The tent-ickle

Today’s blog starts with a knock on my door from a dear friend and fellow disabled writer. They’d checked I was in and trotted over in the mizzle to drop off a creative project they’d mentioned to me earlier in the week- their first ever zine.

I love a zine! I think the short, DIY form really lends itself to all kinds of creative project as well as information distribution. This one is a delightful summary of my life drawn as gherkins, because I love pickles and my friend embraces my love. Inside are a series of illustrations of me with some of my many various hair cuts and colours, embodying different, pickled, aspects of being: from the union pickle, to the knitting pickle, and [featured below] the tent-ickle, AKA the tentacled poetry pickle. My pets and loved ones have also been transformed, and it’s honestly one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me.

My day job is in retail, so Christmas is an incredibly hectic and draining time. On top of that, the lack of light and miserable weather really knock me for six at this time of year. So having something lift my spirits feels particularly precious amongst the fatigue and the grey.

I am also feeling buoyed by a meeting with our brilliant Tentacles producer, Chan- our first of 2026. Every time I think about the next things coming up in the Tentacles programme I get excited. Both course 1 and 2 are live and bookable for in-person attendees now. We’re working with Nottingham Central Library for our in-person sessions moving forward, and they’re such a great space, I think it’s going to work really well. We also started planning our anthology and showcase event, so keep a look out for more news on those in the near future!

I finally feel, almost at the end of January, like I’m approaching my usual functionality again, but I’m not there yet, and let’s be clear, that ‘usual’ is a slow moving, anti-grind-culture pace! If you have been feeling the January blues too, I hope you’re able to find some small joy and hold it in your heart until the sun comes out again.

A gherkin with blue and purple hair and multiple tentacles holds a pen and a laptop