The short and sweet of it is…
…that I’ve been booked and blessed this Q1, and focused more than the usual on putting out affirming Queer stories into the world. Because with 2025 starting with my city literally on fire, “on fire” is also metaphorically turning out to be the theme of the year.
Amidst so much destruction, I’m making sure to be creating. And amidst all the fear, I’m searching out joy.
While packing a go-bag in January, I found myself torn about whether or not to include my favorite — and discontinued! — perfume. It’s a luxury item with no use beyond making me happy. In an emergency, how essential is joy?
Well, according to the Queer community: it’s vital. We have a saying from the days of the AIDS crisis: “We buried our friends in the morning, protested in the afternoon, and danced all night long." To find joy while grieving, hope amidst danger, connection despite division, and to dare the audacity to live authentically — that’s also resistance. We need a balance of fighting injustice both head-on and quietly, and a balance of recharging ourselves and supporting one another.
For me the lesson of Q1 is the power in holding space. I’ve been leaning into directing audiobooks, and finding that I enjoy it almost as much as narrating. It’s largely the same thing, creatively — I typically self-direct as a narrator, as well as all my auditions for any medium — but what I am discovering that I have a knack for is holding space for other creatives to exist in the purity of their expression. In these times of feeling generally less safe, my ability to provide a temporary, intentional chunk of time devoted to trust and safety is one of the ways I am enduring and nurturing myself, too.
I’m very happy to have been busy this quarter both directing and narrating, uplifting diverse voices and telling diverse stories.
And I’m grateful to be making my little newsletter of celebrations and intentions to help me move through life, work, and art in a way that helps me stay accountable to myself. Thanks so much for hanging out with me.
And now it’s time for the breakdown. Q1 in review:
Audiobooks
Releases:
STILL LIFE (Trans literary fiction)
Recorded/Recording:
Trans literary fiction
Queer Graphic Novel audio adaptation
Queer Romance
Queer Romantasy
Duet Erotica series
Directing:
YA Novel — in verse!
YA Nonfiction — a graphic/illustrated multi-cast audiobook adaptation!
Voiceover
LOTS of dubbing! Including several Netflix shows!
Thanks for spending time with me and sharing my celebrations again this quarter! Much love!
Cheers!
Nicky