…and carried into fall: a series of poems about living in India (that was a long time ago, now that I think about it) and what it was like to feel foreign to others, to myself. These poems came together as if riding the same train, getting off on a busy platform not knowing each other, but arriving in one place at the same time. Download Foreign Bodies on the home page.
One of the projects I started in 2019 was to get a little cottage I have in Hilo set up to use for people I know (myself included) visiting the island, working on (writing) projects, maybe an extended residency for someone I know. I’ve gone over a couple of times to set up, and here’s where it is so far.
Each time I go, I figure out what else I need. In no particular order: Internet, a toaster, outdoor lighting, extra towels…
It’s a one-bedroom place, with a kitchenette and bathroom, small sitting and eating area, a few resident geckos, and sometimes a tree full of sweet juicy oranges just outside. (It can sleep 3+ has fold-out foam mats for sleeping more on the floor).
The location is just up from Hilo town. If you want to stay there, just let me know!
I got a lot more writing done this year. A sweet friend described me to a magazine as “the best local writer, you’ve never heard of, and never will.” That was a biased review and something to disprove– the I can get better part and also the part about getting some readers.
Virginia Loo