I’m bad at hobbies. I’ve met so few of them that I genuinely wanted to be a dilletante about. Most either took up too much attention (wherein they became obligations and/or careers), or not enough of it (wherein I forgot about them within a matter of days).

My sister is naturally gifted when it comes to visual arts and crafts, who’s experimented with everything from oil paints to doll-making. When you’ve got two siblings close in age, you always try to distinguish yourselves: Leah was the one who could draw, paint, and remember constellations, while I was the one who could write and perform and dance.

But you age out of that sort of identification. Leah picked up skateboarding and bellydance and tattooing, while also being a doctor and mom (if you’re thinking she’s cooler than me, you’re 100% correct). There are a lot of artists in my family—some professional but most of them not. I always loved that about us. Art is simply a thing most of us do. Bummer I missed out on this bit of genetic inheritance, but writing is such a large part of my life that I didn’t want to act greedy.

However, if you’ve met Nibs, you know that she picks up hobbies like some of us pick up books. Since we moved in together in 2020, I’ve watched her learn 1) resin, 2) beading, 3) wire-wrapping, 4) crochet, 5) macrame, 6) lampwork (which is something to do with glass? IDK), 7) polymer clay, and probably a few others I’m forgetting. (Mandatory plug to buy her jewelry at the Peculiarity Shop!) She’s been trying for years without success to get me interested in SOME kind of craft. About 7 weeks ago, she bought us tickets to a linocut class as a Valentine’s Day date. It was three hours from design to final print. I left with this:

And like, I FINALLY GET IT. I had a momentary thought of “slugs are cool! I’m gonna make something to honor how cool they are.” And then I just did! How exciting!

I wanted to make a million more prints! I wanted to share it with everybody!

Then of course, the rest of February and March happened. I don’t feel the need to rehash the recent news cycle — if you opted into this newsletter, you’re probably aware of most of it. In the face of all that, it felt really weird to be like, hey, I made this:

And this:

And this:

It felt stupid and banal to ask friends and strangers to look at my prints. I’m not good enough at this art to use it as a form of protest, to communicate the way I do with my writing. Until I realized that I was basically looking at these homely little creations and demanding they serve a grander purpose.

Which is stupid, because it’s a hobby. The entire point of a hobby is not to save the world, but to save bits of your soul.

So I’m showing these prints to you, mistakes and all and saying: hey, this is how I’ve been keeping the horrors at bay this month. This is how I’ve been able to carve out (pun intended) time and space away from useless doomscrolling. This is how I’ve reclaimed parts of my attention away from social media. This is how I’m parallel playing with my wife while we watch Critical Role together. This is how I am processing feelings instead of compartmentalizing them.

I am making these prints in a time of monstrous men (it has always been a time of monsters) (they’re just not bothering to hide it anymore). Such monsters want, more than anything, for me to be scared and depressed and scared—obedient and attentive to their whims. So I’m doing this instead.

Let me end this with an inviation, in case you need to hear it: I always wanna see the things you’re working on. Show me the weird little dudes you’re carving or sewing or pinching together from polymer clay, or the scarves you’ve made, the jewelry, the hats. Even when things are awful, and probably especially then.

News and links!!

• I’m going to be at BookCon on a panel about queer horror with an incredible line-up. Come say hi and get a book signed afterwards. I will try to have some prints available if you want one for some reason!

• There are many organizations in Minneapolis who are still seeking funds to keep people housed, or get them out of detention. Choose a place here and send them $10 if you can.

• Every Room A Hunger has a pubdate: Feb 16, 2027. We also have cover sketches — hoping I’ll be able to share more soon!

• Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Stories Untold is available for pre-order. Order from Astoria Bookshop if you’d like me to sign my story.