Straith 🍉

@straith.ca

3023 Followers 881 Following

D.A. Straith (they/them). Toronto-adjacent fiction person • nonbinary trans & queer settler • work in Augur, Fusion Fragment, SHATTER THE SUN • Clarion West Novel Workshop ‘25 • agent: Laura Zats @ Headwater • straith.carrd.co

a zoomed-in bit of spreadsheet showing five rows, each with an associated count of the number of times a comment has been categorized under the theme in question. themes and counts: Bertilak 6, Climate 1, Endgame 9, Fae 5, Gawain 11.
a comment in the margins of a Google document left by user straith: "LOL THIS SENTENCE JUST ENDS??"
an all-white home interior at the junction of several doorways (bedroom, bathroom, etc.), but on the ceiling there is an attic hatch, and the attic hatch is hanging open into darkness. the attic hatch is visible head-on: there is a folding ladder installed into the door.
an all-white home interior at the junction of several doorways (bedroom, bathroom, etc.), but on the ceiling there is an attic hatch, and the attic hatch is hanging open into darkness
a bedroom doorway in a house, through which an attic trapdoor can be seen from the hinge side. the trapdoor is hanging into the ceiling space
A close-up of an echeveria blossom. The echeveria itself is a compact, dusty green succulent with fleshy, spade-shaped leaves growing radially in layers. Three stalks have pushed out from between the top two layers of leaves. They have clusters of almond-shaped flower buds nestled among dusty green leaves. In the foreground, a flower bud is very visible, and it has a delicate coral colour. In the background there’s an elephant jade with white and green variegated leaves and blush pink stalks.
I'm agented! I'm now represented by Laura Zats at Headwater Literary Management for my mind-bending throuple-centred Gawain remix, EVERY YEAR THE SUMMER! (Text is bracketed by headshots of Straith (L), a white person with short black hair and large glasses, and Laura (R), a person with bright red lipstick, bangs, and shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair)
A spiral bound sketchpad with white paper, upon which are drawn several practice shapes (upper left corner), a stick figure in a low mid-step position (right), and a more massed-out figure (lower left corner) standing with arms in fists above its head
A post from straith that reads “also this week I learned that current slang for a crisp Diet Coke is ‘fridge cigarette’ and damn if that doesn’t feel correct as hell” that has 121 likes (plus other engagement)
a white person’s hand holds a can of Diet Coke with the condensation still clinging to it. the holder of the can wears an extremely cool chainmaille bracelet and sits in a conference room with beige carpet and furniture
hello it's june so it's time for a mid-year writing thing. pleas join me as I attempt to write a first draft by end of august. if I write 777.78 words per day I can finish a 70k draft by then. unrealistic? possibly. will I still try? hell yeah!! June 1 thru Aug 31 c'mon
A behind-the-scenes photo from the production of Guillermo Del Toro's CRIMSON PEAK, in which a red-skinned, red-haired, gaunt figure with a wide open mouth (left) fistbumps a long-haired blonde white woman in a voluminous white dress
Production design and art direction: Daniel Haller
a glass stein-style cup with a glass straw standing in it. the cup is full of a greyish-purple opaque liquid. next to the glass is a large blender jar with more opaque liquid in it
Three taquitos - basically deep fried tortilla tubes injected with filling - enfolded in a white paper bag with the 7-Eleven logo and clutched in a white parson’s hand.
a slide that says "HELIOTROPE by D.A. Straith". the background is "Old Woman in Greenhouse", a 1936 painting by Walter Kurt Wiemken. in which a pale-faced old woman dressed in black and sitting in a largely empty greenhouse stares out from the middle of the painting. there are glass walls, and the struts of the building as well as the underside of the roof are painted in green; but there are only a few scattered plants around the place.
Straith’s writing setup in this moment: on the recliner, with an old brown fuzzy blanket on their legs; they have a Chromebook out. In the background is a tv stand festooned with various anime, video game and Transformers figurines. A clock states that it’s 9:06 AM.
a maranta, also known as a prayer plant, with flat oval-shaped green leaves shot through with red veins. a single stalk emerges from the heart of the plant, bearing a tiny, delicate pink flower.
EVERY YEAR THE SUMMER: an agent's guide. Text is set against a mixed-media backdrop featuring a largely black-and-white landscape, with one cutout section showing a bright green bit of the landscape with a hunched figure looking despondent.
EVERY YEAR THE SUMMER: an agent's guide. Text is set against a mixed-media backdrop featuring a largely black-and-white landscape, with one cutout section showing a bright green bit of the landscape with a hunched figure looking despondent.
