2025 Newsletter – Katherine Montalto

Some Highlights from 2025.

I have been consistently publishing this newsletter every month for seven years. One of the things I’ve learned from starting this newsletter and keeping up my website is just how much we forget. It’s been nice to look back each month and take stock of the things I’ve accomplished. It’s also created a sense of structure to my creative work and helped me manage and maintain goals. Now, with the way many social media companies are imploding, it’s more important than ever to carve out a space of one’s own on the internet. No matter what happens I have this website as a record of the work I’ve done. Of course there are still many other places to follow me online.

The Work

Over the last few years I wrote poetry based prompts posted on mastodon by a community of writers who share haiku prompts everyday. Read the haiku here. In 2025 I put together a book collection of this poetry, Minor Transient Documents of Everyday Life, three line recipes, short stories, jokes, riddles, science projects, love notes, horrors, confessions, and memories. buy it here through blurb. If you are interested in selling this book in your book store on consignment, please email me at info@katherinemontalto.com.

Because I’m too much of an introvert to go on a book tour I bought a gumball machine and I’ve sent this Haiku Machine out in thing from the movie Big, only instead of granting wishes it just dispenses haiku that gives you a little insight into my strange mind. And a piece of candy for your trouble. If you’ve got a space that can host a residency in Metro Detroit, drop me a line, You can keep the quarters.

My book, Minor Transient Documents of Everyday Life is available at the Warren Public Library, which means, if you have a library card in the suburbs of metro Detroit, you can check out through the inter-library loan system! Check it out now! It’s coded 811 M in the poetry section of the Arthur J. Miller Branch Library.

This year I thought I might experiment with form, but it turns out, all I’ve written are non-rhyming sonnets. 14 lines, 10 syllables each. 3 Quatrains then end with a couplet. Read all the sonnets I wrote this year here.

I created illustrations of a different vegetable for each month this year. Check out all the illustrations I did in 2025. Here are all the abstract sketchbook illustrations I created in 2025. Abstract grids of multi-color squares made with inkscape

As always, I published zines of all the work I created in 2025. Print them out for free and learn how to fold them here.

Support

If you’d like to support me on a continuous regular basis you can set up a monthly donation to my art supply fund. There are levels of regular donation you can contribute, everything over a dollar comes with rewards. If you’d like to make a one-time contribution go to liberapay paypal ko-fi.

All of my original artwork, writing, and music are available for purchase and for licensing. I am available for other creative services as well. See them here. If interested please contact me here.

2025 in Lists

Books I Read in 2025

Totem by Laura Pérez illustrated by Laura Pérez”

Blue Sky Through the Window of a Moving Car Jordan Bolton

I Am a Truck Michelle Winters

You’re Going to Be Ok (Because You’re Fucked No Matter What) by Darby Hudson

Mermaids Patty Dann

Belle: The Slave Daughter and the Lord Chief Justice Paula Byrne

My Mom Hand an Abortion Words by Beezus B. Murphy drawn by Tatiana Gill

Why We Read The Center for Cartoon Studies

Art & Fear David Bayles and Ted Orland

Antelope Woman Louise Erdrich