Dirty Treasures

Specter Poetica Is Now On Patreon!

I’m excited to announce that Specter Poetica is now on Patreon! This is a big step for me, but a step in the right direction. For years, I have been working on my blog and various writing projects on my own time — and that was exactly what I needed to do at the time. (More on that later!) However, that time has passed and I am ready to not only share about more of my writing and post more…

2021: Is It Time To Critique the Body Positivity Movement?

I love the start of a new year. I love having a concrete starting and ending point that can allow me to reflect, have an easier time putting the past behind me, and to have a moment dedicated to refocusing on those things that most align with my values. I love that this time comes after the holidays, too, as the holidays knock us out of our normal routines. However, some conversations, social…

Turning 30 & Why It Might Be the Best Thing That Has Ever Happened

For me, turning thirty was daunting. I experienced every emotion generally associated with birthdays for women past age 21 – excitement, fear, sadness, and the reality of your mortality. With the start of the new year in January, I felt excitement for my birthday; it felt like the perfect bookend to one decade to inspire reflection and to take what has worked for me in my 20s into my 30s and to…

Creating Your Happy Place

Happy New Year! I love this time of year, for the reason that we get a chance to reflect and set a new intention for the next year of our lives. My mantra this year is “me”: a year focused on self-care, self-love, self-discovery, and listening to my own wants, desires, and voice. One thing that makes me happy is creating an environment that makes me feel good. Today, I want to share some tips…

More content coming soon!

Suspense. Fear. The unknown. In a story, we love these things. Watching the hero find his way, and struggle to overcome or survive is cathartic . . . our nerve endings are electrified; we live vicariously through the hero sometimes inspired, sometimes just entertained, and in some cases we want to relive his/her story again and again. Since the beginning of the world, man has been telling…

I wrote this a month ago as I sat out on the porch of a my friend’s house in the rural neighborhood of Sanger, California. It was here that I finally had a moment of quiet after weeks filled to the brim with business of work, dating, and time with friends. In this whirlwind, my writing had been put on the back-burner, and as I put my fingers to the keyboard in this quiet moment, I felt like I was…

The conundrum of the two lights; that which invades, and that which leaves. We live in a world obsessed with beauty; with that which can be seen. The bending of light and shadow entering the eye, the stimulation of cones and rods, and firings of neurons making light and shadow into a “thing;” an image sometimes so beautiful that to behold it, sends vibrations down into the soul, and pricks every…

The following is one of those posts that I wrote in the late hours of the night, and that I found amusing. Whether it will be amusing to other humans during normal waking hours, remains to be seen. . . . For my entire elementary, middle school, and high school education, I attended a private fundamentalist Baptist Christian school. I have many fond memories of elementary school, but as I got…

Summer on a Budget

Summer is finally here! I have never been so excited for summer than I have been this year. There are so many things I want to do this summer, but unfortunately my funds are a little low, and with some upcoming expenses, I will need to pinch my pennies. Here are some of the ways I’m planning to enjoy my summer even on a low budget. Hiking Living in Boulder County means that a good hiking trail is…

L-town: How to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

As soon as I mention that I live in Longmont, the person I am talking to either stares at me blankly, not knowing about “this town,” or gives me a condescending stink-eye that communicates “you live there? You’re lame.” I will be the first to tell you that Longmont is not the most interesting town, but it’s certainly not Kansas; Longmont has developed a lot in the last couple of years. As a…

Fear of the unknown has been something that has been coming up a lot in my life lately. Not only am I entering a time of transition– transition seems to be a cyclical part of your twenties– but also many of my friends are entering new seasons in their life, trying to determine what’s next for them, or hoping that they will be able to make it to the next stage of life or their careers. A month or…

I will be doing a reading of my book Timmy the Button, May 1 @ 2:00pm in Longmont! The target audience for the event is kids, but ANYONE is welcome to come!  Hope to see you there!  To RSVP email Art of Fashion at [email protected]  For details visit http://jatwood134.wix.com/mysite#!events/xzcki Currently, Timmy the Button is featured at Tattered Cover in Denver, Book Bar, Boulder Bookstore,…

Life is hard. Like really hard. I mean I will be the first to say, life is so good, because of all the beauty in this world there is to experience, I mean there’s bacon avocado, chocolate . . . I just had a life changingly-good brunch– breakfast tacos (I know!). There are a lot of great things besides food, like puppies, sunsets, oranges–oops, more food. . . . Life can definitely be hard (despite…

You are a Badass.

So I’ve been reading a self-help book called You are Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. I know sometimes when we hear the words “self-help” we cringe; we immediately picture a wussy little man wearing pleated khakis with glasses and a haircut from the 90s who has mommy issues and calls his therapist at all hours of the day . . . like…