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.


Gods, spirits, and old tales

Poems for the moments that don’t fit

On writing, making things, and building a creative career

I filled my copy of Jennifer Saint’s latest book Atalanta with post-its, which in my case is a sure sign of how much I enjoyed…

Spring has finally arrived (the winter was quite obstinate this year) and what better way to enjoy this beautiful season than with a good book?…

1.0 Introduction William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is reminiscent of his predecessors, Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Ballantyne’s The Coral Island in his situating the…

A blank cork board on Scrivener holds so many possibilities. Every year I talk to fellow writers just around November, and we discuss the quiet…

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