I've been contemplating suffering. I've been suffering pain in my body chronically for decades...my autoimmune system (has two diseases!) on high-alert for as long as I can remember...and more recently, a lower-back issue that's been on-and-off since 2022. The term 'comparative suffering' has been bopping around between my parts for years now too. I don't… Continue reading On Mandatory Suffering
Tag: writing
Year of Reading Books – A Dream
"I read slowly, savoring each book one by one. I had all the time in the world then. And there was no danger I'd run out of books, no matter how much I read..." from Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa This morning I was reading. I was reading… Continue reading Year of Reading Books – A Dream
I Won!
Okay, so this is a blog post swaddled in manifestation. I just submitted a chapbook of poetry to the Rattle Chapbook Prize. *The deadline is tonight at midnight! Rattle is my favourite literary magazine. I've submitted to different contests and calls over the years, but this year I finally got my shi* together enough to… Continue reading I Won!
VANESSA SHIELDS 