Topsfield Fair, New Poems, and more - October Newsletter

 

Hi everyone,

 

Happy October! I love the fall. Although honestly, my favorite season always seems to be the one we are experiencing. But I do truly love when the air gets a little crisper, the leaves change, and I can start cooking soups and stews again. 

 

I have been busy and it is good to be busy! Shows have been great - it is so nice to play live music again. I am still working on my album of course, and I have been writing some more Insta-poetry that I will be sharing over the coming weeks on my Instagram page. You can check out my latest poems here (this one is animated so make sure you hit "play") and here.

 

I also recorded a segment for the Artist in Residence Showcase on Folk Music Notebook, a very cool online folk radio station. I'm grateful to Ron Olesko, who runs the station for affording me the opportunity. Not only did the audio of the segment air a few weekends ago, but you can watch the video on youtube.

I've got a couple of fun shows this month - info is below. And of course, thank you very much for your interest and support!

:) Kirsten

Upcoming Shows

Sunday, October 10

Kirsten & Dave

Topsfield Fair - Picnic Area Stage
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Topsfield Fairgrounds, Topsfield, MA

topsfieldfair.org

This is always one of my most favorite gigs each year. And I am very excited to be back after missing last year due to Covid. We'll play and sing, and also wander around, eat delicious but bad for you fair food, and maybe go on a ride or two. Come join us!

Friday, October 22

The Sweet Janes
Walnut Street Cafe

8:30 - 11 p.m.

157 Walnut St, Lynn, MA

walnutstreetcoffeecafe.com

 

Lori Wadkins, MaryBeth Maes and I will be back for an evening of music, laughter, and most likely some sass. We've put together a couple of new songs for you, and will play our usual mix - solo and together, originals and covers. Hope to see you there!

Creative Musings

I have definitely felt more energetic lately, and able to get into a creative space more easily. I think it is because life is starting to feel more normal again, and I am able to feed the creative well in me by performing, people watching on the subway, and talking to more people in person instead of over zoom. It has all certainly made a difference.

But it got me thinking about creative practice as just that - a practice.

Even before Covid there were always periods where writing felt like the last thing I wanted to do. And I always come back to a book I read in college for a choreography class I was taking at the time - Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. It is one of the best books I have ever read on being creative. And one of the main messages (to quote Nike) is : Just do it. Basically, just show up to the page consistently. Write terribly if you have to, but write. And once you do, you will get better; the writing will get better. And suddenly you will have a song, a poem, whatever it might be. 

And although the book is about writing, it works for any creative endeavor. Show up to the easel, the dance studio, the garden. Show up over and over again, and just do it.

"Once you're deep into it, you wonder what took you so long to finally settle down at the desk." -Natalie Goldberg

Good Stuff

I have been revisiting some older albums lately as I tool around in my car. One that I've had on repeat for a while is Radney Foster's Del Rio Texas 1959. (Fun fact, I once hung out at a Nashville Sounds baseball game with Radney Foster - I don't think I said more than two words to him; I was a bit starstruck). Anyway, I just think the album is so well written and well crafted all the way through.  It's hard for me to pick a song to highlight in this email - I say just listen to the whole album all the way through (remember when that was a thing?) But anyway, if I have to pick one song, check out "A Fine Line."