Slavic mythology, poetry, and the creative life.

This is a space for the stories that linger. You’ll find Slavic myths retold, original poetry, book reviews, and honest writing about the creative life — the work behind the work, and the life behind the work. Old stories have always carried something we haven’t quite named yet. That’s why we keep returning to them.

Featured Article
  • A Boy, a Name, and a System Built to Lose Him: Demon Copperhead Book Review

    I approached Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead with the particular wariness reserved for books that arrive already garlanded with praise. The Pulitzer. Oprah’s Book Club. Raving reviews online. The kind of unanimous applause that makes a reader suspicious before they’ve even cracked the spine. I was wrong to hesitate. The Boy Behind the…

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Explore by Topic
  • Slavic Mythology

    Gods, spirits, and old tales

    My Poetry

    Poems for the moments that don’t fit

    The Creative Life

    On writing, making things, and building a creative career

Latest Articles
  • Sara Badawieh’s Beige and Blue: A Book Review

    Sara Badawieh’s Beige and Blue: A Book Review

    ‘Today a monster has been born.’  This is not how typical romance books begin, and Sara Badawieh’s Beige and Blue is anything but a typical…

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  • Beneath the Surface

    Beneath the Surface

    I’m glad to announce that my long-awaited poetry collection Beneath the Surface is finally out and ready for pre-orders on Amazon! Having said that, let’s…

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  • The Everywoman: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

    The Everywoman: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

    “I wanted to write about the everyday and common but nonetheless undeserved experience of women around me,” said Cho Nam-Joo in an interview for the…

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  • To the Surface

    To the Surface

    Hello my lovelies, it’s been a couple of months since I started my self-imposed hiatus and, I’m glad to say, it’s been quite a creative…

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About Me

I’m Erna — writer, poet, devoted cat lady, and a marketer who came to it the strange way, through stories. Slavic mythology sits at the heart of this space, alongside original poetry, book reviews, and honest writing about the creative life.

Pull up a chair. There’s always something worth reading.

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MY BOOKs
Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface is a poetry collection about the things we don’t say out loud — the secrets, the weaknesses, the quiet monsters of everyday life. Read more.

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New myths, new poems, new stories — whenever they’re ready.