photo © Michael Yamashita 

Biographical. details. of a. girl. in. New England.

A) Born in the depths of Chicago’s South Side to a jazz drummer and Southern preacher’s daughter. Books take precedence over play. I never learn to double-dutch. I don’t ride a bike until age 13.

B) The world opens wide in high school. I sell my soul to rock n’ roll, and my previously heaven-bound soul is forever ruined. Although, art and debauchery are considered a formal religious choice.

C) I begin to travel extensively during college, beginning with a summer spent building trail in the Rocky Mountains. The world opens even wider.

D) I embark on a post-collegiate “find yourself” sojourn in Oregon, living in Eugene and experimenting with calm thought. It doesn’t always work.

E) Returning to Chicago, my words start to make pennies. Oops.

F) Life and love and book publishing companies and shows and tears and hollers and running and lakes and clouds and magazine offices and organic produce and worry and poverty and riches and stress and longing and ruminations and bad poems and good poems and settling and plotting and revolutionizing and tearing apart and too much red wine and sewing life’s seams and George W. Bush and false intent and lazy afternoons and breezy porches and brick wall views and jamband touring and stolen kisses and utter confusion and corruption of self and grand ideals and adapting to caffeine and Buddhism and downfalls and cries of joy and analysis of ultimately nothing.

G) Move to Vermont. Look at trees. Write some more for you. (My apologies.) Thank. you. for. having me.
 

☄ *

* For wishing on a star.