iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

It's finally done! 160+ pages of poetry, illustration, and nonsense by yours truly. Print books are being worked on, but a digital edition is available through my itchio storefront (linked next post). I really hope y'all enjoy it. #poetry #smallpress

The cover spread of the book, Ghost Walks. A large field with dilapidated houses, seemingly fallen from the sky, is inhabited by small ghostly forms. A bright blue sky is over head. The book blurb reads,

"Over five years in the making, Ghost Walks is a sprawling poetry
collection gathering prose from sketchbooks, scraps of paper, and
the author's notes app. Cameron's work within handles loss, longing,
love with a bare and earnest heart. Merging celestial phenomena with
history and a personal pantheon of his own, he weaves mundane
moments into something sacred."

A page excerpt from the book. The poem, "a story", is surrounded by illustration- flowers, shooting stars, a crumbling house, a figure obscured. The poem reads,

i want you to
tell me a story
a beginning, a middle
an end.
where everything
goes right-
it always went right.

i’ve asked this
enough to last until
god snuffs out our wicks-
there’s no hint
in the eyes, in the breath
that you mind.

everyone gathers ‘round
to witness another miracle.
a defiance, right here
in southern suburbia;
you take a breath–

A page spread excerpt from the book. The poem, "god damns the soil", reads:

god damns the soil
with a stale 40, bored
like one decides which
tie looks best for a funeral.
salted, the fauna flee first;
propelled by something
far older than the world,
long before the grasses
turn and wither.

next, unease moves in
buys a new condo at
ten under asking (what
a bargain, they’d say)—
the bushes & violets
blanch.

something's in the water
these days, pooling
in between the cracking
pavement slabs, weeds
don’t see the point of trying
anymore. you once dove

back over and over, but
the crick’s gone shallow;
the well only brings up
something brackish these days.

...

something's in the water
these days, turning daughters
into shallow graves. barren
cemetery dirt peels into lazy
curls, hangs there limp
at your shoulders; steady
pressure on the vertebrae

…

it's a shame— you never stood
a chance.

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aw!! that’s a crazy cool find, dang. my partner and i are also collecting the japanese version of that set! only 4 cards so far but we love the thrill of the hunt haha

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 27/09/2025

this has been my battle, more or less, for the last couple of years- i’m sorry that something similar is weighing you down joe. :^( for what little it is worth, my spark/drive/etc is rekindled every so often after i’ve nursed whatever part of myself needed it most. it’s frustrating & confusing!

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

i’m still very lost with my life, but at least i drew something after i spiraled for hours yesterday ✏️

a figure is surrounded by fragments of a shattered house. the figure’s face is obscured by debris, his body turned away from the viewer. everything is floating, dreamlike, and a single word balloon emanates from the empty window above to say, “where do you even begin?” in hot pink text.

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

man, i used to fucking draw. who am i anymore lmao

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Forgot to say I added another edition of the book as spreads! There's a bunch of page spreads in the book that look so much better as one complete image. thanks again for the shares y'all!

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how does one get a job in book design??? cos doing this on my own is lonely and i would like healthcare. i didn’t get that fellowship, which isn’t the biggest surprise, but it still sucks. also please check out my dumb poetry book 🙃

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Here are some more excerpts from the book, and the link for the digital edition: mancameron.itch.io/ghost-walks

A page excerpt from the book. The poem, "schrödinger’s cat", is surrounded by an illustration of a cat in a carboard box. Stars and a paper airplane fly by the cat, who peeks out at it. The poem reads,

schrödinger’s cat-
opened / unopened
peeking out to look at you,
starry eyes gently ask
“what’s in yours?”

a cardboard box-
where a ribcage should be
she paws softly at your chest,
waiting for an observation
schrödinger’s heart.

