A look back at 2025

This was the year that finally convinced me that humanity is devolving as a species and that we are past due for an extinction-level event, so Earth can hit the reset button. Nihilistic, perhaps, but if you've been watching world events – especially the U.S. descent into authoritarianism and isolation – then you know exactly what I mean. 

The deaths of David Lynch, Diane Keaton, Robert Redford, and Rob Reiner hit me especially hard, since I remain an unrepentant film buff and those three were among my favorites. Every year, more and more of my icons pass away, which also brings my own mortality into focus. 

Maybe that's why much of this year was dedicated to what Kate Bush refers to as "archive work." I've got another box of materials almost ready for the Georgia State University Library Archive, which is the repository for my papers, manuscripts, and ephemera related to my writing life. While this will be an ongoing process until I kick the bucket (and beyond), I'm nearing the end of culling through 40 years of writing. 

During the most recent dig, I uncovered a small grouping of poems – some dating back to the 1980s – that I'm currently sorting through to see if anything is worth revising or will just go to the archive. I also found handwritten pages of another story that belongs with my long-simmering collection of tales in the fictional town of Cottonwood, GA (the first four of them are in Kiss Shot, which was published as an ebook back in 2012). Of course, this has me eager to get back to work on this collection, but at the expense of the fourth Venus novel.

Ah, yes, the Venus novel. After finally having a major breakthrough in the plot, my work on the book pretty much ceased over the autumn. I'm hoping to take a look at the chapters again over the long holiday break and see if I can relight my fire. In the meantime, poetry continues to be the going concern that I can't quite seem to get away from. 

While Wonder & Wreckage was indeed my final big solo project, the May 2026 publication of White Winged Doves: A Stevie Nicks Poetry Anthology, co-edited with Megan Volpert, will keep me busy throughout the year, and there's a little solo project coming in September that I hope some of you will find of interest. More details on this in the new year. 

I had all of my yearly check-ups in the fall, and I'm happy to report that my cancer remains in remission and my general health remains good, according to my doctors. But don't get me started on the health insurance nightmare exacerbated by the current occupant of the White House and his minions. My premium is up, my level of care is down, and it still boggles my mind that we don't have universal healthcare. 

My day job as executive editor at Rough Draft was more hectic than ever last year, but I was thrilled that Georgia Voice – the LGBTQ+ newspaper I also edit – continues to flourish and played an important part in sharing the news and keeping the community informed as Captain Bonespurs and the Christofascists' work to strip us of our rights. Let's hope the midterm elections will be a solid rebuke of the administration and its adherents. 

Keep looking for the light in the darkness and loving each other.