I spent a week in April serving as guest writer for Saint Benedict College and Saint John University where I visited classes, presented a couple of talks and met with students to discuss their writing. Things went mostly well, except for when I read the same page twice at my reading. That is what I deserve for trying to be environmentally conscious and printing my talk double-sided.
When I took modern dance when I was seven-years old with Miss Pearl, she told us the story of the time she was on stage, dancing the part of a swan, and as she bent forward, arched back shoulders rounded over her body, the top of her costume had come undone. She danced the rest of the movement half naked. Just keep dancing, is the lesson I learned even before Dory the fish who told us to just keep swimming in "Finding Nemo". So, I kept reading, hoping my face wasn’t burning too bright red. Later, I asked my hosts if they were horrified that I’d repeated myself. They were like, “No. We just thought it was part of the performance.� Let us not reflect too deeply on what that says about my writing style or performance style.
My former student went to see the Subhumans in Phoenix late last fall. I’ve loved this punk rock band since I was twelve-years-old. Their dark point of view satisfied me. Their song “The Cradl… Read moreImpossible individualism: Us fish must swim together
I didn’t mean to fall in love with Brine Shrimp. In 2017, for my birthday, my friend Angie gave me an ecosphere—an egg-shaped glass enclosure in which three brine shrimp swam among oxygenating… Read moreNicole's Impossibly Possible Ideas: Brine shrimp
I have a confession to make. I adopted two new kittens. After Zane the cat got lost last April, I couldn’t stop missing him. Zane, half Maine Coon, half koala bear, was my person. He slept bet… Read moreNicole's Impossibly Possible Ideas: Impossible Hospitals
On June 30th, I took a trip with my friend Beya and our youngest boys to Clear Creek Reservoir to paddleboard. The wind was strong. The water was murky. The sun was hot. We managed to make it … Read moreNicole's Impossibly Possible Ideas: Impossible College
I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. The nouns in that sentence define nearly all of my writing. My hometown, paradoxically named, shaped my aesthetic. I write from a first-person point of view… Read moreNicole's Impossibly Possible Ideas: One and done
Newly elected governor Katie Hobbs, in her inauguration speech, vowed to repeal the universal vouchers, officially known as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) â€� double-speak for if you’re… Read moreNicole's Impossibly Possible Ideas: Boot Straps
It was precisely 97 minutes ago that we wrapped up Spring Semester 2022. By the time you’re reading this, it will be September 1 and Fall Semester 2022 will be well underway. They say there’s … Read moreNicole's Impossibly Possible Ideas: A wormhole summer
