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The Old Volvo
Keen observers will notice it’s the “Year of the Zine” over here at the Manke Workshop. I’m having fun exploring the new space of combining words and pictures in a bite-size format. (Also pencil crayons are fun.) I hope you’re enjoying them too. I don’t know where this exploration is headed, but I think we’ll…
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Meet Me at the Hill
Here’s a little childhood story. Hope you enjoy.
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Wednesday Night Ski Race
Last week some friends and I tried something new, a nordic ski race! For me, these were two things, racing and skiing which had never before been combined. Racing is usually reserved for running, while skiing has been a recreational endeavor (aside from chasing a few Strava segments). But on a fateful evening we headed…
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To Be An Artist
In Pastures of Heaven, Steinbeck describes one particular farm as “a poem by the inarticulate man.” My grandpa’s tractors, his attention to detail, his tireless work, these might have been his poems. This zine is a tribute to him and his life. “To be an artist, you don’t have to compose music or paint or…
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50 reasons to run a 50k
January is the time for new year’s resolutions, and also happens to be the time when many summer races begin registration. In January I’m often not very excited about running big races, but need to register if I anticipate wanting to run when the time comes. I wrote this to remind myself why I love…
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Winter Trails
It’s winter trail season. I’ve highlighted desire lines before, as well as some of the cool things winter reveals, but the phenomenon is new to discover every year. Some methods of moving through the world occur only in this season, only when the conditions are right. Some for essential transportation, others for the pure joy…
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The Blank Slate
It’s January 1. Happy new year. This morning I skied in the Sandilands with friends. Beneath the low gray sky, the world was white. Thick snow from a couple weeks back still caked to tree branches and needles and a thick layer of hoar frost made for a beautiful scene to take in as we…
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Longest Night Run 2022 Recap
For five years we’ve spent the winter solstice running through the night. In our community, the calendar has become marked by the Longest Night Run overnight relay, each of the 16 hours of darkness a reminder of past hours and miles spent together in the cold dark. We’ve remembered the joys as well as the…
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The Week in Between
Last night my wife turned to me, “Today was Tuesday, right?” We talked about this weird week between Christmas and New Year. The frenzy of choir concerts and family gatherings is over, nearly all the Christmas baking has mysteriously disappeared. But the next thing has yet to begin. I’m not sure what day it is.…
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Molting
“Don’t talk to me now, I’m molting” – Andrew Bird, Inside Problems I spent six weeks without running. As a self-proclaimed “Runner”, and writer of daily running poems, this time off, forced by a minor foot injury, represented a shift in identity. If a runner doesn’t run, are they still a “runner”? Can I write…
