March 07, 2024

Volume 179

From ether to heart to paper.

Curated by Micaela Edelson

Writer, Traveler, Environmentalist, Human

Hi, I’m Micaela! I’m a writer, traveler, environmentalist, and human working to make meaning in a chaotic world. I write on self-actualization, climate grief, spirituality, mental health, travel, and whatever else follows from ether to heart to paper.

I recently started an MFA in Creative Writing at Iowa State University after traveling solo for six months in Southeast Asia and India. In this blip of travel, I drove a four-day motorbike loop in Laos, went to a music festival in Thailand, was invited to a Cambodian engagement party, and participated in a meditation/yoga retreat in the Indian Himalayan foothills. Travel is often reflected in my writing and it allows me to experience new cultures and perspectives and philosophize about our random luck existence in this universe and what we choose to do with it.

What's been keeping you grounded?

01 WHAT'S KEEPING ME GROUNDED


Friendships
In a small Iowan town where the stressors and pressures of graduate school can sometimes overwhelm, gathering friends for dinner parties, movie nights, or ventures to the local barcade have been really fulfilling my soul and reminding me that the joy in life comes from the connections we make with people. I’m eternally grateful to have found such a supportive community after having just moved here last August.

What are you into lately?

02 WHAT I'M READING


I'm taking my first poetry class, so currently stretching my lyrical tongue. I just read Lee Ann Roripaugh's "Tsunami vs. the Fukushima 50" book of poems and Tracy K. Smith’s “Wade in the Water” My all-time favorite authors, however, are Annie Dillard, Toni Morrison, and Robin Wall Kimmerer.

WHAT IM ROCKIN'

I’ve been loving the Sherpa Shepherds Shirt in Fatigue Canvas, it’s perfect for this funny time between winter and spring where the temp swings from 70 to 30 in a single day. Love the look, love the warmth.

523L Pant in Primo Denim {USA MADE}

523L Pant in Primo Denim {USA MADE}

$149.00

Poem of the Week

03 WHAT I'M INTO LATELY


Shinto
Shinto—a polytheistic and animist religion in Japan! My next writing project is a travel memoir reflecting on and exploring the intersections of Japanese Shinto and environmentalism. I’m currently planning a two-and-a-half-month trip to Japan this summer, so I’m super immersed in learning about Shinto and its contemporary influences.

What are you reading?

04 WHAT I'M DRINKING


Tea, tea, tea!
Peppermint, green, ginger. I’ve been sober four and a half years, so I’m leaning into the tea and candles and window-side, sunlight-streaming reading time. I’m in my *cat* era.

What are you drinking?

05 WHAT I'M UP TO, HEALTH-WISE


Kickboxing
Last year during my travels, I spent a month training in Muay Thai kickboxing in Northern Thailand, and I have been itching to get back into kicking (and punching). It was such a cool experience going to the weekly boxing matches and I even won some money gambling! (I only support consensual violence.)

What are you listening to?

06 QUOTE OF THE WEEK


My favorite quote for my writing comes from Natalie Goldberg in her book, Writing Down the Bones:

“Like grating a carrot, give the paper the colorful coleslaw of your consciousness.”
Love the imagery and whimsy, and now I always strive to give my writing a dash of colorful conscious coleslaw, whether that comes from travel, walking in the nearby Iowan woods, or chatting with other people who’ve had really cool life experiences.

Quote of the Week

07 WHAT I'M LISTENING TO


Sierra Ferrel
Listening heavily to Sierra Ferrel right now. Her new song “I Could Drive You Crazy” is driving me crazy about how good it is.

Listen here.