August '23 Madhouse Recap: Writing, Meditating, and Welcoming the Fall Semester

 August‘23 Madhouse Recap

Hello friends and fiends–

August, August, August. You were an interesting, beautiful, cruel, unforgettable month, and I’m both thankful for you and happy you’re in the rearview window. I started out the month with a wonderful writing retreat with WCSU deep into the Poconos Mountains. It was restorative and inspiring, and I met so many wonderful people. Plus, Lindy Ryan and I got to spend the whole week together chatting, plotting, and drinking chocolate wine long into the night and it was amazing. I don’t think I’ve laughed or smiled that much in a long time and I’m looking forward to the next event we’re all together. In short, I’m beyond grateful for that time, space, and the memories that were created there. 

After spending a week eating farm-to-table food and meditating in word gardens, I came home to a bit of a work kerfuffle. I spent about two weeks of August plagued with panic attacks, stress migraines, and nausea, and it caused me to do a lot of evaluating. I won’t get into it because frankly, it’s very personal, but I will say that I’m learning more and more to protect my mental health and acknowledge my self-worth. Thankfully I have a great group of support people and we were able to get through things, but it really made me reflect on a number of things professionally speaking. 

BUT on to happier and more soul-enriching topics!

I’ve gotten a few more blurbs for my upcoming collection, On the Subject of Blackberries. The book will be out on 9/21 but you can preorder it here. Check out the below for some more insight into the book. I do hope they tempt you into reading, and if you’re a reviewer, you can request your copy from NetGalley today!

• "Dark, lovely, and brutal, these poems are a tribute to Shirley Jackson and a hymn for the inner Blackwood sister who resides in all of us. Fans of gothic horror will devour Wytovich’s stunning collection in one sitting."--Jessica Drake-Thomas, author of Burials and Bad Omens
• A haunting collection that blends urgency alongside the myth of pastoral, the supernatural, and the body. Stephanie Wytovich’s collection is a cacophony of seeking out darkness in light and light in darkness. Each line comes together in a dazzling cemetery of selves—past and present—seeking a rebirth into something truly extraordinary. If Wytovich’s words are a match, then this book is the flame. - Stephanie Valente, author of Internet Girlfriend
• "Once again, Stephanie M. Wytovich knocks it out of the park with her inimitable poetry. Brilliant and beautiful, On the Subject of Blackberries is a worthy companion to Shirley Jackson's classic, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Everything I'd hoped it would be and more." -- Gwendolyn Kiste, Lambda Literary and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Reluctant Immortals and The Rust Maidens
• “Wytovich discloses the festering secrets of her darkest thoughts with the inevitable doom of Emily Dickinson and the dread-infused paranoia of Poe’s ‘Tell-Tale Heart.’ Recommended for lovers of the exquisitely macabre.”—Lee Allen Howard, author of The Covenant Sacrifice

Speaking of all things spooky, I was able to hang out with some friends from the Pittsburgh HWA Chapter at one of my favorite bars, Harold’s Haunt. I haven’t been able to go to a lot of meetings and events, but I try to make time when I can and I’m definitely hoping to be more active and social this fall. This night was a good reminder that friendship is good for the soul. Plus they had the 1964 Addams Family playing on the TV…so like, perfection, right?

Another highlight of the month was going sunflower picking at Trax Farms. We met my mom and dad there and ran around in the flowers with Evie and picked up some fall goodies. Because the sunflowers didn’t last long as we cut them, we decided to repurpose them. We plucked all the petals and then dried them out so we could use them in spell jars, simmer pots, baths, etc., and then laid out the rest of the flower to dry so we could use the seeds to feed our bird friends.

Oh, and there is something else new I can talk about. A lot of you know I spend a lot of time studying Thanatology, and this is something that's been reinforced by the work I do advising the funeral service students at Point Park. Well, I'm teaching a funeral service-specific version of City Life this semester, and I've put a lot of research, reading, and networking into place this summer to make it something special, but in addition to that, it also gave me the push to do something else I've been thinking about for years: studying to be a death doula.

I recently took a class and got my certification (something that isn't necessary, but I felt I needed it) and I'm excited to have this knowledge and start volunteering my services. For those interested in what a Death Doula is, you can read more here.

Oh, and if you’re wondering if I’ve started decorating my house (more) for Halloween…the answer is YES!

On the writing/teaching front:

• Mid-August brought with it the beginning of my Witch Lit class via LitReactor. We’re deep into the forest together now, but as always, this remains one of my favorite classes to teach. I’m also in the final throes of the design for a new class that we hope to debut soon, so be sure to keep your ears open for any murmurings of that in the upcoming weeks.
• I attended the WCSU Summer Residency at the Highlights Foundation where I co-taught and performed a lecture and reading with Lindy Ryan and got to meet my mentees and plan a bit more for the fall semester. I’m currently mentoring 5 students and we’re ranging on topics from the weird to the fairytale, the mystical, to the poetic, the monstrous, and to the divine.
• I’m working on a new course that I’m hoping to debut at Point Park in the spring. It’s based on horror and thanatology and I’m having a blast working on the syllabus and considering books and exercises for the students. I don’t think you’re supposed to get this excited about developing a curriculum, but it’s definitely something I’m finding I really enjoy.
• I invited Jessica McHugh into The Madhouse this month to chat about her upcoming collection The Quiet Ways I Destroy You. You can read my interview with her here.
• I recently took and finished a children's literature course at Point Park University to help inspire my writing this summer. I was so engaged by the material that I made myself a short reading list to tackle while I simultaneously worked through the syllabus. Below is a small taste of that. Check out my latest LitReactor column where I talk about my journey with middle-grade and young-adult graphic novels...all featuring the spellbinding allure of the witch: Spellbinding Reads for Young Adults.
• Into the Forest was awarded the 2023 Silver Falchion Award for Best Anthology at the Killer Nashville Con. If you’d like to watch the replay of the awards banquet, you can do so here: https://www.youtube.com/live/LuVu69wlUMI?si=WBktYqFWlcx59dFK.
• I recently had a conversation with the ever-lovely Joanna from The Creative Pen Podcast. We talked about all things Writing Poetry in the Dark. You can listen to the conversation here.
• A quick reminder: Shakespeare Unleashed released itself into the work via Crystal Lak Entertainment. This is the second book in the Unleashed series and I’m beyond honored to have a Macbeth-inspired sonnet inside. You can pick up your copy here.