A page spread exerpt from the book. The poem, "empty year / it has been a year", reads,

it has been a year
since everything got worse
& i am, as i was,
not sure why it had to be.

i wonder when i’ll be okay again
instead of whatever this is.
jumping at the shadows
of the people i love—
hiding from their sun,
since i’ve fancied myself the moon.

sucks to find the phone line
severed, not sure who had
the scissors. i’ll blame you
because tragedy plus time
has made me a dick

it has been a year
that i am most tired of;
empty, loud, cold. a year of
chewed lips and panicked texts
and heavier weeknights.

it has been more than that

it has been a fucking year
inside words i do not occupy—
the wrong medicine given for
a careless diagnosis, but
(heartily) accepted. i know,
& i will never again,
be sunset to another’s sunrise.

i think i did something,
and it made you mad
or it hurt or it ground
against your teeth at night—
& i am, and i’ll remain,
not sure what the point was
in words without meaning.

i can feel it coming
waves, underneath the surface
unsettled by a satellite,
unmedicated and erratic

A page spread excerpt from the book. The continuation of "empty year / it has been a year." A small illustration of a figure sitting on a shattered house, surrounded by ghosts, and illustrative text that says "i deserve a good year." The rest of the poem reads,

so i keep running inland
ahead of it, tearing at my heels
a phantom tsunami
only i can see — out there,
at the coast where i left you
all, moving on, gently stepping
around my chalk outline

because, as you know,
might as well be dead, right?
it makes sense to my panic
drenched to the bone, & deeper
this corrosive has eaten through
each stilt i thought sturdy

so while it rips me up from
the foundation, i wonder
when will i be okay again?
and as the ocean surges back
my tail between my legs
i think- i don’t remember
what that is anymore, do i?

i’m not who i thought i was
on level ground
there’s something in the sound
of empty spaces still ringing
a voice unsure,
will i ever be okay again?
you said a lot of things,
and nothing at all,
every empty word echoing
in this empty year.

it has been a long year
that could of been better,
& gratefully, slowly, i am learning
how it would have looked
from kinder hands.

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

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i finished a book of poetry that’s taken 5 years to write and compile together. every accomplishment feels hollow and stupid in the face of what’s happening these days. i hate this fucking country and i hate how proud i am of this dumb book but oh well i guess

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

i’ve been feeling reconnected with my creative well again. i know i sound like a broken record, cos i feel like a broken record! there’s been a lot of shame and guilt wrapped up in this weird state of atrophy. i feel like a failure on so many fronts, but i will take this win.

A picture of my desk, with a bunch of blockprinting stuff scattered across it.

A part of some wedding stationary I designed- the words “gracias a la vida” encircle two flowers.

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Reposted by mancameron

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

hey y’all, i have a new book up for sale on my itchio store. ghost walks will collect around 5+ years worth of poetry and sketches, and it’s something i’m really proud of. it’s a WIP, but future updates will bring the page count to ~120+ pages, so it’s a big boy ✨📖✨

The cover image for my poetry book, Ghost Walks. A vast field of grass is littered with dilapidated houses and debris, with little ghosts floating in and around the structures.

A page excerpt from Ghost Walks. Sketches surround the poem, which is titled ‘artwork.’

you gotta work-
or the story in your pen
will die, never sharing
its heart on sheets
of dead trees.

draw what you like,
what you love, all
the things that set
you aflame & leave
only quiet, tired
bones behind. draw
everything that
hurts, arouses, and
frustrates you—
draw, because what
else is there for
a fool like you?

A promotional image for my book, Ghost Walks. The text reads:

Ghost Walks is my largest collection of poetry to date. This book gathers about five years worth of poetry scattered about in sketchbooks and my notes app. They come to me a lot while I'm in my head, lost within a feeling. I like to call them 'ghost walks,' since they feel like I've gone somewhere and nowhere- hence the title.

This is a digital, incomplete version of the book, which will continue to be updated. Thank you for supporting my work, and I hope you enjoy.

All my love,
Cameron

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

actually, could a crushed soda bottle do THIS? i think not

Screenshot of a design portfolio, showing three slides with a fourth cut off. The slides have different book design projects displayed in a uniform fashion, with text along the side describing the project. For a portfolio layout, it’s kind of a slay

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

somehow submitted an application for a book publisher fellowship at the last minute and i feel like a crushed soda bottle

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Reposted by mancameron

mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

taught a workshop today on poetry comics and felt another piece of myself reassemble? pretty proud of what i put together!

