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Leeking Ink #35
TABLE OF CONTENTS contents 1 introduction 2 from tourist to local 3 when life gives you eels 5 exploring the one-acre wood* 8 all about eels 43 glossary 48 epilogue 49 reading log 51 INTRODUCTION I took a deliberate break from Leeking Ink to work on a novel. Then I needed a break from the novel and decided to put out an issue of Leeking Ink. Only, I couldn't. I had fragments of ideas, but the words didn't go anywhere. At one point, I decided to create an entire zine devoted to potato chips, which should have been easy, but it wasn't. It wasn't until I wrote "When Life Gives You Eels" (see page 5) that I realized that the effort of writing the novel and work stress of the last year had caused writer's block. I had been worried about so much that my brain didn't have the space to write for fun. I had been throwing scribbled notes and ideas in a folder, but they seemed haphazard. Chaotic. Disconnected. This past summer, we camped. Sort of. There was a tent, but we were just outside the house. I still think it counts as camping because my hips ached all night and I woke (repeatedly) covered in dew (because I had left the cover off the top of the tent so I could see the stars). I shook off the damp blankets and Chihuahuas that clung to me and went inside for coffee. I know, I know it isn't real camping, and yet I listening to the cicadas and crickets sing. I strained to see the bats flying overhead and hear the tree frogs calling. They were very real. I sat down with my large, strong café con soya leche (and ibuprofen) and started a grocery list. Without realizing what was happening, that list swerved into ideas for Leeking Ink. That list became "When Life Gives You Eels". It was the first "fun" thing I had written in almost a year, and it helped guide the way for this issue. Having a kid causes you to revisit your own childhood. To try and remember what it was like. Occasionally, I consult photo albums. I looked at the ones I had created and kept, showing my point of view at that age. I found photos I had taken at 13-14, and they are largely of animals. I was especially interested in spiders. Not much has changed. This issue is about connecting. Reconnecting. Grounding. |
