Hello, dear readers! This is just a small note of love and appreciation for those of you who support my work, writing, & weirdnesses, sent from housebound-me to magical-you. I’ve written a couple of essays recently that I think you’ll appreciate, especially during the loneliness of Winter.

Why I’ve Learned to Embrace the Joy of Missing Out is about transforming feelings of FOMO into JOMO. I talk about missing out on events, book launches, zine fairs, the annual Mad Pride Bed Push, and even the Disability Pride March. And yet, feeling joy! I talk about the necessity of saying y/our disabled friends’ names out loud when we/they can’t be present, and I ask myself (and you!) questions like:

What do I love about being sick?

What do I love about staying home?

What do I love about missing out?

And I share a recent epiphany:

When disabled folks aren’t present, we are not the ones who are missing out. Non-disabled folks are missing out. Not us.

I’ve been contemplating cripple-magic and cripple-joy, and hope to share more with you soon!

How to Support Your Disabled Friends in Winter and Beyond is another essay I wrote recently that I hope you’ll find affirming, encouraging, and useful, no matter what your physical or emotional capacities. I talk about loneliness, being housebound (I haven’t had a breath of fresh, outdoor air in February, but hey, I’m alive and I’m getting stuff done!), fears coming true, and the necessity of non-disabled folks reaching in to crips, rather than expecting us to reach out, especially when our conditions are chronic. And I share ten practical, specific ways to support y/our disabled pals.

But I forgot to add #11: Apologize for fucking up the first ten!

Both of these essays are illustrated by my dear pal, CB Lavery. See more of their work at CeeLavery.com. And if you’re into either of these essays, if you find them valuable, I would really appreciate it if you shared them!

Also! I’m having a quick little sale on my Etsy shop today. If you’re in the mood to gift yourself with a Tarot reading for mad folks, crip-queers, weirdo witches and misfits, or if you wanna read my zines about politicizing borderline, staying alive and making magic through mental illnesses and chronic pain, friendship, support, recovery, etc., or if you wanna get my zine anthology or my first novel, use coupon code ‘BORDERLINEPALENTINE’ for 14% off at schoolformaps.etsy.com! The code will be active today only!

[image description: A photo of Maranda Elizabeth holding onto a star-shaped candle-holder with a tall black tallow candle burning. There are more candles burning in the background. They are wearing a black dress and a black and silver glittery hoodie with an amethyst necklace. Their face is visible from their lips down. They are unsmiling, wearing purple lipstick.]

Here’s a selfie I took this afternoon! I’m burning a black candle in a star-shaped candle holder painted various shades of purple that I made on a psych ward six years ago. Mad cripple borderline witches forever!

Palentiningly Yours,

P.S.: If you’ve benefited from my writing in any way – if my words have inspired you, helped you feel less alone, or sparked some weird feeling within you; if you’ve felt encouraged, or curious, or comforted – please consider compensating me by offering a donation of any amount. Whether you’ve been reading my writing for years, or just stumbled into me this afternoon, I invite you to help me sustain the process!