Ami Maxine

Not My Normal Kind of Post: PSA

Every year (meaning the start of the academic year, which for my school is mid-August), we (the faculty and staff) are tasked with taking a number of trainings: Ethics, Title IX, and cybersecurity. Every year while doing that last one, I can’t help but wonder how these scams ever work. Doesn’t everyone know not to click on any links? Always to verify?

But if that were the case, these people would stop trying. We all continue to get bombarded because there are people it works on. It’s a numbers game for them – send it to a hundred, a thousand, more, and if you get one, it’s likely worth it (depending on the scheme).

TL;DR – never click on any links or open any attachments without verifying they are official; you should never have to pay for anything up front when someone offers you representation or publication. (Notes about writing scams at the end.)

If you need more than that, I’ve got some examples of what to watch out for.

A year+ ago, I got the above text message saying that I had outstanding tolls in the state of Wisconin and that I will be “penalized and subject to legal action” if I don’t pay now. They provided a link for me to click to make this payment.

This one made me giggle because WI doesn’t have tolls. (Do your homework, scammers.)

First – you would never be notified of overdue tolls through a text. They send invoices through the mail to the address attached to your plates (so make sure your address is up to date at the DMV or you will be missing notices and incurring more fees). In addition, there are many red flags in this text that can let us know this is a scam:

It came from an email with the domain indicating The Anchor Nursery. Definitely not anything related to the DMV. The random series of letters and numbers as the ID for the email is also a red flag.
The Actual website for the WI DMV is https://wisconsindot.gov/.
- Anyone can buy any URL that is not already in use – they are hoping you see the first part and ignore the rest – the URL for the site in the text is the full https://wisconsindot.gov-etcpm.xin/us. (Note: The domain is everything that comes between the https:// and the next / – so in this case: wisconsindot.gov-etcpm.xin. This is what you need to look closest at – because they hope you see the ‘wisconsindot.gov’ part and think it’s legit.)
- An .xin doman can be bought by anyone, though they are aimed at the Asian market. An actual .gov cannot be bought by anyone other than an official government agency (that being said, they can slip the letters gov in there hoping to dupe you). Also, they are hoping you miss the .xin by adding the /us. Anything after the initial domain indicates a specific page on that website; it’s not a part of the actual website domain address – they are hoping using a reference to U.S. will distract you again from the .xin.
Often, these scams will give you a sense of urgency in the hopes you panic and pay, and that you do not take the time to do your due diligence. This text came in on March 31, and I ‘have to pay’ by April 2. In reality, the timeline for being overdue and incurring fees/needing to pay is longer than this:
- Also, the Illinois Tollway is not part of the DMV – it’s a separate organization. It also does not contact the DMV about unpaid fines, and the DMV is not in charge of sending notices of unpaid fines. The Illinois Tollway itself can put a hold on your registration. This will, of course, then flag at the DMV. (But note that the graphic above says they “may” – not that they will. Same note about litigation.) Again, if there is an actual missed toll and fine, just make sure your address is up to date at the DMV, and you will receive the first notice, which you can pay and avoid getting anywhere near collections.

So, you get a text like this, and your state does indeed have tolls (or you live near one that does and have recently driven through one of their tolls). What do you do? For IL, you can check your account/plate by going to www.illinoistollway.com or calling 1-800-UC-IPASS (1-800-824-7277). (You can search for the official website and phone number of your own state.) But whatever you do, do not click on any links or open any attachments without doing your due diligence.

After a bit, the scammers must have realized that WI doesn’t have tolls, and they switched their tactic:

This one at least came from a phone number and not a random email. However, it came from an international number: +63 is the code for the Philippines. (If the first set of numbers is only two digits, it’s an international code. You can google the code and see where the text is coming from.) If this were legit, it would come from a local number that you can locate on the actual agency website. (That last part is key. Lots of scammers have figured out ways to call from what looks like a local-to-you number.)
DMV stands for Department of MOTOR Vehicles. Typos, misspellings, and other such inaccuracies are a good indication this is not from someone at the actual office. In addition, the DMV doesn’t deal with traffic ticket fees. Police and the courts do.
North Wisconsin Car State Administrative Code 15C-16.003 does not exist. (An additional inaccuracy – North Wisconsin? Any actual codes would be for an entire state.)
Again, the actual website for the WI DMV is https://wisconsindot.gov/
- The URL for their site is the full https://wisconsindot.gov-ye.icu/us. Same notes as above about the .icu domain. (Though this is an upgrade. While .xin is geared toward Asian markets, .icu is more global. This change was certainly intentional on their part.)
They again gave a sense of urgency – the text came in on June 3, and I ‘have to pay’ by June 5.
The text is about a traffic ticket – no idea why they would “transfer to a toll booth”? Traffic tickets and the tollway have nothing to do with one another.
The one thing they do get right is that if unpaid fees go to collections, yes, it can indirectly affect your credit score. But, again, there are a lot of steps and official notifications along the way to that (and six months).

