I want to know your experience. Your story. Next year I’d like to hear from you or people you know who’d like to connect their joy, their heartache, their chaos, their unique experiences in the world to others. I have always believed that we can change the world with art: music, books, performance. But also with essay. Send me your essays! Don’t worry about the sentence structure. I can take care of the that part easily. Don’t worry about the spelling either. Just write between 500-1000 words and send it to elainaparsons77@gmail.com

You will be featured here and on my website. Why am I not writing? Because my head will be buried in my grad school courses and that’s exactly how I want it. 🙂

The only non-academic “writing” I will be doing is editing. I do have a full length memoir scheduled to be published with Vine Leaves Press in April 2025 (Chomp Press Pull: stories of a sensory self), but as far as new work–not feeling it. Publishing three books in two years has filled me up, and that part of my wacky, mushy brain is tired. Now, I long to work towards the second half of my life’s mission with CUNY as my instrument.

My MA in Museum Studies (CUNY) will allow me to advocate for cultural advancement, awareness, and education in the LGBTQ arena, specifically museums and historical societies. But I won’t  bombard you with those details right now. Just know that I am seeking your work for my newsletter and my blog. Do you own a business? Did you belong to a culture that you’re proud of? Do you have an experience unlike many others? Do you want to raise awareness? What is YOUR story?? Gimme gimme gimme!! I can reach close to 4K people across my social platforms with your words.

Before signing off, I’d like to share my favorite four books that I read this year. I read about 36 this year, some audio, mostly not. These four felt the most important. These four felt the most “just one more chapter” for me. I do hope you will consider clicking on their links and supporting an industry that needs the love more than ever. Books. The book industry needs love.

Study in Hysteria (2/2024) by Kathleen Collins

Never Whistle at Night, by Hawk and Van Alst

The Lost Apothecary by S. Penner

Bliss Road  by M. Engber

Much love and Happy New Year,

Elaina