issue 5. picturesque
October 2024: Beta reader call open!
PICTURESQUE. On pattern of French pittoresque, a loan-word from Italian pittoresco, literally "pictorial" (1660s), from pittore "painter," from Latin pictorem (nominative pictor); of language (somewhat euphemistically), "graphic, vivid," by 1734.
It’s October and the quad grows more beautiful every time I walk across it. If you were to open my camera roll, you’d see nothing but pictures of trees. And if you were to open my calendar, you’d find a distinct lack of white space.
October has been a busy but productive month; my midterms went well. And I passed an editing milestone with Pawn, which means I am now seeking 5-6 readers for a second round of beta reading! If you are interested in reading my Young Adult Alice in Wonderland retelling, I encourage you to check my Instagram for more details. The synopsis and application link are below.
Fifteen-year-old Alice Lee is losing her mind. There’s no other way to explain the hallucinations that have haunted her since her older sister Evie died in a freak accident. In them, she catches glimpses of a fantasy universe named Meer, that she thought existed only in Evie’s imagination. Once, Meer was a haven for Evie and her three friends, but since Evie’s death, it has begun to corrupt into something far more sinister…as Alice discovers when she becomes ensnared in it.
When Alice learns that Meer may hold the key to understanding the mysterious circumstances of her sister’s death, she will do anything to discover the truth, even if it means venturing into the corrupted worlds of Meer…where secrets are bought and bartered for, where time ceases to exist, and where ghosts run as rampant as nightmares.
As she journeys with Evie’s friends through the darkest parts of Evie’s imagination, Alice begins to question everything she thought she knew about her sister and herself. How much did her desire to be their parents’ perfect daughter influence Evie’s addiction to escapism?
Will Alice’s rigid life crack under the chaos of Evie’s wildest hopes and worst fears? Or will her stubborn logic resign her to being a Pawn in someone else’s game?
If you are interested in beta reading for Pawn: A Fairy Tale, you can apply HERE by November 8, 2024. After then, chosen beta readers will be notified by email. All details are on the Google Form or my Instagram.
Best of luck!
craft conversations
As of late, I’ve been crafting more poetry. Here is one of the stanzas from a pantoum I wrote recently, inspired by the songs “Pearl Diver” by Mitski and “Diving Woman” by Japanese Breakfast.
Her arms sliced the water in scythes like the moon’s.
Her eyes were open wide against the bay’s cold kiss.
My treasure, he told her, you need only be beautiful.
Her lungs burned, twin lanterns. She welcomed the ache.
In other literary news, I am pleased to report that two of my poems have been accepted to my college literary magazine. Seeing as I have not submitted anything to a literary magazine in months (maybe even a year?), I’m excited for this opportunity!
books, media & recs
READING: Although I began This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings, I did not finish it due to a lack of connection with the characters and story. I hope to pick it up again in the future.
The only book I managed to finish this month was Powerless. It’s not the most well-written fantasy book I’ve ever read, but it’s certainly entertaining. Half of my notes in that book are me dunking on Kai or the world building; the other half are me admiring Paedyn’s quips and the romantic quotes. Something I like about this book is how the writing is both fast-paced and accessible. It doesn’t require a lot of my brain power to comprehend, which, as college continues, is something I’ve come to appreciate a lot more, haha. The last 20% of the book was probably the best part of the book; I stayed up past midnight to finish it. I’d rate Powerless 3.5 stars out of 5—a solid dystopian read. I’ll be picking up the sequel.
MUSIC: I listened to the deluxe versions of Lizzy McAlpine’s album Older (and Wiser) and Gracie Abrams’ album The Secret of Us. My favorite song from Older (and Wiser) is probably “Soccer Practice”, but I also have a soft spot for “Spring into Summer”. The best bonus track on Gracie’s deluxe is, for me, “That’s So True”—it’s reminiscent of “Risk” in sound, and self-deprecating and snarky. I also listened to and loved Gracie’s Live Vevo performances (you might have heard a clip of her “I Love You, I’m Sorry” performance making the rounds on social media). And finally, to no one’s surprise, I’ve had Red: Taylor’s Version on repeat recently.
MOVIES: At the beginning of October, I watched Avengers: Age of Ultron, which I liked more than the original Avengers movie. It has some great jokes and bonding moments between the superheroes. It also, however, has an excessive number of destroying-city scenes. (It’s easy to see why people sometimes hate the Avengers; I’d be mad too if my car, workplace, and apartment block were decimated in the span of five minutes.)
This month, I watched Thor (the original). I absolutely love Jane’s character. And if you’re wondering, I did point out the mythologically accurate aspects of the film as I was watching it. Surprisingly, it’s not too far off the mark. I still think Thor: Ragnarok is my favorite Thor movie but this one was very entertaining.
My favorite Marvel movie is yet to be decided, but one of the strongest contestants for that title is Captain America: The First Avenger, which I also watched in October. The acting, the sets, the costuming…so much effort and care was put into this movie. I felt that it balanced moments of humor, love, and grief really well. Peak cinema, if you ask me.
life updates
I was ecstatic when I found a Little Free Library on campus this month. Since then, I’ve checked out two books from it: a Folger’s edition of Romeo and Juliet, as well as The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I’m excited to read both.
The last few weeks have been hectic with planning my schedule for the next semester. I won’t say which courses I’m signing up for so I don’t jinx it on my registration day, but I’m pretty confident it will turn out well. Good luck to all the other students out there who are starting to schedule as well—here’s to having our dream next-semester schedules.
I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
-Anne Shirley
farewell
Thank you so much for reading to the end of this newsletter. I can’t describe how grateful I am for your readership. If you enjoyed this issue of Musings, you can do the following to support me and my writing:
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Comment a word to be etymologized in a future newsletter :)
GOODBYE. A salutation in parting, from godbwye (1570s), a contraction of God be with ye (late 14th century), influenced by good-day, good evening, etc; a noun since the 1570s.
Good morning, good afternoon, or good night, whenever this finds you—
Calliope