breathe me in / for good luck
In which Bridget turns into a Summer Girlie
For a lot of my adult life I hated summer. Hated. Haaaaaated.
I don't do well with heat, even now; it was a lot worse pre-transition when A. I had a testosterone-dominant body and B. spent so much of my egg years wearing clothes that didn't let me breathe. (The trade-off, such as it was, was at least partly hiding a body that I did not want to be perceived. So, y'know, "win-win.") Add in tangentially-related mental health stuff and having to work crap service jobs that didn't offer PTO or even predictable schedules (thus not being able to go out and do fun stuff), and summer ended up being something to endure until Halloween.
And then I started taking estrogen and got into therapy and holy shit you guys, summer!!!!
I missed a lot of fun stuff last summer because I was just exhausted from the past two years of having to plan and execute a wedding. I was determined to make up for it this year and... I certainly did that. Phew.
Turns out therapy and the right meds and a dayjob that actually lets me take some time off was all I needed. (The sloppy gay sex also helped. Ahem.)
All this to say, it's 64F with an honest-to-goodness WIND CHILL and can. Can we just. Not. This year. Please.
Updates
I was a featured reader at poïsons!
It was my first time as a featured reader... anymore. I think I did ok– you can peep my IG reels and decide for yourself– but WOW was I terrified.
I'm going on tour next month!
Recent West Virginia emigrée Kyrsten Hodge is headlining a poetry tour in early October, and I'm going to be joining her and several other trans poets for the start of the tour! If you're in or near Toledo, catch me at The Attic On Adams on Friday, Oct 3rd! It's another big first for me, as I've never gone on tour for... well, anything, much less poetry.
I have new author bio photos!
Courtesy of Zero Thompson (:
a collection of photos of Bridget. she's wearing a black and green floral dress and a crescent moon pendant with a compass rose in a central disc. she is standing in front of Lake Michigan, an outgrowth of shrubs and bushes, and a brownstone building with soft sunset light behind her head.
What's Bridget Reading?
SCREAM / QUEEN by C.D. Eskilson
My husband and I were lucky enough to catch CD and Séamus Isaac Fey read at Women & Children First bookstore last month. This book is a ride, y'all. Don't skip this.
What's Bridget Listening To?
Partly as a result of a writing prompt in Neil Hilborn's Wednesday Writing Circle, I've been on a mid-aughts emo jag lately. (Having a new crush may or may not be contributing to this. Can neither confirm nor deny. Ahem.)
Other People's Poems
I read this last month at Other People's Poems with fellow emerging poet Maeve Andrews. It was an experience.
Love you,
Bridget