vii. the restorative power of art
Art makes me feel alive, sometimes more alive than life itself.
muse: (noun) a person or personified force who is the inspiration for a creative artist (verb) to be absorbed in thought; to gaze thoughtfully at.
A newsletter in which I, Ashia Monet, think about writing and aspire to be the sort of woman that would make Lilith proud. This is my curated corner of the world, so I invite you to dim the lights and find something lovely to drink. Here it is calm, here it is quiet, and here you are always welcome—though I cannot promise that strange things do not lurk in the darkness here.
I cannot tell you what I did during June. I know it was pride month and I know I had a great time at Philadelphia Pride with my friends. But then time slipped into a black hole.
In May, I finished a draft of the second book in the Dead Magic series (or, as it is colloquially known, the sequel to THE BLACK VEINS) in about a week. I wrote a whopping 92,000 words that month, mainly because my mental health was terrible and writing was the only thing that soothed me.
In June, I paid the piper. Pushing out words—even typing this newsletter now—feels like putting my brain through a cheese grater. I wrote about 26,000 words in total. None of them were important, really, and most of them were for novels that will never be published.
Maybe it’s burnout. There’s a lot to be burnt out from, in terms of the greater world. The Human Rights Campaign has declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans due to the number of transphobic legislation being passed. For a week, my city was under a deceptively beautiful haze of orange smoke blown in from the Canadian wildfires. The air quality was inhumane and I was terrified to go outside. Neither of these things could’ve have done good things for my mental health.
The thing about struggling with mental health is that you can’t always pinpoint a reason for why things are bad. You only know that they’re bad, and suddenly you can’t do as much as you were before.
But I know I saw Across the Spiderverse not once, not twice, but three times in theaters. And I know I enjoyed myself every single time. (I am a Pav and Hobie stan, unapologetically. Love those funky spider teens.)
I know I’ve played almost one hundred hours of Tears of the Kingdom, and I’ve loved every single moment of it. I know I rewatched all of Interview with the Vampire with my friend and felt my soul sing. I know I watched season 3 of Succession and season 2 of The Bear and felt blessed to view such good, fun television.
When life gets bad, scary, or rough, I turn to art. I turn to movies, to music, to shows, to books. Usually, my method of choice is in the form of production—doing things like writing a book in a week, which my therapist wrote a lot of notes down for after I told her—but when that fails, I’m soothed by the amazing art created by others.
There is something so beautiful about experiencing art made with love, passion, sweat, and tears. Hearing beautiful dialogue in a show, reading poetry, listening to music. Art makes me feel alive, sometimes more alive than life itself. It’s a romanticization of life in and of itself, and for that, I am extremely grateful. Art saves me every time, and I think that’s beautiful.
book updates
I’m offering you a piece of nonfiction this time! I wrote about Interview with the Vampire for Tor.com and I’d be jazzed if you read it, especially if you’re a fan of the series (or is a franchise now?)
Our Black horror anthology ALL THESE SUNKEN SOULS releases on October 17th and I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait for you to read my short story, BE NOT AFRAID, a gloriously grotesque blend of cosmic and religious horror. It’s about anti-Black racism within the church, biblically accurate angels, and some other things that I won’t spoil. :)
The preorder links are here!
editorial services.
Writing is hard. I’m here to make it easier. I currently offer query critiques, sensitivity reads, and sensitivity consultations. I have two slots open for August 2023!
If you’d like to know more about these services, or if you’re interested in a few, you can find more information and a contact form here on my website.
recommendations.
THE BEAR is, without a doubt, one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life. My friend and I binged season one in one sitting last year. This year, I binged season two in two days. Any media that makes me cry and laugh gets a gold star from me (crying and laughing are the entire range of human emotion, as far as I’m concerned). The writing is so clever and so smart, the cast is so talented, Ayo Edebiri is gorgeous, Jeremy Allen White is hot, and Matty Matheson is fucking hilarious.
I stumbled into CELEBRITY MEMOIR BOOK CLUB by scrolling idly through Spotify and I’m so glad I found it. This podcast is hosted by two comedians—and it shows in the quick, clever humor and engaging reviews of, you guessed it, celebrity memoirs. It’s quick, smart, and hilarious. This is one of the best book review podcasts you’ll ever hear.
Listen. Not to be that girl, but SWEETGREEN’S HARVEST BOWL is a gift from god. Whenever my friends and I have summer picnics downtown, I swing by Sweetgreen to pick one of these bad boys up. Then I sit in the sun with my buddies, chow down, and feel grateful to be alive. It is that delicious.
where to find me.
Website: ashiamonet.com
Twitter: @ashiamonet
Tiktok and Instagram: @ashiawrites