iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 08/09/2026

Just saw Star Trek: the Voyage Home on the big screen, and I will be riding this wave of euphoria all week. Gotta love a film that imagines a better future, one in which humans get our act together and take steps to correct past atrocities 🥹

title screen of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home on a theater screen with AJ’s legs in the foreground.

0121

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 16/07/2026

Persephone hopes to fight the sadness.

Cat on a couch playing with a strawberry ribbon toy

Cat on the back of a chair, looking at the camera.

Cat on a screened-in patio, flopped on a chair with her legs splayed every which way.

020

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 15/07/2026

There are absolutely foxglove trees in faerie with enormous silver seedpods and blossoms with a heady scent that overwhelms mortals.

Closeup of a branch of a foxglove tree/princess tree, which has purple trumpet-shaped blossoms and round seedpods.

010

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 11/07/2026

Home and very pleased with the treasures I found.

Three stacks. One stack of hardcover books (mostly Anne McCaffrey), one stack of paperbacks (mostly McCaffrey, Vonda McIntyre, and Star Trek), and one complete set of Star Trek TNG DVDs.

Three books selected from the aforementioned stacks:
The Coelura by McCaffrey, an amazing golden age SF cover featuring a woman in an ornate dress.

Crisis on Doona, another golden age SF cover by McCaffrey, featuring a cat person riding a giant snake whole brandishing a long knife near a guy with a spear.

The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White, featuring a simple sketch of an old man (presumably Merlyn).

170

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 04/07/2026

snoring through the thunderstorm

Cat curled up in a cat bed on a desk. Bookshelves in the background.

080

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 25/06/2026

Persephone is supervising the installation of the new A/C.

Cat cowering under the couch, looking past the camera

a cat nose poking out from under the couch

160

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 22/06/2026

sorry I’m late, I stopped to help a turtle cross the road

A small turtle held aloft by a careful hand. The turtle is not happy, but they are being safely carried to their intended destination.

070

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 28/05/2026

Who dares disturb her slumber? (answer: a thunderstorm)

Cat stretched out on a quilt draped over a lap. The cat is twisted as though in the middle of rolling over, ans she is squinting blearily at the camera.

090

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 27/05/2026

I talked my book club into reading The West Passage @vandroidhelsing.bsky.social

Screenshot of a received text message: “Does anyone else keep thinking of Hieronymus Bosch”

1322

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 25/05/2026

the cat days of summer 🐾☀️💤

Cat on the floor of a screened-on patio, next to the screen, dozing in a sunbeam.

090

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 17/05/2026

Is there a better way to spend a summer Sunday afternoon than on a back porch with lemonade and Chekhov?

On a wicker table sits a book open to “Gooseberries” by Chekhov and a glass of lemonade with a whale on it that says “it’s okay.” In the background is greenery from the backyard.

060

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 15/05/2026

Today Persephone encountered a snake for the first time,* and she was enthralled. No matter how old you are,** you can always encounter new concepts! *She is in a screened-in patio, there is no risk for the cat and the snake to harm one another, she’s just looking. **She turns eleven this summer 😭

The camera is looking over the shoulder of a housecat in a screened-in patio. The cat is looking at a small black snake that one can just make out in the grass if you look closely.

A closer picture of the snake (still through the patio screen). I think it’s a North American Racer (but I’m no snake expert).

070

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 09/05/2026

You know you’ve won the party when the puppy puts her head on your shoulder

AJ (wearing a black fascinator) petting a puppy. The puppy is lying on the back of the couch AJ is sitting on and resting her head on AJ’s shoulder.

080

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 08/05/2026

Spent the evening soaking up poetry. So glad that @whitewatertavern.bsky.social made space for people to read poems by others that move us.

AJ on a stage reading from Ways We Vanish by Todd Dillard

070

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 08/05/2026

get you a best friend who sends you two dozen roses just because 💐💕

090

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 02/05/2026

I underestimated how excited people were about the Target/Pokémon collab and did not foresee the line to get in the store, BUT I still got the Snorlax and Arcanine tumblers that I was there for (and a t-shirt and hoodie).

