Talking about depression, photography, poetry, and my dog Flynn, who is telling me it's time to stop recording a video and to play fetch and to feed him and Indi dinner.

Hi, it's been awhile. Just providing some updates since I last posted, ohhhhh, a year ago? We've moved to a new state. Lost a beloved furry family member. Found another one. And are just here and living. Whatever that looks like.

In Episode 8 of poets&depression I talk about how mental illness feels grimy, gross, and sticky. How we can feel lost and isolated with mental illness. How mental illness pulls us into a slump and sometimes we can't get out. Not alone. Not right away.

In this episode of poets&depression, I talk about the lies that we tell when say "I'm fine" or "I'm just tired." I also read my poem "Taking Space" and talk through it and how we lie to others and ourselves. And that it's okay to take space for yourself. Because it has to be okay.

In this episode of poets&depression, I talk about how mental illness (and my depression in particular) can feel like a broken record. I also talk about where I am mentally right now, which is not a good place. Like a broken record, we can't get past the skipping part unless someone actually physically moves the needle for us.

In Episode 5, I talk about managing depression and what life without depression looks like. Mental illness lies to us all the time about life is like. Managing our mental health does not make us less creative people. It makes us more creative.

In this first special, I talk about one of the first things that almost always gets mentioned when talking about writing. That is rules. Here is my view and my experience of working with "Show, Don't Tell" and "Write What You Know." And why I don't think rules should matter, especially when you are first starting out.

Up first in episode 4 of poets&depression is some general housekeeping. I talk about plans, schedule, etc. And then I move right into reading my poem "The Water Cycle" and talk about what it means to be unbroken in relation to mental illness.

***TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of Suicide.***

In the second episode of poets&depression, I talk about my poem "Lemon." Where depression won in the first episode, I win in this one.