may-be the force is with me
shhh, i'm out here on my tightrope
hello from my home state of virginia, where the blue ridge mountains are unmoveable, the trees are in full pollen-blasting form, the flora and fauna continue to stun me with their beauty, and... the racial politics are historically bad!
i've been trying to spend more time here this last year, as i work through the "research" phase of a new project i have in mind. the richness of this place never ceases to amaze me, both the flood of my own memories, but also the deep history of the state. add in its cable-news status as nexus of american current events and you begin realize that if you can make sense of virginia, you can make sense of our country. this is not to say that i have done this or it's even possible, only that it feels worthy to me to try. so, here i am riding my bike, walking around towns and cities, talking to anyone and everyone whose paths i cross, and not least, playing shows in all corners of the state.
speaking of, being on the road is a many splendored thing - but not all of those splendors are easy. a close friend of mine gave me a card recently that featured a drawing of a tightrope walker. on closer look, you see that the person is both walking on the tight rope and feeding the rope out in front of them as they go, both providing their path and trying to stay on it at great personal risk. there's something about this image that speaks to me deeply - the precariousness of providing for yourself, of walking out into the world without a net. that's what being on the road feels like right now. it's exhilarating and terrifying and a ton of work and requires a faith to continue to step into the unknown. i tried to find this image for you on the internet, so you can really see what i mean, but all my efforts failed. if i were at home, i'd just go to my fridge where it hangs and snap a photo for you. but i cant because i am out here on my tightrope.
a couple of lovely things to note before i close this month's letter. i'm doing several pride events in NY in june (manhattan & saratoga springs) to commemorate the 50 anniversary of stonewall. i'll be out on the road with my heroes The Mountain Goats this july. i am headed to indiana and kentucky this summer. i never go there! as always, scroll down or click here for tourdates.
finally, quiara and i were thrilled and surprised to find out that "miss you like hell" was nominated for a 2019 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical. apparently our show opened right at the beginning of the nominating window last year. we're excited for the may 5 ceremony, and personally, it feels wonderful to be remembered in a crowded theater scene a whole year later. on that note, some new productions of "miss you like hell" have been announced for 2020, including seattle, with a bunch more on the way.
keep walking that rope!
x erin
¡ME GUSTA! : SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
this video of a piano accompanying the national anthem at a trump rally is wierdly right on and soothing
young finnish girls have taken hobbyhorses to the next level and it is fierce AF
a beautiful comparison of the paintings of hilma af klint & the info-graphics of w.e.b. dubois
revolutionary war general casimir pulaski was likely intersex
i am in love with hawthorne valley's ruby sauerkraut
my new favorite podcast, about the very real shit that happens to people
peep this handwritten annotation of the opening number of hadestown by my friend anais mitchell. 14 TONY NOMINATIONS!! I AM KVELLING!!