Monday Matter: Boyfriends, spirit matters and the weather

Your biweekly Foreign Bodies roundup

Every other Monday, I send subscribers and gift recipients of immigrant mental health and storytelling newsletter Foreign Bodies stories I recently inhaled and adored. This is also a chance to do some housekeeping and give shout-outs and all that jazz.

First things first

A little housekeeping

One semester down… ✔️

I can’t believe the first of four semesters of grad school is officially over. I didn’t expect this MFA program to wring so much out of me, nor did I expect to find what feels like more linear direction in my writing goals. It’s been a tough ride so far, both emotionally and time-wise. But I can’t wait to share this work with the world one day.

A musical start to your Mondays 🎧

One song to groove to, cry to, drive to and share

A personal favorite from Brazilian samba singer Elza Soares, who was named Singer of the Millennium alongside Tina Turner in 1999, to kick your week off.

Resource(s) of the week

Something helpful and interesting and cool (*storytelling opportunity)

• *Oregon Humanities is open to essay, journalism and book excerpt pitches from Oregon-based writers for the Spring 2023 issue on “Joy and Pain.” Deadline: Dec. 21. Features generally range between 1,500 and 4,000 words. All contributors are paid between $500 and $1000, depending on the length and complexity of the piece.

• *Catapult editor-in-chief Tajja Isen is looking to commission some new essays for early 2023. Rates start at $200 and vary with length and degree of research proposed. Pitch guide available here.