re still immersed in renovation dust, paint, and unfinished electrical and plumbing. This kind of project is not for the faint of heart. Making a house accessible in incredibly time-consuming and expensive – it would be so much better if homes were designed with accessibility in mind. Chaos is not good for me – I keep having asthma attacks and allergic reactions. Part of this might be other stress related to the news (see: later in this blog post) and just bad news in general. I am ready for more hope and light and good news and health.

Losing a Writer Friend and Honoring Her Voice

My friend and fellow Pacific MFA alum Susan DeFreitas died after a year-long struggle with cancer just a few days ago. After losing several friends in the first few months of 2025, this one hit me hard, especially as her story, described in the essay below, echoes so much of my own experience – not being able to have kids, going back to an MFA at 32 (the same age as me!), expecting to be read earlier and more than she was. Women writers with ambition tend to be talked down to, often discouraged, as students, as emerging writer, even by family and friends, and even more so as their careers advance and as they age. I hope that the essay encourages you to read more of Susan’s work.

Fighting to Be Heard as an Emerging Woman Writer

Sunflowers, blue sky

America and the Ukraine

I was so upset by what Trump/Vance did to Zelensky this week (the shameful Putin-groveling, bullying, the gaslighting) that I have to reiterate my position here and say I stand firmly with Ukraine, and I know I am not the only American to do so. Trump/Vance have sided with Putin and North Korea against all of our allies, including most of Europe – they are on the side of evil, not good. What can we do about it?

Again, we can give to Ukrainian charities, we can write to our representatives and tell them to speak up on Ukraine’s behalf. Have people forgotten what happens when you try to appease a dictator? Appeasement never works. See: WWII, Hitler.

So I am praying for the people of the Ukraine in their brave fight against Putin. And I will encourage Americans to stand up against the despot in charge of our government. Protest, speak out, vote with your dollars. Do not shut up. Do not give in. Do not pretend everything’s okay when it’s clearly not.

I wish all of you a safe and happy week ahead, but also a week of letting your friends know how much they mean to you, not letting discouragement get in the way of doing good work both in art and life.