SHORT 'N SWEET: THE BOOK SPEAKS: I|I

How would you, I|I, describe yourself in two sentences or less?

I am an exploration of mirrors across time, space, and self. I am unafraid of where this exploration takes us— into language and across form, too.

Where would you go on your dream vacation?

Somewhere very dry and open, like southern Utah (perhaps Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, or Cathedral Valley in Capitol Reef National Park) or northern New Mexico (that magical landscape near Abiquiú that Georgia O’Keeffe loved).

What is your favorite color?

Absolute white, which is in itself a mirror, or otherwise just pure sunlight.

What is your favorite movie?

The Florida Project (2017, directed by Sean Baker) for its quiet but persistent beauty in the face of abject upheaval. Just a stunning piece of cinema!

What advice would a therapist give you?

Probably to not take myself too seriously. And to forgive myself—but to not take the process of forgiveness too seriously, either.

What is your favorite smell?

That smell of candles burning—a mix of smoke and melting wax and hope and memory—like those holding vigil inside an old cathedral.

Do you collect anything, and what do these items mean to you?

I collect rituals. I gather them from friends, loved ones, new places I visit, new people I meet. When I’m surrounded by my rituals, they protect me. They enliven me.

What is your favorite snack?

Any snack with a reflective surface like hard candies, mirror-glazed cakes, soups with glossy broths, waxed apples, or melted cheese.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?

Definitely a visual artist. I would love to meet Frida Kahlo, whose self-portraits painted with the aid of a mirror I am fascinated by. Her art acknowledges the simultaneous fragility and persistence of the body that we are too quick to dismiss with disgust. And maybe some of her glamor would rub off on me!