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Maria Dahvana Headley

@mariadahvana.bsky.social

6.6K followers 560 following 1.3K posts

NYT-bestselling, Hugo Award winning monster and myth maker. Most recently, VERGIL! A Mythological Musical (Audible) , Beowulf: A New Translation, The Mere Wife, & many other items in the wondertale category & beyond. https://linktr.ee/mariadahvanaheadley

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Reposted by Maria Dahvana Headley

Bloody Mary (mirror entity, not cocktail) @marygillis.bsky.social · 11h

Pixar should do a TOY STORY about a group of Beanie Babies who've been in storage for over two decades and have turned into Gormenghast.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 16h

Hahahaa truth

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 2d

I'm in Chicago giving a speech, and stopped by a protest this morning before heading to the airport. Chicago, I love you. People taking care of each other everywhere I went.

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Reposted by Maria Dahvana Headley

Matthew Cheney @melikhovo.bsky.social · 2d

Also happy stories

William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 2d

For God’s sake let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

Basically my personal neurodivergence has resulted in a lot of food for my friends and neighbors, because if I don't have anyone else to feed, it's totally possible for me to forget food and just live inside my brain, feral.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

The best coping mechanism for this is one I discovered while writing Mere Wife at an artists retreat in Italy. Every day at 5, I force-removed myself from the computer, and went inside to cook dinner for the other residents. If I hadn't, I would've stayed outside living on walnuts.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

Sometimes this kind of hyperfocus brain is amazing - I have been known to draft a novel in 4 weeks, or translate an epic in a few months. But I have to watch myself when alone or I'm like an anchorite without any food-bringing novices.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

My ADHD brain is often awesome when hyperfocused, but for several days it's been clamped tight on an editing project, & as a result I have been unable to do anything but frantically edit, living on handfuls of trail mix. This sounds good, I know, but man, it's intense to have this kind of brain.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

Also, I totally benefited from the milk of two other people I knew who had a lot of milk - my kid got to enjoy their antibodies too, which I think is awesome. Some people make a lot of milk. Some don't. But this study made me feel happy - usually breast milk studies make me feel sad.

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

Ps: there's an interview with Meghan on the link. The upshot of the study is: even a little breast milk has substantial benefit - so, if you're like me & every drop is a battle, even a few days worth does the trick. Also Meghan's goal is to get those benefits isolated and into formula too. ❤️

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 4d

Read More Grimoires. In honor of the small Grimoire in the middle.

Three people, grinning widely, wearing matching red shirts and sweatshirts that have a drawing of a magical book and a couple of magical cats, and the legend Read More Grimoires. The two people on the outside are parents. The one in the middle is in red glasses and is a 6 year old named Grimoire. All parties have dimples.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 5d

It really is!

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 5d

My badass sister in law Meghan is doing research about breast milk antibodies - and how to get them for every baby by isolating them so they can be added to formula too. www.king5.com/article/news...

New study shows breast milk could give newborns lifelong antibody protection: HealthLink

The research led by a Fred Hutch immunologist suggests even a few days of breastfeeding could have lasting benefits.

www.king5.com

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 7d

A 20th Century cocktail in a coupe, sandwiched between two halves of a golden crocodile bookend. 20th Century's are good - 1.5 oz gin, 1/2 oz Lillet blanc, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz white crème de cacao, shaken. Named after a train.

Two halves of a figural golden crocodile bookend sandwich a coupe with a golden rim and a lemon rind garnish. The coupe contains a 20th Century cocktail - gin, crème de cacao, lemon juice, Lillet blanc. And behind it, there's a tree filled autumnal backyard.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 11d

❤️❤️❤️❤️ best nerd moment!! Thank you!!

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 12d

Also amazing!!! Whee!

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 12d

This is amazing!!!

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 13d

I went to a huge party and thought a bunch of people would know. But no one knew what I was...except for people who were already my friends! Hahaha

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 13d

Also, related, the time I was the Voynich Manuscript for Halloween and painted my own version of Voynich and made it into a manuscript dress.

A woman wearing a dress painted with cryptic language and flowers. Also her skin is painted with cryptic things.

A close up of a Voynich bodice, with encrypted language and a couple of mystery flowers.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 13d

Wheee! Exciting to see this replaying - it's an awesome performance by Becca Blackwell, and also one of my favorite stories I've ever written.

Symphony Space @symphonyspace.bsky.social · 13d

On this week's Selected Shorts episode, actors Teagle F. Bougere, Becca Blackwell, and Jane Curtin perform stories by Meron Hadero, @mariadahvana.bsky.social, and Anne Tyler. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts. bit.ly/4mSJgs0
(Photos by Kevin Yatarola)

Teagle F. Bougere stands on the stage in front of a microphone reading a story.

Becca Blackwell stands on the stage in front of a microphone reading a story.

Jane Curtin stands on the stage in front of a microphone reading a story.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 13d

Yeassss thank you!!!!

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 13d

This is my favorite thing I've seen in ages, and also it is precisely my daily life with a 6-year-old lair companion named Grimoire, and a whole bunch of facsimile codices on the shelves.

Fantômas, Le contrebandier de DEI @theefantomas.bsky.social · 13d

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 16d

Not sure? It's a medieval monster conference keynote, so I don't think it's being streamed? But it might be.

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 17d

I'm coming to Chicago to talk about medieval monsters...

Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 27d

Just in case any of you are in rhe Midwest and want to attend this Medieval Monsters conference, I'm giving the keynote on Oct 17! www.dom.edu/medieval-mon...

Medieval + Monsters Conference | Dominican University

www.dom.edu

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Maria Dahvana Headley @mariadahvana.bsky.social · 17d

I wish you were coming!

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