Liminalities
On Changing Visions & Future Projects
PHOTO BY AERAN SQUIRES
I launched Through Trails nearly a year ago now. I had such a clear idea of what I wanted this project to be but I’ve been humbled since by a staggering creative block that doesn’t feel so much like a source of shame as a legitimate response to the times we are in. My brain has broken, and I don’t know what there is to say.
As a freelance writer and editor, most of my work focuses on climate disaster. I thought I wanted Through Trails to be a micro study in how catastrophe remakes our intimate selves—a repository, really, for the stories I couldn’t make space for in my paid projects. But I’m realizing that my retreat from this newsletter is because I need something else from writing right now. It may be to write less, or to write less alone, or to write less online. I’m not sure yet.
What I do know is that I want to dedicate time to ‘work’ that can’t be so easily archived. More sharing stories. More aimless walks. More in-person actions. More work I can’t embed as a hyperlink or attach to an email.
All of that is to say that I’m reimagining Through Trails as a project. And as I continue to live into the answer, I want to reiterate my gratitude—always and again—for your support. I am wildly grateful to be in a community that shows up so generously for the process. That I do not need to justify the pace of my (public) creation truly is an immense gift. I wish I had better words: I hope for now that thank you, thank you, thank you will suffice.
Even though Through Trails is still very much in the liminal, there are several projects that I am really excited to share with you all soon. This fall, my beloved collaborator Amirio Freeman and I will be launching a series we first seeded as residents at The Strange Foundation. And later in the year, my cherished friend Kailea Loften and I will not only launch a new print issue of Loam—our first in two years—but also pre-orders for our forthcoming book on community preparedness. These projects have been true labors of love, and I’m looking forward to your thoughts.
Thank you again for being here with me.
With love and gratitude,
Kate
CAIRNS: GUIDEPOSTS & GLIMMERS
I took this class on Autumnal Plant Magic with the incredible Liz Migliorelli last year and it was truly such a special space. 10/10 recommend.
Mounted by Bitter Kalli is an incandescent read. Their newsletter groundwater is also a gift to this world.
Although Can I Be Frank? wrapped up its run in NYC last week, I’ve continued to reflect on this incredible work of performance art. Be sure to sign up for future productions.