What is Kro up to right now?
The latest updates
September, 2025 (From Substack)
Stories from the street
August was a blur! I try to send this out twice a month, but it looks like summer got away from me. Thank you to all my readers who found me in the wild and told me how much they enjoy this newsletter!
I had many moving moments writing street poetry this month. Notably, I wrote several different poems for chronically ill and disabled women who were out trying to enjoy the art fest, but who were having to take it at their own pace. The August sun was shining, people carried cups of handmade lemonade and local beer, and huge crowds meandered through the tents to look at gorgeous art.
In the midst of this bustle, these women had to take the festivities at a different pace. Sometimes you’re in your twenties and walking with a cane, or having to sit down every five minutes because of POTS. It can be a challenge to find the poetry in the world when you’re trying to navigate your life in a disabled body. I’m disabled myself, and I wrote them poems about enjoying life even though your body sometimes behaves in wacky and inconvenient ways.
I also wrote a poem for a couple who were having a difficult fertility journey. Their prompt was the phrase “manifesting baby.” I wrote them a poem about how you can build a family in many different ways—some of them beautiful and unexpected. I told them about my own story of being adopted, and of course, they cried. A lot of my patrons cry and it touches my heart every single time. It was an especially moving month for poetry.
News & updates
My biggest update is that I’ll be performing in a special show with the Chicago Poetry Brothel on Sunday, September 7th. I’ll be performing in-character as my poetic alter ego, and patrons will have the opportunity to have one-on-one private readings. Come see me, if you’re so inclined!
September Appearances:
Printer’s Row Lit Fest Popup @ Born Again Consignment Parlor, Sept 6, 2025 (1-4pm)
Performance: Poetry Brothel Popup the Music Box, September 7th
Gala Event at The Museum of Science and Industry, September 12, 2025 (7-9:30pm)
Employee Appreciation Day at Ciel Senior Living in Plainfield, Sept 17, 2025 (10am)
Common App NACAC Conference, Columbus Ohio, Sept 18, 2025 (7-10pm)
West Loop Arts Fest, Sept 20-21, 2025 (10am-6pm)
What’s Kro working on?
Quite honestly, I’m trying to figure out where to put my energy. Now that grad school is over, I’m fully self-directed. This is both a blessing and a curse. I have fully reclaimed my agency and my free time, and I finally have space to breathe. I’ve been taking a few big inhales and a lot of big exhales. But now there are so many directions I feel pulled in—do I focus on finding an agent to represent my work? Or do I focus on submitting my writing to journals and literary magazines for publication? Or do I start putting myself out there at open mics and on performance dockets? Probably some mix of the three. I’ll let you know when I’ve figured it out.
What’s Kro reading?
You know the movie Howl’s Moving Castle? It’s based on a book by no other than this lady: Diana Wynne Jones. The lighthearted whimsy was something I desperately needed, and boy did she provide it. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci follow an enchanter with nine lives who hops between worlds and has various and sundry adventures along the way. The whole thing is extremely lighthearted and all the stories involve a cat. A winning formula, in my opinion.
