A December Break—
No interview this month, but always a donation.
Hello wonderful people. I hope you are well and staying warm wherever you find yourself. I hope you’ve read or done something recently that surprised you, delighted you, or otherwise took your breath away. For me, most recently, it was Natalie Shapero’s STAY DEAD. A great, funny collection of poems. I also went to a Robyn-themed dance party with a friend and that was so fun. Is Dancing On My Own the song of the 21st century? It might be.
Anyway, there is no interview this month. Work has been jam-packed, family have been in town for reunions, and the days slipped away from me. That said, there are some great interviews in the works and 2026 is going to be a tremendous year, I think, for this interview series. There some guests I am ecstatic about and can’t wait to reveal them in due time.
But, in the spirit of gratitude, I want to take a moment to express my deepest thanks to everyone who has subscribed, either for free or with their money, to this venture which I made out of a desire to do more with my time and energy to support people and places in need. I sat on the idea for months thinking people wouldn’t care, thinking people would say, “why you?” and I am beyond grateful to see the support that this project has seen already. I am excited to keep it going. If you’re reading this and you’d like to subscribe to have a small portion of your money go toward the survival of someone else, you can do so by clicking the button below.
Anyway, since it falls to me this time, I am choosing to donate this month’s subscription money to Split This Rock, a DC-local, but nationally renown, poetry nonprofit organization responsible for so much of the literary programming that youth and adults in the DMV and beyond are able to access and enjoy. The people behind the organization are wonderful and have been supporters of my work and livelihood for a very long time. Just this year, they published my poem, “Winter Solstice.” Thanks Split This Rock! But now, due to federal budget cuts, Split This Rock is on the verge of shutting down entirely, but they have been fighting back hard. They’ve been working tirelessly to raise money to bridge their funding gap since August through a whole slate of local events and virtual programming for writers of all levels and ages. You can learn more about their mission and what they’re offering in this season by clicking here, going to their Instagram, @split_this_rock , or by simply checking out their website, www.splitthisrock.org
Through your subscriptions, WATCH! is able to donate $71.68 to Split This Rock, an organization that “cultivates, teaches, and celebrates poetry that bears witness to injustice and provokes social change. It calls poets to a greater role in public life and fosters a national network of socially engaged poets” (quote taken from the mission statement on their website.
As always, thank you so much for reading. Be well, be safe. See you next month.
with warmth,
Jonny
jonnyteklit.com