This month, I read:

• Made to Explode by Sandra Beasley
• Note: This was a fun experience because I read this collection at the WCSU summer residency where Sandra taught a workshop and did some readings. I love when I can take advantage of these moments, to read a writer while they’re reading their work. It feels surreal and if you haven’t done it before, I encourage you to give it a go. It makes the book and the poetry come alive in such a beautiful way.
• Maw, Vol 1 by A.L. Kaplan and Jude Ellison S. Doyle
• I Hate This Place, Vol 1 by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin
• Lovesick, Vol 1 by Luana Vecchio
• The Lunch Witch by Deb Lucke
• Bitter Root, Vol.1: Family Business by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene
• “Deep Roots / Rich Soil: Race, Horror and the Ethnogothic” by John Jennings
• “The Root of the Matter: Rootwork and Conjure in Black Popular Culture” by Kinitra Brooks
• “Blood and the Rut” by Regina N. Bradley
• “Skin, Skin Don’t You Know Me?” by Qiana Whitted
• Confessions of a Funeral Direction: How the Business of Death Saved My Life by Caleb Wilde
• Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
• Inadvertent by Karl Ove Knausgard

On the media front: 

• Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story (2022), Infinity Pool (2023), You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
• Cruel Summer, Season 2 (2023): Okay so I think I liked the first season more (it felt grittier and more layered, I think). I didn’t hate the ending here–and was happy when we got the twist–but I suppose I wanted it to be darker and more fleshed out, especially in the aftermath when we realize what actually happened. Would I still recommend it? Absolutely.

• iCarly, (Reboot), Season 3 (2023):  So I was a huge iCarly fan growing up, and when I heard they were rebooting it, I immediately jumped on board. I just finished watching season 3 yesterday and 1) my heart has been waiting 15 years for this) and 2) How could they end on that cliffhanger! 

• While we’re on the subject if you haven’t read Jennette McCurdy’s memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, please do. It was one of the most honest, vulnerable, and heartbreaking books I’ve read.

• Over the Garden Wall (2014): Why didn’t anyone tell me I would love this show? I told Twitter I’m about to make this my whole personality, and I just might. I really enjoyed this and am still spinning thoughts around Aunti Whispers and Enoch. Weird. Surreal. Haunting at times. Loved it

• Modern Family, Season 1 (2009):. I’d never seen a single episode of Modern Family until a few months ago. Dennis and I needed something light to watch, so he recommended we give this a try and we both really love it. I know I’m impossibly late here, but better late than never!

• What We Do in the Shadows (2023): I’ve actually been enjoying this season a lot and I think it’s had a lot of really funny moments. Episode 6 “Local News” killed me, especially when Colin started doing the weather; Episode 7 “Hybrid Creatures” is one that I’ll be rewarching for sure; and “The Roast” had me cracking up with the Baron and Guillermo. I still think Lazlo is my favorite character though–yes, sure, thank you!

• Only Murders in the Building, Season 3 (2023): This is such a comfort show for me. I love where this season is going and I’m super here for the romance between Martin Short and Meryl Streep.

Podcasts: 

• The Art of Dying Well, “Funerals, Funeral Directors and Forward Planning”

• Death in the Afternoon, “Interview: How We’re Failing New Morticians”

• Death in the Afternoon, “Classic Article: Whose Green Burial is it Anyways?”

• Death in the Afternoon, “Interview: Opening a New Green Burial Cemetery”

• Death in the Afternoon, “Interview: The Doulas Taking on California’s Cemetery and Funeral Bureau”

• Talking Scared Podcast: “Stephen King & Writing From the Nerve Endings”

• Talking Scared Podcast: “Josh Winning & The World Through Blood-Tinted Glasses”

• Talking Scared Podcast: “Sadie Hartmann & The Books of Our Horrid Hearts”

• Talking Scared Podcast, “A History of Gothic Horror with Professor Roger Luckhurst”

• Talking Scared Podcast, “Alex Woodroe & The Sweet Science of Folk Horror”

• Talking Scared Podcast, “Tim McGregor and Blaming the Danish”

Also as a reminder, if you enjoy and appreciate the work we do here in The Madhouse, you can show your support for the blog by "buying a coffee" (or two!) for our madwoman in residence: me! As always, I thank you for your time and support and I look forward to serving you another dose of all things unsettling and horrifying soon.  You can also sign up for my Substack, which is where all Madhouse interviews (+) will be posted starting in 2024. As always, I thank you for your time and support and I look forward to serving you another dose of all things unsettling and horrifying soon.