Two drinking glasses, one featuring Arcanine and the other Snorlax. A t-shirt with Gengar on it, and a white hoodie that says “GOTTA CATCH” on the breast and with Pikachu on the sleeve.

000

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 30/04/2026

What poem are you carrying with you today? #pocketpoem

A handwritten copy of Mary Oliver’s “I go down to the shore” next to a latte.

Poem text:
I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
what shall—
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.

020

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 25/04/2026

Don’t forget to show some love to your local bookstore today!

A chalkboard sidewalk sign that reads “Indie Bookstore Day April 25.” The sign is in front of Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas.

030

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 25/04/2026

One of my favourite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Patrick Stewart in Macbeth, holding up a bloody hand

0192

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 10/04/2026

Happy splashdown day! 🌕 🛰️ 🌏 🫶

Picture of a television playing the Artemis II livestream.

030

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 06/04/2026

Love from the Moon 🛰️🌓🌏

Picture from the camera on the Integrity solar array, showing Integrity, the Moon, and a crescent Earth all in the same shot

080

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 04/04/2026

Woke up and turned on my lamp to find Persephone staring at me from the headboard in full gargoyle mode

A picture looking up at a cat lit from below. The cat is sitting but leaning down, staring intently

Picture of the same cat, also lit from below, but the cat is not leaning forward.

090

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 01/04/2026

Is NASA going to be selling Rise plushes? Because I need one. @nasaartemis.bsky.social? Please?

Rise, the Artemis II mascot, a small plush moon wearing the earth as a baseball cap, positioned next to the “Earthrise” photo.

051

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 01/04/2026

tfw they ask you to be their April Fool

The jester from Galavant gazing happily into the distance

040

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 29/03/2026

happy caturday from a kitty napping while I play Pathfinder

Cat sleeping in a cat bed that is atop a desk. In the background, a bookcase.

0150

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 27/03/2026

Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou is a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling and setting up a sense of dread. This book had me riveted.

Cover of Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou, a red book featuring a sketch of a woman’s head hanging from the title by her hair.

081

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 27/03/2026

I do love the simplicity of the books with only the charter mark, but there is a special place in my heart for the older covers. This is at least partially rooted in nostalgia, but also: they’re so pretty!

Cover of Garth Nix’s Sabriel depicting Sabriel in her blue abhorsen’ tunic and the bells. A shadowy figure is reaching out for her with a clawed hand.

110

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 24/03/2026

Walked into my local bookstore on a MISSION today. The bookseller handed me my receipt and said, “Happy new release day to those who celebrate, which definitely includes you.”

Bookstack! A Suit or a Suitcase by Maggie Smith; Seasons of Glass & Iron by Amal el-Mohtar; Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher; Whidbey by T. Kira Madden; and Trace Elements by Jo Walton and Ada Palmer.

0221

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 04/03/2026

Please refer all concerns to my associate.

030

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 26/02/2026

awake, caffeinated, reading the poem I left in my notes app at 2 am

“It makes no damn sense / compels me though” meme

0130

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 24/02/2026

2026 is the year of the horse The horse:

Close-up of the titular mare in Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare.

083

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 23/02/2026

Okay, all. It’s the last Monday of February. We can do this.

Picture of AJ at a cafe, with a cup of coffee and a notebook in front of her. Her pen is poised over the notebook. The picture cuts off before showing her face.

080

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 23/02/2026

Persephone is doing her best to protect you from the Sunday scaries

0100

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 21/02/2026

Had a great critique group session today!

AJ taking a selfie in front of a screen that says “Apple Blossom Poets”

091

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 19/02/2026

Happy spring,* I guess *I know it’s not technically spring

Screenshot from a weather app:

Severe Weather Alert
Special Weather Statement
Severity: Moderate
Possible threat to life or property
Weather Event Onset
1:17 AM (CST), February 19
Description
Expect south to southwesterly winds around 10 to 20 mph by Thursday afternoon with some gusts in excess of 30 mph at times. Very dry air will be located over the area with minimum afternoon RH values between 15 to 30 percent. This will make it possible for wildfires to ignite and spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
If a wildfire is observed, report it by dialing

030

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 19/02/2026

Made the prettiest cocktail I have ever crafted last night, so I have to brag.

