issue three.

✰❀ issue two.

issue three.

I tell you this

to break your heart,

by which I mean only

that it break open and never close again

to the rest of the world.

—Mary Oliver, “Lead”

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For all there is to say about life in Texas, its springtime doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves. Wildflowers have yet to populate the highways, but the flowering trees around Austin are taking their usual hold on my heart. I tend to snap photos of intriguing plants as I’m out walking, and I find myself doing it more than ever in the springtime.

Plum blossoms along South Lamar Boulevard

Mountain laurels along South Lamar Boulevard

We don’t have long before the heat of Texas summer sets in. And I’m happy to take it in while I can.

APL Shop Consignment

I’m excited to share that Solastella has been selected for consignment at the Austin Public Library Shop!

The APL Shop is located inside the Central Branch of the Austin Public Library system. Along with library merchandise and book-themed gifts, it hosts a selection of books by local authors for sale. Solastella is available for purchase as of March.

If you’re in Austin, check out the APL Shop the next time you need to return a library book!

Austin Public Library atriumPodcast updates

Splendor Falls is still on semi-hiatus until this allergy season lets up and I can record again. I’ve been using this time to narrow my focus on the novel I’m currently writing, as well as a few visual art projects.

I have several podcast scripts in the works at the moment, so whichever one becomes the next episode shall remain a mystery until its release. Until then, I hope y’all have been enjoying the first two episodes!

What I’ve been reading

This past month, I’ve been delving into the works of Octavia E. Butler for the first time. I began with Kindred because I’d read the first half in 2019 but had to return the library book before I could finish it. It blew me away. I don’t have much to say about it that others haven’t said better, but I was absolutely enthralled and excited for more from this author.

I read Parable of the Sower next because it was my book club’s pick for February. I loved it for the same reasons I loved Kindred, but I don’t know if I’d have gotten as much out of the text if I hadn’t read Kindred first. Octavia E. Butler uses several of the same motifs throughout stories that aren’t otherwise connected, including destruction by fire and women disguising themselves as men. I found those same threads in Parable of the Sower that I had in Kindred, and I adored the way they cohesively placed Butler’s writings in the same realm—despite the stories being worlds apart.

If you haven’t read any of Butler’s works yet, start as soon as you can. Whichever book you start with will be the right one.

Thank you for reading my words today.

If you’d like to support my work, you’ll find out how to buy my novel or my prose chapbook after the next line break. If you’re in the Austin, Texas area, buy Solastella from a local bookseller! You can get it from the Austin Public Library Shop, BookPeople, Bookwoman, and Reverie Books.

If you don’t have the means to buy a book, spread the word! Telling other people about my writing makes a big difference, even just by sharing my posts on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

I hope you have something tender to carry. Remember to be tough on systems and soft on people.

✧ daria deptuła