Author photo shoot
Collaborating with Phoebe Fettig Images, G. Gazelka did an intimate photo shoot in their home and neighborhood. From presenting their Smith-Corona and Royal typewriters to their sacred space as written about in “Envision Home Beyond Owning it,” they gave a window into what it is like to be an active creator. Here is the poem for your free enjoyment:
I bought a place on 3rd
for the Arts
It’s a 1-bedroom
my bachelor pad
I have things
but a place is
supposed to be
more than things
and I’m wondering
where my essence lays
where is home
I have not quite felt it yet
I have set up a corner
in my bedroom for
listening to records
and for my Royal typewriter
it is antiquated, broken,
and hard to move
next to my record player
is an antique green chair
above are my favorites
of course, there really is
only room for Grimes
on my wall, and I imagine
this corner will become
a sacred space if I
use it enough, become
familiar with its feng shui
This sacred space is one they reserve for special occasions when writing or for self-soothing. Typically, they write postcards to their closest friends here or listen to whatever record calls to them at the moment. They make a ritual out of it by turning off the room light, plugging in their string lights and salt lamp, and lighting a candle. They have the complete discography by Grimes, Aluna, and Janelle Monáe, among others. When originally sharing this poem to Instagram, they posed this question to their friends and followers: Do you have any sacred spaces you carry with you to make your place feel like home?
This question is especially important for reflection because of the transitional spaces they have been through and their understanding of the transitional spaces that not just the young are in. According to the 2023 Minnesota Homeless Study, 10,522 people experience homelessness on a single night. A majority of these are in the Twin Cities greater metro area with an alarming overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx populations, whereas in greater Minnesota, people often experience precarious living situations of having to double up, moving from place to place, and repeat episodes of homelessness. No matter the situation you are in, it is important to have something that grounds you, something that feels like home.
While they were living through transitional experiences of homes, they were introduced to the possibility of working construction with the Local 49. While they ended up not doing it, they became familiar with the conditions under which these workers live. Often, they work the job and stay in a nearby casino. They are contracted per season, and the less experienced workers are let go earlier in the season. It is a very transitional experience. When they returned to their role as a professor, they learned more about construction through students and friends who are construction workers and became concerned about these conditions and the demographics who often filled these roles as the only positions they were allowed to work.
Still, the sound of construction filled their home and interrupted their remote work and daily writing practice, so they chose to write “Interruptions.” It is a piece that reflects on being interrupted while doing something you enjoy and having to come to the realization that they like you are also worthy of love. Here is the poem for your enjoyment:
Early afternoon
construction
rips through the bedroom
as if it knows
it’s in the throes of pleasure
Dirty, ugly men
as if I will not be
an ugly man
Stained and crooked
teeth,
scar and tattoo
chested,
a little belly dripping
sweat
Frustrated,
I rip the blankets
from the bed,
put my pants
back on,
go to my Surface
to write,
try to imagine
these men
are worthy of love
just as I am
With Phoebe Fettig Images, they chose to create a couple images of themselves in the center of a construction scene in celebration of these workers.
I hope you have enjoyed the poems and gallery of images. These poems are included in G. Gazelka’s poetry collection Bodies in Transition.