EVERY YEAR THE SUMMER: an agent's guide. Text is set against a mixed-media backdrop featuring a largely black-and-white landscape, with one cutout section showing a bright green bit of the landscape with a hunched figure looking despondent.
two small dishes: on the left, a dish with a fish pattern with melted chocolate in it; and on the right, a dish of cut strawberries
she doesn't look to be in like, *great* health - kind of pinched and dead-eyed. 4. **Opponent**: Francisse, who seems determined to ruin the evening with her competitiveness - unwilling to lose a game. Possibly Gaspar, who I think enjoys making people feel stupid. Possibly Eloise, who "seems determined to ruin the mood" according to her husband (actually she just feels sick). 5. **Conflict**: The competitiveness really shows the threat Francisse, Gaspar, Eloise, others feel at the sight of Aimery 6. **Endpoint**: The kid, who's been watching from a distance, like from behind a curtain or something (plan this better) breaks into tears and runs away, and Erica is
a screen grab from the YEARS BEST CANADIAN FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION: VOLUME 4 anthology Kickstarter page, which shows that the campaign has received $9,992 CAD in pledges across 264 backers and with 10 days remaining in the campaign
a coral pink phalaenopsis orchid with widely spread green leaves, one pruned-back spike and a second spike still enjoying two last flowers
two views of an aglaonema "black maroon", one distant from the plant and one giving a close-up of the plant's glossy, ovate-shaped leaves, which are red in the middle and green at the edges (photos are of plants sold by JOMO Studio in Toronto)
A somewhat crusty begonia maculata with long, glossy, spade-shaped leaves that are green and silver-speckled on top and red in back
a detail from the animated film PONYO, in which Fujimoto, a lanky scientist with long red voluminous hair, a vertical striped jacket, a pink cravat, and a sour expression sprays his walking-path with water from a reservoir he carries on his back
every Dark Souls NPC conversation wver. Dubious Grandma: Shit-Ass Dead Dude.. Know'st thou of Hell Fuck Castle, high in the mountains...? (laughter) It was once the domain of King Big Sad Guy, who did the Flame Thing.. Legend tells of the castle's steward, the great and terrible HorseDog, but who is to say if it still roams the halls.... (solid minute of laughter) Oh, how silly of me; but of course, a new arrival in Drangranthric wouldst know not such tales... One such as thee... wouldst be better suited to sharpen the blades of the dreaded wraith of Why'd They Put Anorher FUCKIN SWAMP LEVEL Marsh...... Armor Type of Dude. That is... ifst thoust canst livest thatst longst... (five minutes of laughter, unskippable)
a layer of soil and perlite upon which an echeveria leaf has been laid. Two clusters of tiny echeveria leaves, maybe half the size of a pinky nail in total, are emerging from the broken off end of the leaf. in the top right corner of the image there’s another leaf from a different plant. the image has the words “meanwhile the babies:” overlaid on it.
A white-speckled green leaf on a monstera Thai constellation, previously curled into a tight tube, now slowly opening up over the course of days. The photo has been taken down the “barrel” of the leaf, revealing its spiral curvature
A close-up shot of the twisted-off end of a single echeveria leaf sitting on a high-perlite potting mix. At that twisted-off end, a tiny little cluster of pale green beads is forming: a baby echeveria plant just taking root.
A glass jar full of soil holds a single echeveria leaf - a succulent leaf shaped kind of like a spearhead. The camera zooms in on one end of the leaf, where it was twisted off of the mother plant: there, there is a TINY cluster of little pale green beads that indicate a new plant is forming.
A slightly crispy begonia maculata that nevertheless shows significant new growth, held in a white person's hand against a honey-brown veneer wood tabletop. The begonia has arrowlike green leaves with watermelon pink undersides and scatterings of white polka dots; the leaves are delicate and show evidence of damage. This "before" shot was taken less than two weeks before the "after" shot.
a screenshot of an Instagram feed with the username @d.a.straith. the user's profile photo shows a short-haired white person wearing glasses with a snake plant behind them. the feed itself shows various photos of houseplants and a couple of collages related to writing projects, one themed on Sir Gawain and the other of a wizardly figure wandering through the mountains.