Another common scam is the cold-call job offer:

Ok, first clue – the name given (Daniel) does not match the email it is coming from (Nichole Williams). Also, if this were legit, the email would have been something like @Klarna.com
Next, Klarna is a real business – you can look it up. They have this warning at the top of their page even letting you know about the scam:
In addition, no one is going to offer you a job through a text message based on some resume you didn’t send them. If you are working with a head hunting agency, you might get a cold call – but it will come through a phone number or email you can locate on the company website (and the head hunter will probably give you a heads up that it is coming). Either way, you would have to still interview before you would get an actual job offer.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No one is paying 2K a week for 60-90 minutes a day. This is so unreal. If you are going to be hired for some job that is paying well over two hundred bucks an hour, it’s going to be a highly skilled job with a rigorous interview and onboarding process. Not a text message out of the blue.
The number they give is through WhatsApp. BIG red flag. Any communication should come from a phone number that you can verify on their website.
That being said, the WhatsApp number is cloaked as a number from southern Texas (likely why they are using WhatsApp in the first place). Klarna is based in Sweden. They have offices elsewhere in the world, but none on their site are listed in Texas. Took me about ten seconds to find this out.

The same goes for anything you get through email or voicemails, even letters in the mail. Protect yourself. Verify. Verify. Verify. If you weren’t expecting it, it’s probably a scam. If it seems too good to be true, it’s very much likely to be a scam.

All this to say that writers are often targets of scammers. Why? Because we have big dreams, and we want to believe that opportunity finally came knocking. And people try to exploit that. Again – if it feels too good to be true, it probably is. Some things to watch out for:

If a publisher contacts you with a contract and asks you for money for ANY step of the process, it’s a scam. The publisher is the one taking the chance on you – they cover ALL up front costs in the hopes that they reap the reward when the book goes to market. (Same goes for requests for payment to represent you. Or requests from TV shows or podcasts asking you to pay them to be on their show. That is not how this is supposed to work.)
- On that note, there’s also a scam currently going around where a ‘celebrity’ podcast wants to interview you and asks for access to your Facebook or Insta page for a live event; it’s a scam. They don’t need access to your accounts to hold a live event with you.
If a publisher reaches out about a self-published book and offers you a five or six figure advance – but your book is not selling millions of copies, be wary. They aren’t going to offer that kind of money without some sort of assurance that they will make it back and then some. And if your book isn’t doing those kinds of numbers already, the offer is a scam.
Watch out for literary awards that charge reading fees. Most of them are scams. (Note – most but not all. This is where that due diligence comes in.) The most reputable ones do not charge a reading fee.
Don’t pay for reviews. Even if it is a legit person who reads and honestly reviews your book, agents and publishers don’t take them seriously, and it may even backfire if you are looking to get representation.
If you get a call from a studio or agency wanting to make a movie of your book – but first they ask you to pay to produce things like a ‘pitch deck’ or ‘theatrical trailer’ – it’s a scam. Again, it’s your IP. You own the copyright. They are paying YOU to use it. Any costs incurred are on them. This is why they have financial investors.
Impersonation scams are big – so do your research. If you get an email out of the blue from a supposed agent or publisher, don’t click any of the links they provide or open any of the documents attached. First, do a search for the official website and make sure this person is a member of their staff. Even then, anyone can make a website. If it’s a publisher you’ve never heard of, check out places like Writer Beware. (They also have lists of current scams.)
Also, if you get an offer of a contract, this is indeed a time where you MUST read the ‘terms and conditions’ and ALL the ‘fine print’ before you sign anything. It’s not fun to read – but you need to know what it is you are signing away. (In the U.S., soon as you have an offer from a publisher, you can join the Authors Guild. Your dues give you access to legal advice, and they will look over contracts and let you know about any red flags. If you are in other countries, check into local guilds to see if they perhaps offer the same service.)

