Welcome to October

As I got ready to write this post, I noticed bits of yellow peeking out of the green of our backyard birches. I saw the cold-shriveled edges to the impatiens. The heat-loving red-orange begonia drooped, blooms resting on the deck floor, as if to say I’m exhausted.

Clearly, autumn is doing its work. But I am not exhausted; this is the time of year when I feel a surge of energy, ready to hike and cook and get rid of excess stuff in the house. Ready to grab my camera and photograph the frenzy of the birds prepping for winter, the shifting light, the fall colors. Ready to travel, as my partner Mick and I will in the coming weeks.

Fall also means the appearance of the annual Crone Issue of the quarterly poetry journal Gyroscope Review. Editor Constance Brewer and I collaborated on the cover art for this issue, which gave me a little more purpose for my fluid art experiments. I provided the background painting and Connie created a line drawing of women protesting as the overlay, then finalized the cover design using our collaborative work. The piece is titled, “Protest!” The issue is out as of today and you can get one HERE.

I know the great care with which the Crone Issue is put together, know how important it is to have a place for women poets over 50 to share their wisdom-filled, experience-rich poems. I can’t recommend this issue enough! It’s fabulous fall reading.

Happy October, everyone.

photo credits: cover photo by Narcis Ciocan, Pixabay; painting by kcmickelson; Gyroscope Review cover courtesy of Constance Brewer.