Reflecting

It has been a whirlwind of a year.

I've released so much music, worked some very interesting jobs, been in tons of shows, and studied abroad! And, of course, I have spent most of this year revising House of Shadow, which is finally back in the querying trenches after two years (exactly!).

I've spent the past semester studying English at the University of Cambridge's Pembroke College, and I can honestly say I've never had so much fun with my academics. I took two papers (courses), "Love, Gender, Sexuality 1741-1824" and "Material Renaissance." For the latter, I am nearly finished with my dissertation on how magic was staged in renaissance theatre (please ask me about it). I've traveled to so many cool places and met so many wonderful people. I'm very sad my time here is coming to an end, but I'm looking forward to returning to Boston.

Just this past week, I've hit multiple new records on Spotify, going from 5,000 monthly listeners to 7,000 in mere days. I released five songs inspired by various books with the Bookish Songs Collective (which itself has grown so much) and I have one more solo release coming before the year is out. It's so exciting to see how a career I never dreamed could be a reality has blossomed before I've even graduated.

My sophomore spring was so full of theatrical endeavors. I got to play Grace in Radium Girls, play the Little Monk in Brecht's Galileo, and play bass in the pit of the JHU Barnstormers' production of Be More Chill. In the spring I'll be returning to the theatre both on and off stage, and I couldn't be more excited.

I cannot wait to get back to Hopkins and return to my beloved job in the Sheridan Libraries' Special Collections - the rare books are calling. This summer, I had the honor of interning in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, which was such a valuable and transformative experience. And this summer was certainly a summer to be there!

Revising House of Shadow after my initial bout of querying was a long process and sometimes it felt like I'd never get to the end. But I persevered, and I am finally querying again, which is super exciting. Massive thanks to my wonderful friends for reading my materials so many times (shoutout to Victoria Carbol and Kendra Dantes, my incredible musical collaborators and fellow writers) - I could not have done anything without you.

I know we're not to the end yet, but as I look back on 2024, I am honestly so happy with everything I've accomplished and seen. I can truthfully say I am looking forward to what 2025 will bring! I'm sure I'm forgetting something very important that I'll want to add later, but for now, I'll leave it here :)