First Friday Rec: Born a Crime

Title: Born a Crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Pages: 289
Publication Date: 15 Nov 2016
StoryGraph* Moods: Funny, Emotional, Reflective
How I Stumbled Upon This Book: I knew of Trevor Noah, but I first saw it wandering through a bookshop
Other Books by this author: It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Adapted for Young Readers) and Into the Uncut Grass.
*StoryGraph also offers content warnings.

Description: Trevor Noah was, as the title notes, born a crime. The relationship between his Swiss father and Black Xhosa mother was illegal in apartheid South Africa. He spent much of his early life hidden away, literal proof of his parents’ illegal relationship. When apartheid finally came to an end, he and his mother were able to live more freely. This memoir covers large swaths of this life, from poverty to today (celebrating those who helped him get there, like his incredibly strong mother).

Often times heartbreaking, Noah still manages to find the humor in a damaged world.

Why I recommend this book: If you like Trevor Noah, you’ll enjoy reading this. If you somehow have no clue who he is, his story offers direct insight to a life that was lived half a world away. For those old enough to remember apartheid, here’s a face to put to it. For those of you who are too young, you’ll still gain some perspective. You can learn and laugh at the same time.

“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
~ Trevor Noah, Born a Crime

Baking French Macarons

I love to experiment in the kitchen. To the degree that I have even attempted to make my own cheese and my own mayo (I’m still working on that second one). I like piecing together the puzzle of a new recipe (sometimes for odd things) and then making it my own. Of course, when that comes to baking, the wiggle room is slim.

Someone once told me that cooking is artistry and baking is science. There is an argument, of course, that the opposite could also be said. However, the artistry with baking is less with the ingredients (you can’t, for example, change the eggs to butter on a whim and expect your cake to be, well, a cake). Their is joy in the result, especially a recipe pulled off well.

So why not try to learn how to bake a particularly uptight cookie?

I learned about a little shop in De Pere that offered classes, and I perused their list. One of the classes offered was for the French Macaron – and I thought, why not? I signed up, and then a few weeks later showed up ready to learn.

The first step is to create a meringue, something I’ve never done before – which can easily be under whipped or over whipped (no pressure). Egg whites and sugar – that’s all. But combine them and try to stuff them with air, and they can become quite temperamental.

After that, comes almond flour (superfine) and more sugar (and, if you want, coloring), which you combine with a specific mixing technique (shout out to the other attendee who also giggled when the teacher used the phrase ‘fold in‘). The mixing technique use for this step is called macaronage – essentially swoop and press. You are strongly encouraging it all to become friends.

From there, you pipe them onto a macaron cooking sheet filling to the edge of the inner circle. Then – the part that frightened all of us – you pick up the mat and slap it against the table a few times to remove any air bubbles that might have formed. Our teacher was, of course, fearless about this step. The rest of us were certain we’d ruin all our hard work.

Thankfully, we did not.

Continuing on with the temperamental cookie, you then leave them to dry a bit (should be tacky to the touch but not stick to your finger). You can both let them rest too little or too much. (The fact that these cookies exist at all is a testament to the strength of one’s sweet tooth.)

Another thing we had to worry about was the humidity. The AC in the back of the shop was broken, and it was indeed a bit sticky (we were in the midst of a heat wave). Too much humidity could mean a foot-less macaron. The foot of the cookie is that bubbly ridge along the bottom. The type of foot can tell you all kinds of things – if you over or under mixed, if you didn’t let it rest long enough, and, yes, if it was too humid when you piped them and let them rest. (She had us piped the in a part of the shop that still had AC in the hopes it wouldn’t affect the foot.) They turned out pretty well:

Because it was a class with likely different tastes, our teacher made a straight buttercream for us to frost them with, though one could do all sorts of flavors. It was a fun experience, if not a potentially frustrating confection. If you like playing in the kitchen and ever get the chance, I highly recommend taking such a class.

Because I’m me, my first time attempting these at home were going to be a chai flavor. I had run into some issues with the piping bag I bought, which snowballed and honestly made me almost throw in the towel. I also think I didn’t whip the meringue long enough (but I was so worried about overwhipping…), and I need to find a finer almond flour. But – despite their super sloppy look (had to frost with a knife) and poorly formed feet (all of the above), they tasted perfect. Will be trying them again.

