Bad blogger! No biscuit.

My poor blog has been suffering from neglect. I need to do something to keep it from feeling sad, so here is an update about some of my recent activities.I survived my first year of doctoral studies! Among other fun activities second semester, I got to perform the role of "Jenny" in Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera with the University of Illinois Opera. The photo below shows me as Jenny with the dastardly Lee Steiner as Mack the Knife.I had a short story, "The Golden Larynx," published in the steampunk ebook anthology Gears and Levers 3, which also contains 13 other great stories by a variety of authors. I love combining several of my interests in one package, and this story is close to my heart because it definitely does so. A famous opera singer dies, but thanks to the invention of a cunning doctor, her voice lives on. Sort of. For a while, anyway. One of the story's themes is coping with mediocrity, or, what do you do when your desire exceeds your talent. A little close to home? Yes--I suspect all singers have days like this. You can buy the book here: Gears and Levers 3 and honestly, I think you will enjoy every story in the anthology.I directed an interdisciplinary performance project on Otherness at the Indy Convergence in May, but I think that deserves its own post.Now I'm gearing up for a summer of teaching voice at a Fine Arts camp and hoping to get some kayaking in whenever there's a day without a significant chance of rain. Happy summer, all!