“What she needs are stories.
Stories are a way to preserve one’s self. To be remembered. And to forget.
Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books.
Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.”
—The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

For the month of April, my model was my dear friend Bonnie. I met her when she was just in high school and I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow into a giving, talented, hard-working young woman. Bonnie is the kind of person who gathers others to her. She cultivates community, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is a fierce defender of kindness. Her friends call her a silly goose, which fits her, but she’s also the very thing Shakespeare talked about when he said “though she be but little, she is fierce.”

In addition to being a kind human, she’s a gifted editor. She whipped early drafts of my 52 shorts stories into shape, and recently edited her wife’s beautiful fantasy novel Wayward Magic. She’s currently studying to be a librarian. and so it was only natural for us to be around books. As it also happened to be National Library Week, we drove to the gorgeous Mill Valley Public Library. Tucked amongst redwoods, and brimming with golden light, it was the perfect setting for these photos.

Please leave Bonnie some love below and visit her fantastic IG page where she talks about all things books.

• @bonniesbooklife

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I’d love to know if you think my photography skills are growing. With each session, my confidence behind the camera grows and I’m starting to really enjoy putting together galleries as a new form of storytelling. Stay tuned for lots more work to come.

• January: Lola
• February: Angy
• March: Penny

• These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

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