A slide from my presentation on poetry comics, which introduces the first of three formats I’ve come to notice as distinct formats for the medium (at least in my work). The text reads:

Image & Text
Base format for poetry comics. The stanza is paired with an illustration (usually in a panel). Both elements, pictorial and text, are equal in their reading importance. The visual element can be used to elaborate, contrast, create a narrative, draw allegory, etcetera to the text.

A picture of two examples I did during the workshop of the three formats. The examples are done in a collage style, with the same poem used in both to show how each format changes the impact and balance between the text and pictorial elements.

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

taught a workshop today on poetry comics and felt another piece of myself reassemble? pretty proud of what i put together!

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

trying to manifest something. one day i’m gonna get back to myself. one day i’m gonna stop living like a contortionist, hiding away because doing anything in a public or online setting makes my stomach turn. one day i’ll say hello and apologize and beg forgiveness and ask about everything

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

finishing the last little details on this and it’s clocking in at 168 pages, so that’s kinda cool 📖

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

as always, any support is really appreciated! and thank you to those who’ve bought stuff recently, it’s helped enormously. here’s the direct link for the book: mancameron.itch.io/ghost-walks

A page from my book, Ghost Walks. It reads:

‘happy’

one mistaken for seven
a rush out the door,
& we're head first,sweetheart
heels following soon after-

it all makes sense.
fall warbles, caught dead
in the headlights
middle of the road, and
god, it could all fall apart
you know?

fall keeps standing there
eyes bright, a warning
or brilliant guiding stars
it stands there. heralding
seasons & years & oh my god

you know that i'm happy
but wondering leads to typing
frantic prayers on my phone;
i've never known this—
the facsimile or the falsehood

(continued in the next image)

The continuation of the poem from the previous image. It reads:

cups of coffee & waiting around
for you to walk in again.
what was i doing all this time?

you know that i'm happy
you know that, i've told you
goddamn, boy.

goddamn.

A page from my book, Ghost Walks. Sketches surround the poem, the text of which looks jostled around. It reads:

"a story"

i want you to
tell me a story
a beginning, a middle
an end.
where everything goes right-
it always went right.

i've asked this
enough to last until
god snuffs out our wicks-
there's no hint
in the eyes, in the breath
that you mind.

everyone gathers ‘round
to witness another miracle.
a defiance, right here
in southern suburbia;
you take a breath—

A promotional image for my book, Ghost Walks. It reads:

You can purchase the digital edition of Ghost Walks, along with other comics and zines, at the link below.

MANCAMERON.ITCH.IO

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

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hauntedenamel.storenvy.com

i forgot to add a dot com to the link… whoops. fixed the link here! ✨ hauntedenamel.storenvy.com ✨

Home from mancameron

hi! name's mancameron. i really like pins and comics and dogs.

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there’s also digital zine pdf’s available on my itch storefront. thanks again for any support y’all can spare!

mancameron.itch.io

mancameron

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please send any design work inquiries to the email listed in the image attached. the other is examples of my design work + shows some of what i have for sale on my storefront.

A wide image in dusty pink, advertising my services as an illustrator and designer. You can email me at mancameronart@gmail.com for any design inquiries.

A top down view of various merch I have made- enamel pins, zines, prints, a shirt design. Most are available for sale on my storefront.

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keeping this short- in a little financial bind atm. my online storefront is open and i’m also open to taking on logotype/design work, so please get in touch if you’re in the market. gonna thread some links/etc below- thank you! stay warm out there 😊

hauntedenamel.storenvy

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i keep planning for a future and it always finds a way to unravel and somehow, rent is still due every month. every couple of months i try and use social media, reclaim some version of myself, only to crumble again and again. i’m hoping this time is different! but i’m tired all the time.