Forty-Seven Times

Forty -seven semesters now I have stood in front of classes for the first time (whether in person or online). (Should be forty-nine, but there was that one summer I couldn’t teach because I was in Kenya and didn’t have reliable internet, and then I didn’t teach this last summer either.) Forty-seven times I have talked about plagiarism (which now includes a subsection on AI). Forty-seven times I have explained the grading system. Forty-six times I have submitted final grades.

When I first started working at my college, I thought I’d only be an adjunct there a couple years before we’d have to move for my partner’s job. But neither of those things went as planned. And somehow, I just started my seventeenth year. Assuming I can retire when I’m eligible at thirty years in (insurance will likely be the deciding factor), then I am just over halfway.

And, honestly, it feels like a blink.

Things have changed. The students are different, with different needs and different issues. Not to mention different skills. I have been part of three re-designs of the developmental English program (because legislators keep changing their minds). I witnessed the world shutting down and had to move solely online (something I thought I would enjoy – but turned out to hate…all the worst parts of of the job without any of the fun parts). I’m continuing to witness the fall out of that. I’ve served on committees and developed programs and created trainings. I’ve had more professional development than I can recall. I’ve taught at least 184 courses (minimum five each fall/spring and two in summer – I know this is low, but it’s a close-enough guess) classes. I’ve taught at least 3,680 students (average 20 students per class). (Part of me wants to figure out the actual data. If I do, I will come back and edit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

And when I look at it that way, I suddenly can’t help but think – I’m only halfway?

Time does not play fairly. It stretches and constricts in ways I can’t always follow. All I know is that I just introduced myself for my forty-seventh semester.

And for the first time, I wasn’t nervous?

You read that right – sixteen years, three semesters a year (minus two summers), and I was still nervous on the first day of class.

But this semester, my forty-seventh semester, not a single butterfly in sight. I’m not sure yet what it means.

Visiting Lucy’s Locations

In 2018, I went to Scotland (for the first time…I can say that now 👀😁), and it was somehow more magical than I anticipated it would be. So much so that it inspired a magic realism story – my book Wherever Would I Be. In the book, Lucy visits several of the places I did (like Dunvegan Castle, my friend’s ancestral castle/clan, which became Lucy’s). However, once I got Lucy into the country in her story, I realized I needed some more places for her to go. Enter the street view function on a well-known map system and photographs on websites, and I strung together a trip that sounded utterly delightful for Lucy, her bestie, and her brother.

I wrote the first draft of the manuscript in 2020, worked on revisions and edits and thanked my beta readers, and in 2023, Lucy went out into the world. Cut to summer of 2025, and my writing bestie and I decided to take a trip to Scotland. I was finally going back. And on this trip, we included on our itinerary some of these locations that I only got to see digitally and decided it would be fun to take Lucy along for the ride.

On our first full day, we trekked over to the Fairy Pools. This was something I had hoped to see on the first trip, but we hadn’t made it work. So no surprise that Lucy went. (They arrive on page 215 of the paperback.) The sun shone brightly (I may have burnt a bit 👀) as we hiked to the pools, and there were indeed a lot of other folks meandering around. Definitely a must if you’re the type that doesn’t mind a bit of a walk, some steep grades, and beautiful views.

In the story, Lucy’s aunt, who she goes to Scotland to meet, works at a pottery shop in Edinbane – one I had found but not yet visited. We made a stop, and while I didn’t make a new family connection like Lucy did, I did find a mug that begged to come home with me. (Lucy steps foot in this shop on page 225.)

A few pages later (227), Lucy et al. check out a fun little yarn shop. In our reality, we had the navigation code…which sent us down the tiniest road I had seen yet – a single-lane residential road that was literally the width of our car. Thankfully, my travel buddy had an eSim and used his phone’s GPS, and we found it. The shop tender was friendly and chatty (not in a bad way), and I may have found some yarn to bring home, too. (The wool comes from the sheep in a field nearby.)

In real life, the first time I went to Dunvegan Castle, I got to witness my bestie seeing her ancestral home for the first time. This scene played out much the same way for Lucy (page 207) – right down to the spot where she first caught sight of the castle (though on this trek for me, they had done some tree trimming, and we were able to see the castle almost immediately passing through the gates).

