sleeping troubles

When I was 17 or 18 I had penpals I met through zines. I wrote to people who puts ads in zines, to people who created zines. I am not sure how I met Molly Kalkstein but I have a spring themed mixtape from her from the mid 90’s. I loved her zines, her aesthetic but also the careful observant voice.

We’ve only met twice—once for a few hours when she was an undergrad at Swarthmore. And then about 12 years ago I biked from Burlington to Montreal to stay with her. I got very sick on the way and she was kind. I felt ok by the time I left but I was not a great houseguest, tired and dizzy the first few days. Still, she made us delicious food, took me on a bike adventure, and brought me to a handmade paper mill. I remember she had turned her entry way into a camera obscura. When I got home, two weeks later, still sick and now also suddenly dumped, she sent me a small book made with papers we had bought in Montreal. She suggested maybe we collaborate in someway, introspective women living in french cities.

Finally this spring it happened. I asked her if she wanted to design something for a postcard and she generously agreed. She offered a few Albrecht Durer drawings, I chose one and she wrote the question. It is a good one. I rarely have trouble sleeping ( I might be perpetually over-tired) .

And here it is, Keep Writing number 121, sent in May 2019. Printed in colors chosen to match the desert flower stamps I bought in honor of Molly’s current residence—Tucson, Arizona. Hopefully it isn’t our only collaboration.