Meet writer and poet, Jessica Manack, who recently visited Postcard Cabins Beaver Creek as part of our Artist Fellowship program. Read more about Jessica, her craft, and her experience escaping to Postcard Cabins.
I’m a writer of poetry and non-fiction who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I love living in such an historic, bustling and diverse place. However, I also really appreciate nature, and undeveloped spaces, and taking a pause to remember that there’s so much more going on around us than we usually see while going to work or school or running errands.
My connection to nature has grown as I have grown, and learned more about the people who have come before me. For generations, my ancestors were loggers in rural northwestern Pennsylvania. I think about the fact that, although they are no longer with us, the forests in which they lived are still there. I visit these places and it feels like visiting my family. Just as trees produce the oxygen we breathe, we produce the carbon dioxide that trees breathe. The landscape becomes a monument to those who’ve walked before us. I explored these themes in my poetry collection GASTROMYTHOLOGY, which I published a few months ago. Releasing my first book was a milestone many years in the making, and I’m working toward my next collection. So having a break from the day-to-day was a great opportunity for some focused brainstorming.
I chose to visit Beaver Creek, which is the location closest to my house, a little over an hour away. I was glad that it wasn’t a far drive, yet was still some place I had never been. The nearby town was charming and very picturesque, but I was most excited to have the time to read. I live with my family, including two small kids who are very active, so there’s always something to do around the house and neighborhood. Having the time to dive into books, draft new works, and revise old ones, without being pulled away from my thought processes by a door knock, siren or delivery was invaluable. For parents, especially artist parents, recharging is very important – yet we don’t often have the luxury of time to take a long time off, somewhere far away. Postcard Cabins are great for that, as they’re close to cities, and everything you might need is thoughtfully provided. Everything I might have wanted was within arm’s reach – a radio, a space heater, a landline. As someone who doesn’t spend a lot of time off-grid, unplugging was easier knowing that I was a phone call away from help if any issue arose.
I wasn’t sure how the stay would go, because I visited on maybe the coldest days of the year. I pulled up at dusk, and was glad to find the lights on and the cabin warm. In the morning, it was -8F outside, with the “feels like” temperature even colder than that. I was pleased to find the cabin comfortable the entire time. I was also glad to find that the roads in and out of the secluded location were well-maintained during the snowy weather, and I had no problem getting around. I was a little less adventurous than I would have been during better weather, but I was glad that the cabin had everything I needed to cook and make warm beverages during my stay. I did bring my snow boots to take some walks outside, watching the resilient woodpeckers and juncos look for food and create shelters in the abundant trees. I’m the kind of writer who works slowly, so these images are stored in my brain-bank for future use.
Keep up with my work at @jessicamanack on Instagram or jessicamanack.com – my book tour continues throughout the U.S. this year, and the list of appearances is continuously updated.
A poem I wrote during my stay:
Getting Through
In winter we walk a tightrope:
Moving slowly, one ginger step at a time
A breath, a pausing
We think we might not get across
In spite of the times we did before
We find what was in us, usually unused
A slowness, a noticing
Our surroundings are easier to see
Against a white sky unobscured by foliage
Like the woodpeckers, we use what’s been stored
Finding surprises, things we forgot we’d saved
A strength, a patience
Until we make it to the other side