Within this castle, is the Dunvegan Fairy Flag. Little did I know when I stood before it (that first time) that it would become a central piece to Lucy’s story. The flag, now housed in a different room of the castle, still looks rather worse for the wear – but the story persists. And, according to Lucy’s ancestry, so does the magic (page 210).

While on the grounds of Dunvegan, Lucy spots several imprints, including two in the walled garden – a young woman and her child, who is fascinated by this sun dial – which was incredibly hard to describe on the page (no idea why I did this to myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ page 213). I went so far as to send the description to my writing bestie, asked what he thought it looked like (he did a sketch), then I sent him the image. to varify

Scotland really is magical, and I left a piece of myself there when I left the first time. I found it again on this trip, but it, unsurprisingly, opted to stay put once more. I can hardly blame it. Scotland is not an easy place to leave.

Andrea Gibson

I’ve been trying to come up with something to say about the death of Andrea Gibson for almost a month, and words continue to fail me. It’s strange, mourning the death of someone you didn’t know very well – but felt like you did. The amount of time I physically spent with Andrea added up to less than a day; the amount of time I spent reading and listening to their work is incalculable.

About fifteen years ago, a friend told me about this poet that they enjoyed – said, she felt about Andrea Gibson the way we felt about Ellis (the singer). Let’s just say that’s a successful endorsement. And so, I heard Gibson read their poetry for the first time – and I never looked back. Over the years, I read everything they published, saw them perform I don’t even know how many times, and have taught (and will continue to teach) some of their poems when I have the opportunity to teach poetry (the students always end up asking for more of their poems).

And then in 2019, I had the chance to work closely with them at UntitledTown (a book and author festival my city ran until the pandemic put an end to that). Gibson would be reading their work at an establishment in the Broadway district – which, rewind twenty-six years, was the first queer space I had ever entered. At the time, most of the establishment was an 18+ dance club; there was a 21+ bar connected to it. Helpful when most other queer spaces (at the time, a handful of bars around the city) were all 21+ (the drinking age in my state).

Photo of the most adorable sound check ever. Squash looking up lovingly at their favorite human.

I told you that story to tell you this one – during their performance, Gibson recited their poem Orlando, which is about the massacre at the queer Florida dance club. Before reading this poem, Gibson told a story about how at the age of twenty-one, they sat outside of their first ever gay bar, scared to go in because they were worried of being seen…or shot. They did eventually make it in. I’ve heard this poem read several times. But hearing it read here, in the old West, the first queer space I ever stepped foot into – well, it’s difficult to put into words the ways this broke me open.

They also recited their poem “Letter to My Dog Exploring the Human Condition,” during which they invited the subject, their pup Squash, onto stage with them. I was going to link to a recording of the Pulse poem, but this one is more lighthearted, and we could all use a little more lightness at times like this.

A few years ago, Andrea openly shared that they had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. They chose to share their experience, and watching how this diagnosis made them fall even more in love with life was astonishing and inspiring. And maybe inevitable when one takes a look at their work and their life.

They did manage to enter remission for a while, but the cancer returned, and no matter what they threw at it, this time, it persisted. This is why it was not surprising when their death was announced on July 14, though its impact was still greater than I had anticipated. A gut punch for sure. Watching the outpouring of love from their friends, family, and fans, though, has allowed the experience to feel less isolating.

The strangest thing when an artist you admire passes is the acceptance that no new work will be coming. You hold in your possession everything they will ever create.

But Andrea Gibson, in their infinite wisdom, prepared for this, too. (You can read about their poem, from Meg, read the text, and watch a video of it on Andrea Gibson’s Substack: “When Death Comes to Visit.“)

Their partner/wife Megan Falley (also a poet) is continuing to write and post on Gibson’s Substack, and I encourage you to continue on with them.

You can find their books everywhere (though I do recommend using BookShop.Org if buying online; you can request your local bookshop to order them if they don’t carry them already). You can listen to their work via their YouTube channel.

A Return to Pen Players

Earlier this summer, I did something I haven’t done in a really long time – attended a play at Peninsula Players in Door County. It’s somehow been about twenty years (maybe plus a couple more?) since I was last here.

