The latest installment of Treehouse in print is a strange one and I love it, so much. Clearly, when I was planning this issue months ago, I hadn’t any idea the kind of month we would experience in October 2023. Personally, locally, and globally, it has been… difficult. Gutting. Disappointing. Just awful. I am hopeful for what a new month will bring.
But, before that happens, I’m proud of this weird little zine I made right here. I think it’s the right thing for right now—it’s sometimes reverent, sometimes irreverent, and somewhat sinister, really.
This month’s cover is an interpretation of an illustration by artist, musician, and spirited individual, Nate Luce. I asked Nate for something “spooky” (cause, you know, October) and he presented me with a candy-colored and metallic retelling of the execution of George Burroughs, accused of being a warlock in the Salem witch trials.
Inside! We are visited ~once again~ by my very own first cousin, lauded architect, and lifetime drawer of terrifying and ghoulish imagery, Nick Miller. After our rousing success collaborating on Dream Houses in the June issue, I asked Nick if he had any house or building drawings in his personal collection. No surprise here: he did. The above is the least scary. 👀
I am trying more and more, when I can, to incorporate real life events that are already happening and are beautiful or significant or, frankly, seem like something I would normally stage for the zine anyway. The next wee story (just two pages) tells a bit about an evening held here in Maine for Samhain. It felt especially important and resonant given the immense loss this month has brought—both a mere handful of miles from this event and halfway around the world.
Finally, a story about candles, kind of. My friend Molly discovered that an apple corer is the same size as a standard taper (or, at least, that of our local taper dispensary, Danica Candles). Which means: If you can core it, it’s a candlestick.
As always, we wrap up the month with a Soft Meme by Ambrea Kai Miller, who continues to give us just the right amount levity.
Listings
KIOSK launched a fundraiser for the Red Cross this morning. There are eight items for sale, each of which will 100% benefit the organization. (LINK)
It’s that dark time of year, which means it’s also that candle time of year. Natural beeswax tea lights, tapers, and twisties (idk what you call the twisted ones) from Alysia Mazzella seem like the thing. They also have a nice assortment of candle holders, too. That is, if you’re out of artichokes. (LINK)
New to me, I couldn’t be more thrilled to discover The Idler. This thirty-year-old British publication is about exactly what it sounds like. Excerpts from its How To Be Idle Manifesto: “The religion of industry has turned human beings into work robots… We must defend the right to be lazy… Nothing must be done… Stay in bed… Embrace nothing. Know nothing. Do nothing. Be idle!” (Worth reading the whole thing, these are just my highlights.) (LINK)