Hello everyone!
My son’s last day of school was Tuesday, and then I had a piece I needed to write for my narrative journalism class to be workshopped by the class. I had all the information for the piece because I am working on a documentary about it, but I had been procrastinating writing the piece to submit for the class.
I also found out on June 3rd my nonprofit 501(c)(3) application was approved by the IRS. It’s not something I have talked about here on my blog, other than brief mentions, but I’m going to spend a few minutes talking about it now. I started Midnight Waters Incorporated in September 2020 because I wanted to create opportunities to preserve Native American culture and provide opportunities for high-functioning autistic children and adults. While my nonprofit will help several underserved communities, the need I most wanted to address, and see because of my son, is to help those with high-functioning autism get jobs in the arts and media industry. Why art and media? Because that is my background. It’s what I know and can teach, and many of my contacts are in that industry.
The arts, whether performance, visual, or writing, have always been about expressing one’s self and telling one’s story. Many find freedom within the arts to be who they are and to tell others who they are. I want to support people in underserved communities – white, black, Hispanic, Native, veterans, special needs, women, etc. – and give them an opportunity to tell their story.
As a Native American, I understand the importance of telling the stories of the Native communities, those still here and those who are gone. It’s not because I have some kind of chip on my shoulder, feel the world owes me something, but rather, because those tribes and people are part of the American landscape. They are part of our history, good or bad. If we can’t acknowledge the bad in our history for the injustices everyone of all colors and walks of life went and go through, then we will never heal and we will repeat those past mistakes.
We are going to be fundraising for a travel trailer and the restoration of a Charles Pettitt painting “Sunrise” we purchased at auction. It has severe paint loss and flaking from water damage. The painting is being restored by the Northern California Art Conservators and will cost about $3,000. To date, I have paid $500 for the purchase of the painting and another $1,000 for the restoration. I am hoping others will pitch in and donate the remaining funds, but it not, we are also applying for grants and selling merchandise to help cover these costs. For more information, please visit midnightwaters.org.
On to other news! I have been working on turning my screenplay, Heart Work, into a novel. I have been posting chapters on here, and will release another two chapters, to give my readers an idea of what the novel is about. My goal is to have it edited, formatted, and published by late 2021/early 2022. As of right now, everything is on schedule to meet the publishing goal, but we are still early in the process. I will put out a more definitive publishing date later this year.
I am halfway through my summer courses. I am really enjoying my masters classes and am glad I made the decision to go back to university. It has really helped me identify several areas I need to improve in, and has been greatly illuminating on the publishing industry. This information will greatly help me as I move forward in my writing career, and my nonprofit.
My son recently got a rabbit. He named her Floppy, after his new favorite technology – the floppy disk. She is a Holland Lop-eared and has been a wonderful addition to our family. She is really helping him with learning responsibility as he grows. We have been working on multilevel instructions, and Floppy has been instrumental in teaching this. We have only have her a few weeks, but his progress is notable. I am hopeful he will keep improving and won’t regress, but time will tell.
Lastly, I am so excited because I was able to purchase a sheet of plywood and will be able to expand my loft in my tiny home. Things are coming together and it is possible it will FINALLY be finished by the end of the year. At that point, it will have been a long two years of living in a construction zone, but it will be a welcome relief. I will post photos as I work towards the completion of the loft.
Hope all is well with everyone! Have a great weekend!
Maghan
Maghan Hunt 