Notes from my desk
What I've been up to and what I'm looking forward to
It’s been quite a busy October and it’s still not quite done so this might be a short newsletter.
The annual Easton Book Festival brought many great events into town that I both attended and participated in.
I went to Wicked Brew for the first time and it was such a treat. Great turnout, great poets, great spooky vibes
I went to Chilifest (unrelated) and sold four books in four hours! Pretty solid. Had hoped to sell more, but I had fabulous conversations about writing and poetry and sometimes that means more than the sales.
Immediately afterwards I hosted the Words from the Youth open mic (related to EBF). We had such a great turnout and it was the perfect end to my last EBF as a student at Lafayette College. I’m so grateful to the students and community members who showed up and showed out!
I took a break from open mics the week after and made significant progress on my own projects.
My documentary (film senior capstone project) is coming along with the exception of audio, captions, and a tug-on-your-heart-strings ending. I’m also still trying to figure out how I’m going to present it. The big question is inside or outside? I fear the December weather will make the decision for me.
My sonnet crown (independent study) has gone through another round of edits and is almost close to completion! I talked to my musician bestie and we talked out the installation piece which is in a much better place. November will be focused on creating the visuals and audio while making sure the final sonnet crown is done by December 5 for a presentation!
And you might be thinking, surely there can not be any more things McKenna is working on? You’d be wrong! I’m talking to people about the cover art for the next book, going on a mini tour with the Poet’s Cauldron in a couple weeks, and most soon I’m directing a Haunted House for the community….
And I’m also applying to grad school. That’s a big one. I got my first application in and I’m running on that adrenaline! I’m hoping to make much more progress by Thanksgiving but we will see what I can do. The soonest deadline is Jan 5 so I’m reminding myself I have time. I have time to make space for the projects, academics, rest, and social time. And I’m gonna make the most of it.
Follow me on Instagram @ mckennagrafwrites for more immediate updates!