The Josie Pages

Field Notes in/On Transition Presumed Guilty Everyone presumes things about other people, events, places, times. We all think we know what these things are. We presume that because some people act a certain way, everyone like them also acts that way. No really almost everyone does this. But thoughtful people are able to see past cultural biases, propaganda and hatred , sometimes even love, and gain the insight that we don’t ‘know’ everything we presume to. Look at the news, how large groups are demonized for the acts of a few, constantly, it’s exhausting. One of the biggest arguments used to erase or silence Trans folks, especially Trans Women, is this presumption that you hear from TERFy types like Germaine Greer and the even more angry terf-y slash religious people...that Trans Women presume to know what it means to be a woman. That because we don’t have the shared history (or herstory) that cis gendered women do, we are somehow being presumptuous to think we can just s...

Field Notes In/On Transition I Don’t Know So I can almost see the finish line, at least for the 1st ‘readable’ draft of my memoir. I feel mostly good about it so far. But I also know that in certain areas of my life I have had a hard time going deep enough into things that have caused me grief, pain, even some of the more joyful things, I have a hard time accessing and putting them into cogent prose. My room mate said something to me a few weeks ago, meant with good intent, I think, but sometimes, ruminating on it, I have a hard time not agreeing on a darker meaning. She said, “You know you are both brave and stupid to be writing this memoir all by yourself, with no therapy, or mental health back up.” I am paraphrasing as this was a conversation, not one sentence. But that negative gist of it is true. It may be ‘brave,’ but I really am operating without a net, so to speak. I am dealing with some issues that I haven’t really dealt with, and doing so all by myself. I ...

Field Notes In/On Transition A time of renewal and continued poverty So, I have been working hard at getting the memoir going, living off of the money I was able to raise from my Indiegogo campaign. I had another day and a half doing some Background or extra work on a TV show. I really am not getting much work from that well, but I also black out a lot of days on my calendar for the other things going on in my life, like finishing this memoir, or at least finishing a draft that needs a real editor’s eyes, maybe. I can’t really afford that, as I didn’t raise enough money in my campaign. I am extremely grateful that people gave like they did, but I was only able to reach one or two people who don’t already know me. The internet is so vast. I raised $2100 CAD, and had to pay fees that lopped off $300 or so, so $1800 net out of the Ten thousand I hope to earn. In hindsight, that really was a case of dreaming big. Without some money in your pocket to start a campaign, it’s hard ...

Field Notes In/On Transition Collected Parties, and Crushes So, here is a blog post written in the middle of my writing my memoir day, today. I have been wanting to post these poems as a throwback thursday thing on FB, or something. They are included in my last poetry book, which is also a memoir, my poetic memoir of the poet that Joe was, and I don't seem to be, at least yet. the poetic urge has dwindled the more prose that I write, the less poetically inclined I have become in the last six or eight years. Right now in writing my memoir, I am knee deep in the 80's when I became a poet. One of the themes that has dominated my life is my desire for romantic love, and this youthful area has been both a joy and a pain to rediscover, through old journals, and my own very particular memories. This suite has always been too long to perform, so I don't think I ever have, maybe just one or two, performed singly with other work. Also too, go easy on me, as this is ...

Field Notes In/On Transition Happy whether I 'pass' or not? All My Empty Dresses So, I have been working pretty diligently on my memoir, writing writing writing. As this is the just get it all down 1st draft, my average number of words per day is way up. When working on a novel, often I average 1500-2000 words a day. So far working on this memoir, I have been averaging from 3000-3500 words a day, a number that is steadily trending upwards. I don’t know if everything I write is usable, I am just getting it down, the next step is to refine it all. I am hoping to do that in October, November if need be. There are enough pages from this blog alone, to winnow into a book, it’s a bigger project than I realized, but in a good way. Once I have a readable draft, I will be submitting to a publisher who after seeing my campaign, has asked me to submit the manuscript. Hopefully they say yes, and publish it, which means either I do a private unedited/less professionally edit...

Field Notes in/On Transition Tales Of The Giant Teacher and other stories As I have been working so hard on my crowd funding for my memoir, I haven’t been working quite as hard on the old memoir as possible. Which I need to be doing as much as I need to be working on crowd funding publicity ideas, and getting the word out. my crowd funder Update! Definitely my team (my friend Kate MacDonald, and myself) have done pretty good so far at getting the word out, in fact. About 12 days in I guess, and so far there is over $1400 dollars in the indiegogo kitty, books and calendars chosen as perks. So about 14% funded already. we’ve had big days, and low days, and weekends seem to be plateaus, as we get less hits, less contributions. It really is true that you get more exposure in the early parts of the week, but Friday has also been a big day, because I think it’s payday for many folks. So any day of the week I think has potential to be a good day, especially if you get a lo...

Field Notes In/On Transition “All My Empty Dresses: Memoir Of a Strawgirl” Is Live! So, if you have been following this blog, you know I was nervously preparing my Indiegogo campaign to raise some money to help me live while finish writing and editing my memoir. Well, as of Wednesday, June 24th, I am doing just that. The first day was really successful, and a nice trickle since. I don’t have a big publicity machine, nor am I going to hire one or any of the really sketchy looking companies that say they will magically reach 100,000 people if you give them a couple hundred bucks. Here's the link below, to my campaign. I made what I think is a fun dorky ‘pitch video.’ I have gotten tons of shares of my campaign as well as what I think is a decent start for someone with no fame to speak of, but lots of good friends. All My Empty Dresses: Memoirs Of A Strawgirl This was not easy for me to do, nor keep doing. I am so nervous about asking people to help m...