Low sloping ceiling. Powder blue walls. And the heat that only comes by residing at the apex of a building. My humble abode for the next three weeks. Perched at the top of an unnaturally steep flight of stairs, this tiny attic room will serve as my quiet sanctuary, a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.
Leaping to life out of a starving artist’s fever dream, the room has its own…shall we say charm. It’s got character. And all characters have their blemishes which accounts for the hole, approximately the size of a baseball, in the floor…and the wall. The surrounding structure that houses the attic is quaint. Halfway up a hill on the northern side of Seattle, in the neighborhood of Greenwood, I keep tricking myself into thinking that I can see the ocean just over the tops of the nearby houses. A small round glass table with two chairs graces the backyard, nestled up to the house at the corner of the garden, perfect for any after-hours *recreational* activity. Two chickens strut their way across a small, straw strewn coup. I’m sure the birds have names but I’ve decided to dub them Chekov and Albee. It seemed appropriate. The house’s tabby cat invaded my quarters last night, becoming a most vocal roommate, demanding my full attention, and resisting all efforts to shoo her out so that I might get some rest.
Day Two finds me only adding to the stereotype that I find myself living. Reading and writing about plays in a local Seattle coffee shop. I was lured in by the promise of free Wi-Fi and fresh brews. This lifelong tea drinker must admit that this pacific concoction does not taste as bitter as the drinks back home. Though it will never unseat the king that sits atop the throne of my heart: a milky sweet chai.
The work truly begins today. The flurries of emails and the drafting of questionnaires. Though I came to this city with only a few contacts, I am quite hopeful of finding more. Just yesterday, a friend, seeing the announcement of my arrival on social media, reached out, offering to be my first interviewee. What good people I keep company with.
I won’t know for many weeks what this project will turn into but I am excited to see where it leads me.
Enjoying the trees out here, in all forms.
Your wandering playwright,
Noah