It's been such a long time! If you've had a chance to look around, you've seen some new content and updates, but the old content is still there. If you're having trouble finding something you remember from the old site, I'd be happy to assist. I plan to be more active and better about maintaining this space. A lot has been happening! I'll give a brief overview here, but you can always get caught up more quickly by visiting my Instagram or my Tiktok if you're into that sort of thing.
First things first--The Agofsky case. During the early days of the pandemic, I was briefly back in touch with Shannon. At the time, he did not have phone privileges, but we were able to exchange a couple of letters. I learned that my old friend had gotten married to a German woman and was doing well, despite some minor lingering health issues. His outlook was as positive as ever. However, I've sent him two letters since and gotten no reply. There is no guarantee that he received these letters--mail service in the US prison system is spotty at best, and COVID-19 has done nothing to help that situation. It could be that he never got my correspondence, that he didn't feel like writing, or that for him, our friendship has run its course. Whatever the situation, my feelings about Shannon and his case remain the same. He is an innocent man on death row, and justice in the case of Dan Short has not been served.
I had the opportunity to talk about the case on television--I was contacted by a producer who said they'd seen my work and were interested in my take. I was featured on a show called Killer Siblings that airs on the Oxygen network. I was not happy with the episode or with how they used my time/sound bites. I was interviewed for over three hours and provided the producers with multiple documents concerning Shannon and his case. They used none of the documents and only used about five to ten minutes of my interview footage, heavily spliced. They promised me that they would include my belief in Shannon and Joe's innocence--they did not. All in all, it was an interesting experience but I don't recommend the program personally.
Not too long after that experience, I was contacted by a reporter, asking if I'd be interested in discussing the case for a new podcast. Obviously, I was wary of being involved, but it wasn't long before the writer, Christina Randall, won me over. She was open and honest about every step of her recording and editing process. That is how I came to be featured on the brilliant and thought provoking podcast Crime Traveler --I recommend Shannon's episode of course, but the series in general is a great listen. It was validating to finally find someone willing to listen and look at the evidence, and so encouraging to find a new platform to discuss the case.
I was recently on another podcast, but this time, it was discussing my art and related endeavors! Check out Episode #25 of Bespoklahoma to hear more about my art, my process, and my spooky vending festival, Festival of Freaks! More episodes of the Southern Grimoire podcast are also coming---I know, I know. It's been forever. But finding time to record in my house, during a pandemic, when I've become my children's new teacher as well as their mom...forget about it. I spend half my day trying to explain number families and the other half trying to keep my house together. I'm lucky if I get a chance to hide and decompress at the end of the day. But I have some stories in the works, as well as some new stories that I've written.
Lastly, I have an update that I know is going to make some Oklahoma small businesses and makers happy. I see how you have been struggling in the pandemic. I've seen events get canceled and postponed; I've seen the low attendance rates. I see you complaining about the cost of Etsy and how much time you have to spend managing things. I have an alternative for you. My friends and fellow artists Jo Anson and Xhels Hall approached me with an idea, and we came together to create Made in Delirium, an Oklahoma art collective. We aim to take the "business" side out of owning a business, leaving you more time to create. We manage your inventory, post and promote your items, sell, and ship--all for a fraction of the cost advertised by sites like Etsy and Shopify. Work with someone you know by name instead of a faceless entity. Stay tuned for more details!