Cronework

new prose poem in Action, Spectacle of Louisiana

For some reason turning sixty was an important milestone for me last year. Was it that I was surprised and grateful at my survival, after the prognosis of my death at forty-six? Was it that I am living a life that I love, with a man that I love, doing creative work that I love and surrounded by dear friends and loved ones? Yes, to all of these.

I love the idea of the crone as magical and wise woman. I aspire to be a crone. In an e-mail exchange with David Naimon last year, I spoke of my plans to write “Cronework.” I e-mailed him about it because the idea of the work and its title grew out of his fascinating conversation on Between the Covers with Caren Beilin, author of Revenge of the Scapegoat. In his introduction, David quotes a citation from Hillary Plum on Caren’s book, Blackfishing the IUD where she uses the term “witchwork.”:

“Hilary Plum says of Blackfishing the IUD, ‘Love does leave you open,’ Caren Beilin proves in this heart-breaking, book-breaking work. Beilin opens her memoir of illness to the voices of others harmed by the IUD, a medical device that makes the writer’s daily living and thinking into a story of autoimmune disease. Beilin and others who know the risks of being heard and treated as women include us in their generous acts of rage, empathy, gratitude, and information. Reading and writing are witchwork, transforming the isolation of suffering into a tender and common ground. This book reminds us that our bodies are sites of language we can trust and love and offer in forms more radical than we know.”

and my mind and heart went racing. I wanted to write something that included other women and genderqueer people in these generous acts of rage, empathy, gratitude and information. Not unusually, the conversations and engagements that David has on his show often lead to my own acts of creation. Gratitude to David and his guests, for creativity, thoughtfulness, and care.

I am thrilled that my first writings from“Cronework” have found a home. Gratitude to editor rob mclennan for inviting me to send work, and Adam Day of Action, Spectacle for publishing my work.

You can read the gargantuan winter issue of Action, Spectacle here.

Action, Spectacle is a biannual magazine based in Louisville, KY and Brooklyn.

You can read “Cronework” here.