When I was a kid (young teen?), a friend of ours, Robert Thompson, told my sister and I about an opportunity to volunteer at the theater – if we ushered before and helped clean up after, we’d get to see the play for free. I went to every play every summer until I moved away for college. I always wanted to return, assumed I would, but then *blink* – it’s two decades later somehow.

This summer, though, since I’m not teaching, I had some extra free time. (Well, I have free time, which is new.) The first thing I added to my to do list was to call up Pen Players and see about ushering. (And when I did, they kindly told me that they would start taking ushering requests in a couple weeks. 😬) So I called back, and I signed up for four of the five shows (I’m skipping the horror one 👀).

The very first Peninsula Players show opened on July 25, 1935, though they didn’t open on their current location until the summer of 1937. Those early performances were presented under the stars, with a canvas top added in 1946 and a permanent roof in 1957. The shows could then go on, rain or shine – just lower the side flaps if needed. In June 2006, they opened their season with an entirely new structure. (There are a number of videos with auto-generated captions on their website where you can learn even more about their history.)

All this to say – I knew that the theater had renovated the structure and grounds. But I had no idea how different it would actually be. The first difference was simply walking up to this:

I tried finding a photo of the structure I knew, but no dice. Needless to say, it didn’t look like that. And the inside surely did not look like this:

In addition to housing more seats, those seats are also now permanent. Previously, the rows were made up of those folding, fabric director chairs. These are far more comfortable. Also, the ground itself was gravel slanting down from the rear to the stage. The new flooring, which I just learned from a friend after posting these elsewhere, is also heated, so they can take the chill off when the temps dip. (The only thing I don’t love about this is that it means there are now steps to get down to the front, so row K is the only accessible row for folks who can’t do stairs.) They also added a hearing loop, which is a great addition for accessibility.

Despite all the changes, though, when the lights dimmed, I got those same butterflies I used to (that I always do). Because some things, like the magic of a place, don’t change.

First Friday Rec: A Darker Shade of Magic

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V. E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventurous
Pages: 413
Publication Date: 24 Feb 2015
StoryGraph* Moods: Adventurous, Mysterious, Dark
How I Stumbled Upon This Book: Book Club
Other Books by this author: There are many – the others in this specific series are A Gathering of Shadows, A Conjuring of Light, and The Fragile Threads of Power.
*StoryGraph also offers content warnings.

Description: Imagine there are four versions of the world. Now imagine that you are one of the rare folks who can still travel between them. Well, you don’t have to imagine – Schwab did that for you. In this instance, there are four Londons – Red, Grey, White, and Black (though that last one is inaccessible even to Kell).

Kell is a smuggler, taking people’s money to bring things from the other worlds, which is going ok. Sort of.

Enter Delilah Bard. Who robs him. Then saves him. Then begs him to take her to another one of those worlds.

The story is filled with magic and treachery and tension.

Why I recommend this book: It’s beautifully written. The world building is superb. And the story demanded I not put the pages down. When I joined a SciFi/Fantasy book club, I hadn’t taken into account that most of this genre involves lengthy series [facepalm]. This is one of two (in as many years of attending) that I opted to continue the series. It’s not that the others were bad – just that if I read every series we started in this club, I’d never read anything else. Or Sleep. So I’ve been picky. In this case, I immediately bought the trilogy (and the fourth came out shortly after).

“I’m not going to die,” she said. “Not till I’ve seen it.”
“Seen what?”
Her smile widened. “Everything.”

“I apologize for anything I might have done. I was not myself.”
“I apologize for shooting you in the leg.” said Lila. “I was myself entirely.”
~ V.E. Schwab, A Darker Shade of Magic

The Greenhouse

I love a good café. I’ve certainly not kept that a secret. Any time I travel, I check out at least one local spot (more if I can), check out their mocha or their chai (sometimes both), check out their ambiance. I feel at home in a café, even when I’m far away from it. So when (a few years ago now?) I saw The Greenhouse café on an account I follow in Insta, I knew I had to visit. And I have several times since.

The Greenhouse is located on the grounds of The American Club, a luxury hotel and spa in Kohler, WI – but don’t worry, you don’t have to be a guest to check out the café; it is a public space. You do have to enter and walk through the lobby of the hotel, which always makes me feel woefully out of place, but the discomfort is worth it for the beautiful structure, which makes for an unusual but lovely café:

But wait – it gets even cooler! The structure originated as a solarium in Lancashire, England, and it was brought over and meticulously reassembled. The result is striking.

