Cat Pictures! Pete in a Sink

Posted on February 25, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

drawing of a cat in a sink

This is one of the images I used in Scragamuffin, the chapbook I released as October’s exclusive Patreon reward. I thought it might be fun to release the pictures with the photos that inspired them.

When we lived in Bakersfield, our master bathroom had two sinks, which meant there was always an extra for a cat to flop in. It was probably summer when this picture was taken since Pete’s mane seems relatively short. I like the mad look in his eye.

drawing of a cat in a sink

Cat Pictures! Ru Mane

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

drawing of cat looking at camera

Cat drawing! This is Ru, the cat of my friend and administrative assistant, A Humphrey Lanham who kindly allowed me to use the photo. Full-grown here with a fabulous mane.

photo of brown tabby with pink nose and white chest looking at camera

Haiku for February 17

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

background image of foggy hill with a haiku in the foreground

In early dimness,

a quiet, unmoving sky

chills, waiting for dusk.

January Fifteenth, My Forthcoming Novella, Front Cover

Posted on February 15, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

I’m still really excited about my upcoming novella, January Fifteenth. It’s coming out from Tor.com in just a few months.

I really like the cover:

book cover of a person walking down an alley with an umbrella and the following text: January Fifteenth, “Money Changes everything–except people.” Rachel Swirsky, “One of the best speculative writers of the last decade.” –John Scalzi

I really like the cover! It reminds me of one of my favorite paintings,”Paris Street; Rainy Day” by Gustave Caillebot.

image of oil painting "Paris Street; Rainy Day" by French artist Gustave Caillebotte with several people in walking the street of 1800s Paris

January Fifteenth tracks four points of view, each in a different part of the United States of America, on the day when the government disburses Universal Basic Income. There’s a young mother in upstate New York; a freelance journalist in Chicago; a wealthy college student at a resort in Colorado; and a pregnant teenager who is part of an FLDS cult in Utah. None of them quite look like this gentleman in the rain, but he could be part of their world, a page or two away.

Cat Drawing! Pete in a Box

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

drawing of a cat laying in a box with four paws visible

I didn’t think I would be able to draw this because of the weird positions of his paws. It’s the kind of thing I’d shy away from if I were sketching freehand, but because I’m using the photographs as direct templates, I gave it a shot. “Trust the photograph,” I told myself as I made lines that seemed intuitively weird. The paws still look weird, but I think that’s at least 80% because paws look kinda weird.

photo of a cat laying in a box with four paws visible

Haiku for February 10

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

background image of trees branches and a light grey sky with the haiku

Light through naked trees.

My dreams were not peaceful and

I just want to sleep.

Luna

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Rachel Swirsky

A simple poem about the moon.

I wrote this during a class on poetry that I was teaching for Cat Rambo’s excellent writing academy. (There’s a ton of classes available there–if it’s the kind of thing you do, you should check them out.)

I think the writing exercise was something like, “You can find poetry where you look for it.” The night before, the moon had been a heavy, looming harvest orange.

I’ve always liked traditional stories that depict the moon as a lonely woman. I wonder if that was in the back of my head.