Bravery in Both Print and Podcast Form

why I am thankful for the bravery of others

The last bit of 2024 was such a whirlwind that I completely forgot to tell y’all about two really important things that happened.

First of all, The Headlight Review was brave enough to publish some of my blackout collages!

I met Kurt Milberger at the North Georgia Regional Book Fair at the University of North Georgia in the fall. He and I connected over blackout poetry, and asked me to submit some collages for his team to consider in their next edition. It was flattering and a little confusing to have such enthusiastic interest in something I love but that I struggle to describe!

“Bliss” is a four panel excerpt of my larger project tentatively titled Legacy. It’s a story told through blackout poetry and collage about a man and woman who fall in love, get married and start their family, fall out of love, and then back into it again over the course of forty years. I think it’s really special.

Here’s the first one in the set they published.

It’s fun and cheeky, and honestly, I’m really proud of the project as a whole. I can’t wait to share more of it with you.

If you’d like to see the three following panels, you can find the set in The Headlight Review here.

Another incredible opportunity I was given in December was the interview I did for Local Voices. I was honored to be the first guest on Tori Watson’s podcast that showcases fun and interesting people and stories from Cherokee County, GA. It is also very flattering to be considered fun or interesting haha!

The host Tori and I go way back. Like alllllll the way back to The Ladybug Club at Johnston Elementary where we caught ladybugs in the gym bathroom with our friend Erin and avoided class. At one point, we also dressed up as lunch ladies for a costume contest judged by the school’s lunch ladies and we won. I still consider this one of the best ideas we’ve ever had.

Anyway, Tori asked me if I would be a guest and talk about creativity and motherhood and my book A Kudzu Vine of Blood and Bone. I jumped at the chance to be a part of her project because she has always been such an incredible friend and support to me and I was pumped to be able to return the favor.

One of my poems entitled “The Healing Power of Women” is about friends like Tori. That’s how precious and wonderful she is.

I was so excited to be able to chat with her about things that I love and care about so deeply and truly honored she asked me to be a part of it. Here’s the episode if you’d like to listen. It’s also available across all platforms.

To some people it may not seem brave for a person to publish an experimental piece of work in their literary magazine or start hosting a podcast, but these two creatives have inspired me to appreciate the opportunities that others give me in a different light. When someone publishes my work or allows me to participate on their podcast, they’re putting a vote of confidence in me and what I’ve done, and that is no small thing.

How has the bravery of others inspired you? Let me know in the comments or reply to this email. I can’t wait to hear from you.

As always, I love y’all.

Tristan

P.S. After years of refusing to get on TikTok, I decided to give it a whirl to connect with readers over there. As par for the course, TikTok may be banned in a couple of days, but feel free to find me there until it disappears. I will definitely continue to be in all the regular places you can already find me. Meet you there!