A red-pink cocktail with a thick layer of foam in a coupe glass. There is a red swirl pattern on the top.

081

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 12/02/2026

Awards season is in full swing, and I have some speculative poems that I'd love if you considered when making your nominations. Really, though, I'd just love it if you read and enjoyed them 💜

A graphic that looks like a receipt. Neon text surrounds the receipt: 2025 Poetry

The receipt itself reads:

AJ Wentz's 2025 Poems

“Girlie-Pop Cyborgs Dream of Revolution,” Eye to the Telescope, Issue 58

“The World Is Ending, but the Drive Thru Is Still Open on Broadway and Eighth,” Star*Line, Volume 48, Issue 1

152

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 10/02/2026

Any Little Rock / Central Arkansas poets looking for community? The Apple Blossom Poets are a newly-formed community meeting monthly to share poems and give feedback. We’d love to have you!

A flyer with flowers:

Little Rock, Arkansas Monthly event

Apple Blossom Poets Poetry Workshop

Join us for a morning of poetry in which we exchange feedback on one another's work.

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
FEB. 21 2026

Room 502
Arminta Berry Room
CALS Main Branch

121

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 09/02/2026

Spent Sunday the best way I know how: met up with a friend for coffee and a turn around a bookstore, after which we went to my house and read for the rest of the day. A moment of peace before the work week begins.

A stack of books on an armchair next to a plush owlbear:

The Fourth Island
Spindle an Dagger
Strange New World
Through Gates of Garnet and Gold
Ghostly
Bat Eater

051

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 01/02/2026

I was really torn between that picture and this one

a three-year old in the most 90s windbreaker track suit lying on her stomach with her chin in her hands while reading a magazine. Beside her is a plush polar bear wearing christmas pajamas

050

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 11/01/2026

For a moment, I thought Sweethearts had gotten much more risqué since my youth.

Hand holding a candy heart that says “Buzz off,” but “buzz” is on the edge of the candy, and it kind of looks like it says “fuck off.”

040

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 04/01/2026

It’s a whiskey kind of evening

A hand holding up a class of whiskey. In the background, a television is playing Star Trek: Voyager. A cat is on the lap.

360

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 17/12/2025

The Fayetteville Public Library displayed art by local artist Sarah Spence this year, and I was so glad I got to see it. Her Swan Lane series in particular is stunning.

Photo of a painting hanging on a wall. The painting is of a figure approaching a lake in the middle of a forest. At the center of the lake is a sword, but the sword is being held by a skeleton. Look closer, and the area surrounded the lake is full of bones.

A painting. A woman turns into a swan and flies out of the arms of her lover. Around them, a flock of swans flies through the air.

2152

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 05/12/2025

I hear we’re sharing our publications wrapped. 2025 was, poetry-wise, a good year for me. I was able to share over a dozen poems through several journals, including my dream haiku journal. I hope that some of these poems were able to bring you joy this year.

AJ Wentz’ poetry
(speculative)
"Girly-Pop Cyborgs Dream of Revolution"
Eye to the Telescope Issue 58
"Pareidolia; or, Seeing What Has Never Been" Hot Springs Poetry Festival Zine
"Waxwing"
Hot Springs Poetry Festival Zine
"The World Is Ending, but the Drive Thru Is Still Open on Broadway and Eighth," Star*Line Volume 48, Issue 1
"Are We Saying the Same Thing?"
Celebrate Discovery
"The Cybernetic Brain Did Not Cure My Anxiety"
Celebrate Discovery
"The Weight of All These Stares"
Celebrate Discovery
"Uhura"
Celebrate Discovery

AF Wentz' Poetry 2025
(haiku & senryu)
"new moon," Acorn Issue 55
"broken vase," Chrysanthemum Issue 35
"summer's end," Modern Haiku Issue 56.3
"southward geese," Under the Basho
"dusk mockingbird," Under the Basho
"dozing lizard," Under the Basho

0161

FrankenManda’s Monster @ajwentz.com · 03/12/2025

Art museum 🖼️ Soft piano 🎶 Winter cocktail 🍸 Perfection

A cocktail in a stemless wine glass on a table with a bowl of fake pomegranates, a candle, and a sign declaring the event to be “Bright Nights” at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

170