I should start with the biggest news, which is that I got into the Viable Paradise workshop!

I would try and describe how excited I am about this, or how that excitement is dampened because I have to wait for three more months for it to start, or how that excitement ramps up again because it hasn’t fully set in that I got in yet, but I won’t. Because I just did.

I will be blogging about it while I’m there as much as the wifi at the hotel and my free time will allow (though I’m guessing “free time” there is only occupied by showering and sleeping, and both of those also may be optional).

My inbox has been exploding with the other student introductions while I continue to be lurker-ish. But that’s because

I am excited to announce that the FIRST commissioned song for the Clarion Write-a-Thon is now done! My friend Rob supplied some awesome embellishment to the original banjo and vocal track and I present it to you here, in all of its glory:

Ladies and gentlemen: Tiny Arms, Big Heart, Bigger Stomach (31 Flavors of People)

A permalink to the file on SoundCloud (including the option to download it) is here. My dearest Natalie requested a song on the banjo about a T-Rex who was sad because he couldn’t eat an ice cream cone due to his tiny arms. It came out much better than I had even hoped.

If you would like a song of your own, donations are still open through the first week of August and you can donate here. Remember: $20 buys you your own song about anything you want, and if I hit $400 (I’m getting close!) I’m releasing all of the songs as an album I will send to everyone who has donated at ANY level.

Also, I am doing collaborations on these songs (as is evidenced above), so if you want to get in on the fun, let me know and I’ll see if we can work something out. I’ve got 10 more to do.

I’m working from home today, which compounds the happiness exponentially.

Be good, love freely and go make some fucking art!