March '22 Madhouse Recap: WIHM, Postpartum, and Maybe a Vampire or Two

 Hello Friends and Fiends—

I’m sensing some spring energy afoot, and while I tend to be a dark and brooding fall/winter witch, I have to admit that I’m looking forward to a little bit of warmth, flowers, and sunshine on the horizon. 

This past month, I got to celebrate my first Ostara with Evie, and we made such a fun morning out of it. She had the most adorable, colorful dress on to welcome spring, and then we played with fresh flowers, opened all the windows, lit her Capricorn candle, and put our Rose on Jericho on water, too, to gently welcome all the things that will start to blossom here in the upcoming weeks. I also bought us some seeds to plant and we’re going to try our hand at making a little butterfly sanctuary here soon. I don't know–everything about that just sounds magical to me, and I want Evie to grow up around plants and have a deep appreciation for nature and all creatures big and small, so I think this could be something nice for us to do together. I also have some crystals I need to still hang in my windows, and it’s probably about time for me to get my hummingbird and bird feeder out from the basement, too, but because it’s the first of the month, you can be sure I’m washing my doors and archways down with peppermint oil to welcome in some positive, refreshing energy.

But like most things in life, everything has to balance out somewhere, and if I’m being perfectly honest with you folks, I’ve been having a fairly intense and rough postpartum journey. In addition to being back in therapy, I’ve also recently been diagnosed with OCD and I’m having a lot of issues with my hips, pelvis, and knees, which makes moving around less than enjoyable most days. I have a great support system in place and my treatment plan is going well for the above (in addition to some other things I won’t mention here), but in full transparency, things are a bit difficult physically, mentally, and emotionally right now. I don’t bring this up because I want pity or anything like that, but rather because I think mental health matters and that it seeps into everything we do whether we want it to or not, and I don’t want to feel like I have to be afraid to talk about stuff like this or worse yet, pretend that it’s not happening. It’s okay to not be okay, and while I’m not okay right now, I will be.

A quick note: my endless thanks, love, and appreciation for all of you who have checked in on me, made food, donated your time to help around the house, and sent Evie gifts and notes of love. I cherish you and will remember your kindness forever.

But let’s talk about something a little lighter now, yes? March was Women in Horror Month, and I did a LOT of reading and got to check out three new-to-me authors that have been on my list for quite some time: V. Castro, Sue Rainsford, and Hye-Young Pyun. I also read Shirley Jackson’s Life Among the Savages, which is a special moment for me to celebrate because I wanted to wait to read this book until I had kids. Needless to say, I think Raising Demons is on the horizon here, soon, too. 

I also have been reading (and writing!) a lot of poetry. I’ve talked about how much poetry has helped me in the past, and I’m leaning into it again like an old friend. I’m planning on doing some author interviews here for some exciting 2022 releases, and I’m just about finished writing a collection of my own that came out of nowhere but has been beyond healing. I’m hoping to finish it up in the next month or so, and while I don’t know what my plans are for it yet (or if I’ll even publish it), I’m grateful for the outlet it’s given me during this time.

On the writing/teaching front:

• We’re currently in week 3 of Writing the Vampire, and I’m having SO much fun teaching this class. In addition to learning about the lore and mythology about the vampire and where it stems from historically, we’ve also been uncovering different archetypes with the monster, writing stories about them, and dissecting artwork that speaks to the general nature and vibe of the creature. 
• I’m also teaching two graduate classes right now, one on speculative fiction and the other on SF/F. I’m enjoying a lot of the discourse we’re having in these courses, and it feels good to have this part of my life back.
• I’m working on Writing Poetry in the Dark and tying up some loose ends with things there. I’m hoping to be able to dive back into things with some more gusto this upcoming month as I head back to work and will have some more quiet time away from the house. I also have some editing projects with RDSP that I’m excited to start looking at more closely. This definitely has become the year of poetry for me, which is great because I feel like I’ve been away from bigger projects like this for too long and I’m excited to dive in and start really producing again. 

This month, I read:

●        The Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro

●        Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford

●        Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

●        Approval Junkie by Faith Salie

●        The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun

●        Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba

●        We Are the Ones Possessed by Adrian Ernesto Cepeda

I also read the short story“The Southwest Chamber” by Mary Wilkins Freeman. I saw Grady Hendrix make a post about her and I had never heard of her let alone read her work before so I wanted to amend that. I enjoyed her style and plan on reading more from her in the future.

 On the media front:

• Movies: Titane (2021), The Feast (2021), Fresh (2022), The House (2022), Last Night in Soho (2021), Hellbender (2021).
• TV Shows: Worst Roommate Ever (2022), Life and Beth (2022), The Thing About Pam (2022), Single Drunk Female (2022), Pieces of Her (2022), Unbelievable (2019). 
• I also voted for Fangoria’s Chainsaw Awards and I’m excited to watch things unfold later this year. Horror is so rich and intensely wonderful and challenging right now, and honestly, it was hard to make choices here!

April will be a big, transitional month for me. We’ll finally have our house fixed up (thank god), I’ll be heading back to work full-time, and there will be lots of changes to our routine as we all get adjusted, but I’m hopeful about it and I think everything will happen for the best. Right now, I’m just reminding myself to take things one day at a time, and I’m prioritizing self-care by making sure I work out and meditate for a little bit each day to help my body heal and bring me some peace. Until next time, know that I’ll be enjoying every moment of snuggle time and laughter with my sweet girl, cuddling the puppies with endless love, and basking in my final moments of maternity leave. This time has been so wonderful–even when it’s been hard–and I’m beyond thankful for it.

Best,

Stephanie