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

The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation Cory Doctorow

Behind Closed Doors Maria Messina translated by Elise Magistro

The Book-Makers by Adam Smyth

Sugar and Other Stories by Joy San illustrated by Joy San

Mavericks Jenny Draper

The Bus 1, 2, 3 Paul Kirchner

Hedra Jesse Lonergan

Rigsby WI – Volume 1: Foothold S.E. Case

Poets Square A Memoir in Thirty Cats Courtney Gustafson

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age Annalee Newitz

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions Larry Mitchell llustrations by Ned Asta

MARSHIE MALLODY​​ Azam Raharjo

The Little Magazine in Contemporary America Edited by Ian Morris and Joanne Diaz

Martin Eden Jack London

Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy Hailey Piper

Sonnets From a Cell Bradley Peters

When I Arrived at the Castle E. M. Carroll

We Refuse Kellie Carter Jackson

The Invention of Sicily Jamie Mackay

The Talosite Rebecca Campbell

Ex Mag 01 Cyberpunk

Ex Mag 02 Paranormal Romance

Ex Mag 05 Bloodsucker

The Book of Catherine written by Edward Wythe art by Emily Schnall

Flood Water Maiden LILY RESH

Ladies of the Living Princess Theo Stultz

L’Archange et le Diable Janelle Feng

Marshie Mallody Azam Raharjo

NOCTURNAL Pepe Reyes

Postcards from Tycho Jean Fhilippe

Rabbit Hole Alberth Chacon

Tropisms Vincent Lau

Short Fiction I read in 2025

Heterosexuality
https://www.tinymolecules.com/issues/nine#ryan-napier

IN MINIATURE – Emily Howes
https://www.shortfictionjournal.co.uk/post/introducing-in-miniature-emily-howes

The Center of the Universe – Nadia Shammas
https://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-center-of-the-universe/

Thread – Emily Mitchell
https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/598-thread

Arsène Lupin- Sonallah Ibrahim
https://arablit.org/2025/08/15/remembering-sonallah-ibrahim-his-arsene-lupin/

The Seafood Stand By Matt Barrett
https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/seafood-stand-matt-barrett-fiction-family-identity-596

My Gym Teacher Worshipped the Devil —Clarke Jaxton Motorbike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poc4uoEChDo

fucking floating monoliths
https://somitomi.tumblr.com/post/732524077520224256

Fissures
https://electricliterature.com/fissures-by-ariel-katz/?mc_cid=b222d06b8b

You can’t love me in a way that matters
https://bsky.app/profile/thedoorthedoor.bsky.social/post/3kzdat2oqac2u

Your Mom
https://bsky.app/profile/thedoorthedoor.bsky.social/post/3lxvxx2zq322f

Funeral at 3:00
https://bsky.app/profile/thedoorthedoor.bsky.social/post/3lucbptk7ik24

dark green pill
https://bsky.app/profile/tindoom.bsky.social/post/3ludqyi4zds2n

Prom 86
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMCTj0pl3cU

Godskin
http://strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fiction/godskin/

Cursed Morsels Zine Bundle (Issues #11 through 15)
https://www.cursedmorselspress.com/product/cursed-morsels-zine-bundle-issues-11-through-15-physical/34?cs=true&cst=custom

In the Penal Colony
https://www.kafka-online.info/in-the-penal-colony.html

Manikin
https://hexliterary.com/?p=2740

Volcano People
https://hexliterary.com/?p=2727

I have your name
https://microsff.tumblr.com/post/786524868248305664/may-i-have-your-name-the-faerie-said

precariously stacked piles
https://bsky.app/profile/truestorydesu.bsky.social/post/3lrtc7ec7gs2o

Bears Discover Fire
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/bears-discover-fire/

You pull the last coin from your pocket
https://bsky.app/profile/tindoom.bsky.social/post/3lqifts6xlc2f

Where Are They Now?
https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/where-are-they-now/

The Healer By Rob Keast
https://www.thesunmagazine.org/articles/593-the-healer

A City of Churches
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1972/04/22/a-city-of-churches

there is a monster in the forest and it speaks with a thousand voices
https://bsky.app/profile/joles.bsky.social/post/3logjuqggkk2q

Angela Carter – The Company of Wolves
https://lithub.com/one-great-short-story-to-read-today-the-company-of-wolves/

Oğuz Atay – The Forgotten
https://lithub.com/one-great-short-story-to-read-today-the-forgotten/

Fun to eat!
https://bsky.app/profile/tindoom.bsky.social/post/3lh4ahwycjc25

a door you’d forgotten
https://bsky.app/profile/thedoorthedoor.bsky.social/post/3lfytc5uljk24

Everyone is wearing a backpack today.
https://bsky.app/profile/tindoom.bsky.social/post/3lg6h5yghns24