Tonight's update includes the second half of the jewelry that was inspired by the text of Unwritten Stories #2, which is now available for purchase for anyone who didn't get a pre-release copy during the Save The Everything sale. There's labradorite (of course) and a lot of earrings, and assorted things that seemed to go with the poem.

I've also added two new items to the clearance section - $7 dictionary pendants and $10 earrings!

This week I'm also venturing into the world of crowdfunding & self-publishing with Patreon. As many of you know, I'm a published performance poet, and I'd love to be able to spend more time writing without feeling guilty about doing work that doesn't pay the bills. I'm releasing a self-published chapbook on my birthday (May 10th, and I'll be 37, which delights me because it's both a prime number and a very short distance from turning 40) and I'm excited to see what the next few years of writing and performing bring.

You can get access to an exclusive backers-only blog for as little as $1 a month, or you can pledge $5 a month to get things like hand-written postcards, custom micropoems, and the ability to choose what text I use for blackout poems. There are also a very limited number of rewards that involve both jewelry and poetry, for $25 or $50 a month. I've been very interested in both crowdfunding and self-publishing for a while now, and people keep asking me if I have a Patreon, so... now I do!

(Spring is finally actually here! Tomorrow my housemate and I are tackling the yard and gardens.)

And lastly but certainly not least, I want to thank everyone again for the outpouring of support & encouragement this month. I wasn't able to ship orders as fast as I wanted thanks to a multi-day migraine/sinus infection, but as soon as I was back on my feet I bribed a friend's teenage daughter to help me get caught up, and she did such a fantastic job that I proclaimed her an official part-time minion and will be hiring her on an as-needed basis in the future. I'm happy to say that my lawyer and the IRS have both been paid in full, and I plan to pay the property taxes on Monday.

That infographic you've probably floating around Facebook is true: when you purchase something from a small business, you're not just buying a product or adding to a millionaire's salary; you're helping a family keep a roof over their heads and groceries on the table. Thank you.

(That is my happy party face, actually - these are from the 8th night of Hanukkah last year.)