Dear Friends, I am well chuffed that my weird little short story about grief, fever dreams and marine mammals has found a home. The Whale Woman is appearing in issue 5 of Windmill, the Hofstra Journal of Art and Literature alongside some outstanding fiction, nonfiction and conversations. This story was inspired by my experiences as a girl, growing up on the coast of Massachusetts. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been having recurring dreams about swimming with whales. In these dreams I felt completely safe and supported by the animals and by the oceanscape around me. Sometimes they feel so real that I actually wake up wondering… is it possible to transform into another creature? And if so… what kind circumstances would it take for that to happen?

I finally wrote a story about it.

Here’s an audiogram of me reading a short excerpt from the piece, but I hope you will click on the link and go check out the entire issue of Windmill.

Cover art by Anne Marie Sekeres