Two years and a couple of weeks ago, I deliberately stepped away from blogging. That’s when I began my low-residency Master’s in Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Antioch University in Los Angeles.

Two weeks ago, I headed back to LA one last time, loaded down with thank-you cookies:

Back in 2022, in what became the last post for quite a while, I described the program as a switch from hiking to rock climbing. Now, having reached a comfortable ledge called “graduation,” I’d love to linger for a minute and talk about it before climbing on.

…So?

These past two weeks, I’ve been noticing the balance of my upward climb. Finding a rhythm between “But I’m not DONE yet–my book is only about 2/3 finished!” and “Look at all I’ve accomplished!” Real rock climbers could probably help me refine that metaphor, something about tension vs. slackness of belay ropes perhaps?

But that’s between me and me. What I’d really like to do here is celebrate LA a little–more accurately, Culver City–and the urban experience I benefitted from, which was 100% more lovely and positive than what I’d feared coming in (country girl and small-island woman that I am).

Example #1: this car.

Two years ago I took its picture–“LA as car!” But this summer, I realized two things: A, I walked past this zippy jalopy every single day for all five residencies. Clearly it lived on that street, so it became a friendly neighbor rather than a symbol of glitz.

And B, this particular car wasn’t the silver of the one I’d photographed in ’22. This one now matched the beautiful jacaranda blossoms of its street.

Speaking of matching trees: how about one more shout-out to Culver City’s amazing tree-themed streets?

Culver’s a lot closer to nature than you might guess from its situation at the edge of a megalopolis.

And the vehicle Mama Duck is leading her brood past also surprised me. “Ugh, it’s one of those lawn-spraying trucks,” I thought, but then:

Then there were the Little Free Libraries. Often those are stocked with throwaway books, but I was so impressed with the quality in this one:

Finally, the Antioch LA campus itself: two years ago, I noted its corporate ugliness (housed near such artistic fellows as Norton Security and TikTok).

I even took a photo of a madrona tree chained to its concrete planter:

But this time around, feeling mellow and grateful, I focused on the beautiful touches added to that soulless architecture, giving it…

Because it was my final “Rez,” I took advantage to visit my writing mentor in Pasadena for a hike. Finding a writing mentor was probably my #2 goal in my program, and…

Goal #1 = finding a more diverse critique group: check! I’m not going to violate their privacy by picturing them here, but this photo captures how I feel about them:

But maybe you’re still wondering about those cookies?

I hauled three containers in my carry-on: for my mentor; for an incredibly helpful Writing Center tutor who walked me through all the ghastly formatting issues of final requirements, plus an entire PowerPoint presentation; and for our WONDERFUL FRIENDS who shared their home with me, FIVE TIMES over the course of two years. And their car, their bike, and their cats.

THANKS, Y’ALL.

And while I’m saying my gratitudes: BIGGEST thanks to my Lopez Island writing group, which got me to this point, especially Iris Graville, whose own MFA foray lit the spark for mine.

And to my wonderful Mate and Son Two, who had this waiting for me when I got home:

Gratitude for this wacky beautiful community I get to call home:

And biggest gratitude of all for the inspiration and guidance AULA will provide me as I take a deep breath, look up that literary cliff, and continue the climb.