All posts tagged: astronomy

Strange Happenings in May

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May brings us the halfway point to summer, the halfway point to Halloween, and a whole list of strange and spooky things to look forward to. May 1st May Day. Originally celebrated in ancient Greece and later Medieval Europe to welcome the halfway point between spring and summer, the first of May later evolved into International Workers Day. May 2nd Halfway point to Halloween 🎃 May 3rd Paranormal Day. A holiday dedicated to sharing paranormal experiences with others. This day is not just limited to ghost stories either, UFOs, Bigfoot sightings, premonitions and deja vu all count! Book of Night by Holly Black on shelves. “#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of betrayals and a dissolute thief of shadows, in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern.” May 5th Peak of the Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower. May 6th The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith streaming on Amazon Prime Video. “The new docuseries focuses on the death of Beverly …

Strange Happenings in November

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November is here, bringing cooler weather, fall foliage, and the end of Daylight Savings Time. November 4th New Super Moon. You won’t see it, no the moon is passing closer to the earth today. November 7th End of Daylight Savings Time November 9th The Hidden by Melanie Golding on shelves. “Following her acclaimed debut Little Darlings, Melanie Golding’s newest folkloric suspense is a spine-tingling twist on Celtic mythology.” Vampires by Matthew Haigh on shelves. “Matthew Haigh’s Vampires is a rare book: devastating both for its dazzling linguistic flair, and its moving central story-an elegy to a lost, beloved aunt. Rich with references that place us firmly in the late 80s and early 90s, it reminds us that childhood is leaping from a bridge into mist. It’s a heady read, in which family life bleeds into gothic fantasy, into video games and arcade classics-with their endless potential for death and rebirth. Every word is lacquered, effulgent, cut like crystal, packed with E numbers, fizzing with energy. Vampires is a dream resurrected, a surreal MTV video, an …

Strange Happenings in October

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For Halloween aficionados, there is a bit of a debate on when spooky season officially starts. Is it July fifth, the day after summer’s major holiday? Or maybe mid August, when Halloween merchandise appeared in craft and home decor stores. Some attribute it to September first or the first day of fall. But by October first, everyone can agree, spooky season is in full swing. October 1st The Pit by Tara Borin on shelves. “Set in a small-town, sub-Arctic dive bar, this debut poetry collection explores the complexities of addiction and the person beneath, and the possibility of finding home and community in unexpected places.” Bingo Hell streaming on Amazon Prime. “Something terrifying has made itself at home in the quiet barrio of Oak Springs, and with each new cry of “Bingo!” another victim falls prey to its diabolical presence. As the cash prizes increase and the body count steadily rises, Lupita must face the frightening realization that this game is truly winner-takes-all.” October 7 Draconids Meteor Shower. If you steep out to watch, you’ll …

Dear God, It Has Teeth

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I’ve been enjoying working from home for the last six months, and it’s been a fantastic change for me. The one thing I do miss about working in an office is all of the strange encounters I had with clients at my last job. Many of them served as inspiration for my flash fiction and poetry, like the one below, which I originally posted a few years ago. ********* Every story and poem I write is in some way inspired by a real life experience, none more so then a short story I wrote earlier this month. I work for a company that sublets office space, and part of my job is to drop off mail to each tenant in those suites. We have one new tenant that received a huge shipment of medical supplies when they moved in, boxes of all shapes and sizes. Including one, heavy man sized box. A few weeks after that shipment I stopped by the suite to drop of a small amount of mail. No one was around, and …

Strange Happenings in June

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June is here, bringing whole list of spooky books, movies, and poetry to look forward to, along with the summer solstice! What are you looking forward to? June 1st The Shape of Darkness on shelves “A struggling silhouette artist in Victorian Bath seeks out a renowned child spirit medium in order to speak to the dead – and to try and identify their killers – in this beguiling new tale from the queen of Gothic fiction, Laura Purcell” June 8th World Oceans Day. Celebrate virtually with the United Nations, a beach walk if you live near the ocean, or enjoy some ASMR ocean waves. June 15th The Vault by AndrĂ©s Cerpa on shelves. “AndrĂ©s Cerpa’s sophomore collection grapples with loss, grief, and the disassociation that can come with being a survivor. Everything normal becomes slightly strange, things feel far away and unsteady. In these poems, Cerpa exhibits restraint and care, each thought purposefully positioned on the page. His work is somber, reflective, and deeply moving.” June 19th Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day and Liberation …

Searching for Springtime Scares

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I like to align a lot of my writing with the seasons, since I take a lot of inspiration from nature. Spring is usually a challenge for me, as I prefer darker themes and imagery. How do you make sunshine and budding flowers scary? I might be able to take some tips from a hugely successful horror movie that premiered in March. Jordan Peele’s Us featured warm weather, picturesque settings, and children. Peele contrasts these elements with dark tunnels, and a nighttime confrontation between the protagonist’s family and terrifying, murderous versions of themselves. I can also take  literary inspiration from some classic short stories.  Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is centered around a sunny room. And of course, Shirely Jackson’s famously unsettling The Lottery, detailing the horrifying tradition of a small New England town each June. What’s your favorite springtime scare?

Strange Happenings in March

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March 3rd Moxie available for streaming on Netflix. A shy teenager transforms into an activist that uses her voice to call out the school for sexism with some inspiration from her mother’s rebellious past to start a revolution. I wish a movie like this came out when I was in high school. Murder Among the Mormons available for streaming on Netflix. “The murders sent further shockwaves through the community when a trove of early Mormon letters and diaries were found destroyed in the vehicle of the victim, Hofmann, a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous “White Salamander” letter – an artifact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of the LDS Church.” Both of the directors for this documentary, Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite,” “Nacho Libre”) and Tyler Measom (“An Honest Liar”) were raised LDS, so having their perspective on the murders and ensuing controversy will be interesting. March 11th New York City Ballet is hosting a digital spring season, with the first event, Three Sides of Balanchine, set to run from February …