My essay TWO BREATHS has found such a beautiful home and community in the pages of the newest @kenyonreview (July/August ’22) in an issue dedicated to climate themes and “Angry Mamas.” The piece shares space with so many heroes and incredible humans/writers including @camilledungy @aimee_nezhukumatathil @cleyvisnatera‘s @humera_afridi @emilyraboteau @cleyvisnatera @patricia__engel @anyakamenetz @poetlaureate_walling @debparedez @sadiashepard @samamadon @amyktalcott @sandrameek_poet @jasonphillipmyers @alyssaharad and more.

Here’s a quick excerpt, but I recommend heading over to the @kenyonreview for the full issue!

“You would not believe in the existence of a manta ray until you’ve seen one. She’s nearly a creature of mythology, with underwater arms that can span twentyish feet from tip to tip. The manta twists and turns by tilting the edges of her wings — her acrobatics accented by a dark dorsal topside and white-gilled underbelly. Her diamond frame and right-angled fins can encapsulate a three-thousand-pound mass so flat she might flash invisible when she turns vertical — like a nickel in a hand trick.

The mantas off the coast of Kailua-Kona congregate at night, when the bounty of planktonic creatures arises. So I organized a night boat. There were two options. My husband and I could snorkel at the top of the water, putting our masked faces under the sea’s surface, looking for the tips of those steel wings peeking white and manifesting from darkness in our direction. Or we could don scuba tanks, weight belts, four-millimeter wetsuits, and release the air from our diving vests and our lungs at the same time. Till there’s no air left to buoy us, and our bodies sink to the sea floor.

This is where I find a nook among rocks to plant my knees.

Where we sway with sea fans — as we wait.”