Happy 2024! Thank you for all of your support!

​Happy 2024 to all! 
Starting out with a bit of housekeeping, Tiny Letter, which hosts my newsletter, is closing at the end of the month. So I will be switching to another provider. Don't be alarmed, it's still me! Thank you to everyone who subscribes. I really appreciate your support and I hope to see some of you in real life as our film To Hold The Night hits the festival circuit later this year.

​WOW! Gorgeous Poster by Elise McCall
 To Hold The Night is complete!
The picture is locked, the sound is mixed, the digital copy is in our inboxes. We made a film! I am so proud of our whole team, and extra especially Jessica Petelle, director/producer/visionary who said, back in August,
 
“Let’s make this film.”
 
And so we did. Cast, crew, locations and magic all came together in a way I’ve never experienced before.
And all along she would say, “I think we’ll finish by the end of January” (while also sharing all the deadlines along the way) “and we’ll be ready to submit it to festivals.”
 
And we are!
 
This film is a dream come true for me. I wouldn’t change one thing about it. Truly. And while I’m so ready to share it with people, I wasn’t itching to be finished, I enjoyed the process that much. Like I said, magic!
 
For those of you who’ve been kind enough ask how you can see To Hold the Night, it’s a process. We will be submitting to festivals and hosting screenings, we’ll let you know if it’s coming to a city near you. (I hope to see you there!)

I’m so excited at the prospect of sharing it with you. The cast and crew all did superlative work. It’s a gem of a film.
​
Above is a still from the first scene, featuring the exceptional Anwen O’Driscoll as Nadine, the wonderful Kelsey Falconer as Sharon, all of our background actors and a VERY IMPRESSIVE bonfire and Lake Huron shimmering in the background.
 
More to come, stay tuned!

Where I'm From Still Going Strong!

This series continues to be a weekly source of joy and inspiration for me. Thank you to all of the participants!

Most recent poems:
2023
#115 Seth Singleton
#116 Sarah Leibov
#117 Melissa Greenwood
#118 Anne Pinkerton
#119 Mary Butler
#120 Tamara MC
#121 Krista Turnbull

2024
#122 Lisa Cooper Ellison
#123 Kelly McMasters
#124 Joelle Tamraz
#125 Alyson Shelton (2024 Version)
​#126 Jennifer Lang

Femme On Hits 100 episodes!

Thank you to all of the ladies of Femme On: Tonya, Ada, Jess and our producer and leader Ria, we wouldn't be here without you!

Please take a moment to rate, review and follow us on your podcast platform annnnnnd if you'd like to join me on Fine Cut to talk about a scene from your favorite book, movie, TV show, etc., let me now, I'd love to chat!

Most recent episodes:
15/Krista Schafer - Alyson and Krista discuss the opening scene from Slings & Arrows.
16/Ann Kelly, Nina Lichtenstein, Sandell Morse and Kim Ruehl discuss one of the final scenes in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.

What I'm Reading 
This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America by Navied Mahdavian
A gorgeous graphic memoir about Mahdavian's time in rural Idaho; what brings he and his wife there and why they ultimately decide to leave.

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang
Wang writes powerfully and vulnerably about her journey with schizoaffective disorder It's a great primer if you know nothing about the disorder and it goes far deeper, communicating in specific and rich detail, how it is to be in the world, grappling with mental illness.

Congratulations, the Best is Over! and Here for It; Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays by R. Eric Thomas
Funny, thoughtful, readable books that you won't want to put down.

I'm looking forward to 2024! In fact I just had a big birthday (50!!!). It was a really beautiful day & I FELT THE LOVE. I was surrounded by family and friends and flooded with gratitude to be here, in the life that I'm in.

Thank you for being a part of it.

And one last thought, I recently read the book I Quit Everything by Freda Love Smith and she proposes trading in the term crone for queen. Like: Maiden/Mother/Queen and I’m into it!

Love to you all! Alyson