Work has been very busy in the last two weeks, which I am grateful for! I thrive when I have structure and a solid task list. We’ve had a full workshop schedule, with different age groups, ability levels, and locations. It’s beautiful to observe how each class brings their own unique strengths to create a completely original story, despite the fact that we employ the same workshop techniques every time. I highly recommend you visit the Fighting Words NI Library of Stories and read some of our recent stories. They’re full of wacky characters, witty quips, and dramatic cliffhangers. One of my favorites was a story about a smiley egg and a piece of extremely crispy bacon who turned from friends to foes after the revelation of the egg’s unfortunate proclivity for cannibalism. 

As you may remember, we have just moved into a new office space and it’s lovely! We have a large window, which brings in daylight and fresh air, and we’re surrounded by other arts organizations in the building. There’s a really friendly atmosphere here–I’ve enjoyed waving hello to our new neighbors in the hallways, chatting with the baristas in the ground floor cafe (which has INCREDIBLE decaf, by the way), and working peacefully at the sunny picnic tables out front. As sad as we all were about moving out of Connswater, working at the Crescent feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s also conveniently located near the Botanic Gardens, so I’ve been getting my daily flower dose on my lunch breaks, and tearing through books on my Kindle.

Although the new office has a lot of perks, it’s a very compact space. We currently have an island of mismatched desks crammed together in the center of the room, with boxes piled high and unpacked in the corners of the room. We would really love to get unpacked and fully settle in, but we don’t have any shelves to put things away on yet. So, I spent the last week writing up a proposal to IKEA asking them to donate some shelves, desks, and decor to make our space more functional and welcoming. They have a program where they sponsor charities who are making a positive impact on their community, so I think we have a good shot at getting approved. I wrote a cover letter explaining our unceremonious eviction from Connswater, a proposal explaining what kind of work we do and how we would benefit from the items we’re requesting, and a presentation showcasing my vision for the new office space. If we get the sponsorship, it will be cool to know that my work contributed to a nice future office for my colleagues, even though I will probably be gone before it fully comes to fruition. 

One more piece of exciting professional news! This week, The Irish Times published an article that I wrote about my observations and lessons learned from working with Fighting Words. It was very exciting to buy a physical copy from the grocery store newsstand in the morning and to know that people all over Ireland are reading my words! You can also read the article on the Irish Times website. 

I’m hyper aware of my quickly dwindling time in Belfast. I decided not to travel in May so that I could plug in here– spending quality time with friends and going to all the cool things that I’ve been meaning to go to and never got around to. I’m reallocating my travel budget to try that restaurant, go to that event, explore that unfamiliar corner of the city! This mission has led me to discover some awesome Belfast gems, as well as revisit some old favorites, often in the company of good friendship. I wandered through bluebell patches in Cregagh Glen, tried the camembert at Bert’s Jazz Club, got a comically asymmetrical sunburn at the Crawfordsburn Beach, marveled at a truly sensational aerial hoop dancer at the Festival of Fools, cried from laughter and melancholy at the Tenx9 storytelling event, slurped noodles at Ragin’ Ramen, bobbed my head to DJ beats at an artisan market in the Crumlin Road Jail, redeemed my completed punch card for a free bagel sandwich at Bodega Bagel, cheered for runners on the sidelines of the Belfast Marathon, and got a funky necklace at the shop run by Ulster art students. 

I also hiked up Cave Hill, which I have now seen in all four seasons. The gorse was in full bloom and I basked in its tropical fragrance while I savored the now-familiar view from the top of McArt’s Fort. I thought about my first visit to Cave Hill, when I was still learning how to use the bus system and completely misjudged the temperature when dressing for it, resulting in a blend of being extremely sweaty and cold at the same time, somehow. I remember how at peace and hopeful I felt then, despite the unfamiliarity of literally all of my surroundings. I felt the same peace each time I returned, with different nuances. This final time, the peace was tinged with wistfulness. I love Belfast. It’s my favorite place I’ve ever lived, and it’s taught me a lot about what kind of place I want to plant myself in the future. I feel at home and ever-inspired by Belfast’s colorful art scene, humor-laced resilience, friendly openness to new-comers (despite decades of past violence and distrust), and stunning green spaces. With each beautiful Belfast experience in my last full month here, there’s an element of sadness in knowing that I’ll be leaving soon. But there’s also a sense of how lucky I’ve been to know such a wonderful place! I’m planning to spend my remaining days soaking it all up, with gratitude.