May 1st, 2024 It’s natural to reflect on your birthday. It’s natural to daydream about your earliest moments, lying on coarse carpet, following the sunlight as it sings through the tiny glass prism your mom hung in the window, leaving stains of every color in the palm of your hand; it’s natural to anxiously dwellContinue reading “When we meet again in the dark”
Tag Archives: Legacy
New Era
February 6th, 2024 omg. My paperback copies of Sunny Days of Rain arrived today, and I was not joking about its size. My last essay collection was a slim 451 pages, compared to this 824-page giant-sized behemoth. If you would have told me back in 2017 that there would be over 1,200 printed pages ofContinue reading “New Era”
The Key
December 28th, 2023 A year ago this week, I announced — in celebration of a decade publishing books and comics, and twenty years of making music as The Next Step — that I would be focusing on a different Sleeping Kitty Productions project every month for all of 2023, taking you behind the scenes andContinue reading “The Key”
The Weirdos, Part VI: Black & White Issues, Blacklisting, and a Technicolor Graphic Novel
August 29th, 2023 The Weirdos is about being a part of something that gives you meaning, something that could save your life. Once I was solidly standing on sober feet, I wanted to be a member of the artistic community as soon as I possibly could. It’s the reason I decided to produce The WeirdosContinue reading “The Weirdos, Part VI: Black & White Issues, Blacklisting, and a Technicolor Graphic Novel”
“Faribault famous”
August 2nd, 2023 I did a neat thing last week and it’s out today: the Faribault Daily News published a feature on me + my life + my work! You can check it out on their website at faribault dot com and of course I have some behind-the-scenes tea for you! – Pam and IContinue reading ““Faribault famous””
The Words I Needed Then
July 31st, 2023 Today is the last day of Brushfire month, which means I can shut up about it for a little while now. I tell people that I don’t write for an audience, and that is generally true; I don’t sit down and think of a target person, their age or gender or preferencesContinue reading “The Words I Needed Then”
Faribault High School Reunion ’23
July 15th, 2023 I had a ridiculously good time with these kids last night. We had our [loudly coughs]th high school reunion, and reunions are so stupid, which is why I love reunions so much. The further away we get from who we used to be, though, the less stupid reunions get. You get remindedContinue reading “Faribault High School Reunion ’23”
MinnesotaCon ’23 Recap
June 4th, 2023 My brain is like wet cotton candy (colorful and structurally unstable), but I want to thank everybody for this weekend, and tell a sweet little story about how what we do, every day and anywhere, matters. First, the gratitude: two high fives and a giant hug to everybody who came out toContinue reading “MinnesotaCon ’23 Recap”
61
May 31st, 2023 The older I get, the less I try to use the word “hate,” but today is the worst day of the year, and I hate it. It’s my mom’s birthday, which is worse than her death day, because that day was something that happened and is done, while her birthday is aboutContinue reading “61”
The History of The Next Step, Part VI: Unreleased Work, Legacy, and The Future
May 29th, 2023 Like a person, The Next Step isn’t and never was all good or all bad. And it was never a boy band. But it made me who I am today. Before I get to how, however, let’s talk about the stuff that never got made (or got made and then buried somewhereContinue reading “The History of The Next Step, Part VI: Unreleased Work, Legacy, and The Future”
The Den 