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i have to submit final grades for my students this week and all i’ve been thinking about is how my mom called the morning after the election in tears. i gave up a job w/ healthcare to teach illustration in august. my bf and i just moved to a new apartment in july

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my car got a flat tire the day before the final class i’ve been teaching this semester. today, my bf and i swapped it for the spare before he went to work. it was surprisingly easy. i plan to sell the car when we move to chicago with my family next year, but it’s nice to know i can change a tire now

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 19/11/2023

saturn’s return, or something like that 🪐💫✨

Page 1 of a comic. The style is inspired by late 50s/60s science illustrations- a sun dominates the bottom right corner, with a large pink pencil above it. A thin white strip spirals above them both, then wraps around the pencil a few times before trailing off the bottom of the page. The title, RETURN, rests in the right hand corner.

A large face takes up the right side of page 2. Pink squiggles resembling a brain fill the top right corner, while two planetoids (and their shadows) cross the entire page from lower left to upper right. The poetry text reads:
saturn cannot be blamed
for much longer,
sweetheart— your sun
(moon, rising, whatever)
gave up the ghost
how many summers ago?

Page 3 has a greyscale figure on the left side, looking worriedly at a planetoid that orbits around his head. Another hand reached out from the upper right corner, fingers about to grasp the planetoid. The poetry text reads:
elliptical or spiral,
your orbit keeps digging
deeper grooves in the
reclaimed hardwood floor-

the event horizon bristles,
moves to the sunroom
as you carve canyons,
eyes glued on your
rearview mirror.

Page 4. Five yellow, orange, brown toned lollipop shapes take up the upper half of the page, a half circle of a moon rests at the bottom. A darker purple semicircle is decorated with constellations that overlay the lollipop shapes. The poetry text reads:
“certainly, it’s still
there— right?” you cry,
hands at nine and three.

“it has to be,” comets chirp
sympathetically, knowing
that exit sign is long gone;
there’s no sender
to return to.

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i still berate myself for how i handled my shit, and dearly miss the people i actively pushed away in my meltdown. i’ve come to forgive myself and make peace knowing those friendships will never truly recover. i’m so grateful for the ones who saw all my ugly and still cherish our friendship

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 19/11/2023

almost teared up at friendsgiving tonight, the first one i’ve ever gone to(!!), but i kept it together :’^) it’s been a tough few years fighting the idea that i’m a difficult person to be around. being reassured that i’m wanted in a friend group like this has been nice, to put it simply haha

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 14/11/2023

the coolest picture that has ever been taken of me? yeah

A portrait of me in low red lighting- the shadows are tinted almost seafoam green. I hold a multi-pointed silver star balloon behind my head. In general, i look cool as fuck

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 09/11/2023

✨👄✨❗️ really loving this chapter and all the added layers its shown of percy!

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 07/11/2023

[the screenprint shop employee working on bob the drag queen’s entrance look] hmm…

A silkscreen in a wash bay- the letters ‘UNT’ are printed very big on the screen.

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 05/11/2023

it’s a Winlit! which appears to be a brand that was big in the 80s…? it’s very well made and i loooove it

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 05/11/2023

thank uuuu 😊 whenever i wear those chains in particular, i always think ‘how would duke style this’ so i’m glad you approve!

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 05/11/2023

this jacket is my entire personality now, ok

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mancameron @mancameron.bsky.social · 02/11/2023

you hate to see girlypops stressed out over a boyfailure 😔

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it was an A+++ weekend for sure 😎 and right??? she was so so charming

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this weekend was very busy, but lovely all the same. below are some spooky highlights 🎃

High contrast picture of me at an outdoor bar table, daintily holding a pair of my coworkers glue-on eyelashes

A folded up salmon(?) pink hoodie with the word ‘WICKED’ printed on it in black ink. It is highly distorted and warped.

A table of carved pumpkins! A white pumpkin (mine) sits atop an old tube TV in the corner, the word ‘BOO’ carved into it.

A picture of my booth at a local pride market- me, my mother, and Sasha Velour stand in the foreground. My mom and her dog look back at Sasha, while I look on from the side. Honestly the tension between Sasha and the dog is hilarious

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she was just magnetically sweet!! they were always a fav but now I desperately need to see one of their shows in person 🥺

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