And when you’re sitting inside, the world seems, well, a world away. The café offers a sense of being cloaked, but all the while being bathed in sunlight. The last time I was there, a young lady was having her senior photos done (I’m assuming this was the case), and I have to say, it is a perfect spot to do so – both indoors and outside around the grounds. They even captured a couple cute shots of her sipping her latte.

They used to have a more extensive food menu (not sure if this will be coming back or not – they did mention that the Wisconsin Room somewhere on the premise had a full lunch), but the last time I was there, they only had breakfast sandwiches. (The wrap was tasty; the sandwiches all had meat, so I couldn’t try them.) The coffee beverages are good (the Sweet Cardamom latte especially). Everything is, yes, a bit pricier than you would likely pay at your local shop, but for the ambience, it’s worth it as a treat every now and then. Definitely great spot to meet a friend for a coffee (they also have ice cream and boozy milkshakes).

They do have pastries – though I will say that some taste is lost in the effort to make them look picture perfect, so great for a selfie, but don’t go in thinking the chocolate croissant will change your life. And a last little note: If you are like me and go to a café to work, make sure your devices are all fully charged – there are no plugs available.

World Mythology

In the fall, I get to teach a course I’ve been eager to teach for some time – a Humanities class called World Mythology. I’m sure you can figure out what the class will be about based on the title. 🙂 I spent what free time I could find during the end of Spring semester and then many full days once school ended creating content for the class. Our semester is sixteen weeks, and each will focus on a different area around the world. While I did opt to touch on some familiar mythologies, I wanted mostly to dive into mythologies that would be unfamiliar to my students (and to me).

This meant not using a textbook (which I also avoid as much as I can in my courses because of the added costs to students), and by the end, I had a nineteen page works and images cited (which will mean lots of links to check at the start of each semester to make sure they work 🤞🏻🤞🏻). But I think it’s worth it (even if it takes extra time ensuring I’m not breaking copyright). I had a lot of fun digging into mythologies from all over the world – and if my students enjoy them even half as much as I did, then I’ll call it a win.

I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite finds. I’d be curious if you were familiar with any of these.

The first comes from South Africa – the Tokoloshe (pronounced toe-co-lowsh), a trickster figure. While their appearance has evolved across stories and through time (ranging from human-like to primate-like), one thing remains consistent: their diminutive size (about hip-high to an adult human). They are mischievous (and sometimes dangerous), wreaking havoc – but also exist to invoke benevolence by scaring children (to make them act appropriately – perhaps you can think of such figures from your own childhood) or protecting against malevolent spirits. To learn more, check out this video:

The next comes from Slavic mythology – Baba Yaga, though variations of the name exist in several Slavic languages. In these languages, ‘baba’ means grandmother or old woman. ‘Yaga’ has a less-well-known etymology, though related terms bring about meanings of horror, anger, witch, and evil. In mythology, she was one of a trio of sisters of the same name (though in some iterations, she is solo) and had two contrasting roles. In some, she was repulsive and ferocious-looking and would fry then eat children; in others, she was a nice old woman who helped the hero. (That’s a coin flip I would never want to encounter.)

Perhaps, like me, the first time you heard this name uttered, it was in a John Wick film. The title character is said to be the one you sent in to deal with the baba yaga (though in this film, its incorrectly translated to mean ‘boogeyman’).

To learn more about this figure (and to learn her incredibly odd mode of transportation), check out this video:

In Fijian mythology, each island had a god who protected it. One such god is Rokobakaniceva, a giant octopus who protects the Naceva passage in Kadavu (an island south of Fiji’s largest island). If you know anything about the octopus, you know how intelligent and cunning they are, traits that this particular god was imbued with. She is best known for her legendary battle with Dakuwaqa, the shark god – a tale of chaos versus order. Even today, her influence continues – both as a cautionary tale for children and in ceremonies related to the sea, reinforcing the importance of respecting the water and maintaining balance in the world. To learn more about Dakuwaqa, Rokobakaniceva, and a couple other of the Fiji Island protectors, check out this video:

I’m really excited to teach this course in the fall – only time will tell if the students will enjoy it. 🤞🏻😬🤞🏻