deanna troi on an episode of star trek: the next generation, wearing a teal bodysuit with a wide, collarbone-exposing neckline that peaks above the right boob
A “before” picture of a pink anthurium, a plant with pink flowers on long petioles and large spade-shaped green leaves that’s slightly lopsided in its pot
in this highly stylized print by Maurice Leroy (French, 1885-1973), titled "Les Neiges ; Costume pour les sports d’hiver, en ’agnella' de Rodier" a person poses jauntily with skis on a mountain. they are wearing an asymmetrical woollen skiing outfit that features a knee-length coat whose collar comes up to the ears and is fastened at the waist with an orange sash; the person is also wearing knee-high boots and orange gloves and hat. Behind them are stylized mountains with white peaks, and at the bottom of the image someone is falling on their backside off their skis
A painting of a glacial valley landscape overlaid with patches of more fanatical Art-nouveau-style landscape. A portion of the landscape is covered in a voluminous multi-textured swath of red fabric. In the foreground stands a tall thin figure with long black hair, wearing a black robe of practical length edged in multicoloured patterns.
A fishbone cactus with 5 or 6 flat, wavy edged, translucent green leaves poking out of a tiny 2-inch nursery pot held in a white person’s hand
a small tradescantia nanouk with green and white oval leaves whose underside is bright fuschia, held in a white person’s hand against a wood backdrop.
A slightly dilapidated begonia maculata (polka dot begonia), with spade-shaped, white-speckled green leaves whose underside is red, held in a white person’s hand against a wood background
a brightly coloured collage of medieval figures cut out from various public domain illustrations, overlaid on a black and white background photo showing "Gallos", a statue at Tintagel, with an obscured face. the overlaid figures, clockwise from top left: a mysterious hooded figure holding a hand to its mouth, in yellow; a green knight astride a horse, with a head made of greenery; a sorceress in a leaf-patterned shawl with her face obscured, in red; a man with obscured face in a tunic and breeches (in green) astride a sun-themed horse (in pink). in the middle there is a woman brushing her long dark hair, in blue, above the words "Sir Gawain the Son of XXX, King of XXX", where the Xs represent inkblots.
a brightly lit floor-to-ceiling window through which the sun shines on the left side. the sky is blue and streaked with wispy white clouds. in the foreground there is a utility shelf with a number of houseplants growing upon it, though these are mostly in silhouette due to the overpowering sunlight
A black-and-white shot of Godzilla (1954) peeking over a ridge looking very craggy
A Godzilla action figure modelled after 1972’s Godzilla, with a wide-set stance, outstretched forelegs, silver back spikes, and the general appearance of actually being a guy in a suit. His mouth full of sharp teeth is open as though he is yelling SKREEONK and he’s wall-eyed in classic Godzilla fashion. He is held in a white person’s hand on a three-quarter angle.
A Godzilla (1972) action figure by S.M.MonsterArts, still in the packaging. The figure is in the classic Godzilla upright pose with head up, front legs outstretched, and mouth growling.
A close-up of the crown of a small and somewhat dilapidated, recently pruned cuetlaxóchitl. There are no colourful bracts, only (mostly) dark green leaves—but below the pruning sites, in three different places, there are tiny, fresh new growths that indicate more leaves to come.
A white person’s hand holds a polymer tube with an angled opening, intended for scooping soil and aiming it neatly into a recipient pot. The tube is reflective gold in colour.
An open journal in a green cover. The printed page shows the date as January 14. Black brush lettering at the top of the journal page, otherwise blank, says “try again”.
a brightly coloured collage of medieval figures cut out from various public domain illustrations, overlaid on a black and white background photo showing "Gallos", a statue at Tintagel, with an obscured face. the overlaid figures, clockwise from top left: a mysterious hooded figure holding a hand to its mouth, in yellow; a beheaded knight astride a horse, holding aloft his own head - but as a bundle of greenery; a sorceress in a leaf-patterned shawl with her face obscured, in red; a man with obscured face in a tunic and breeches (in green) astride a sun-themed horse (in pink). in the middle there is a woman brushing her long dark hair, in blue, above the words "Sir Gawain the Son of XXX, King of XXX", where the Xs represent inkblots.
square 9-image moodboard with green border evoking the design of the poster for GREY GARDENS. top row of images, L-R: a gallery wall exclusively of paintings of eyes; a toroidal space station above a planet; a cyborg-like feminine figure with gaze askance against a backdrop of cables. middle row, L-R: two feet on a white floor smeared with dirty confetti; a masculine figure carrying a camera rig in one hand; the shambles left behind by a party on a low stage, framed by pink curtains. bottom row, L-R: a masculine, crown-wearing figure in partial silhouette with one hand open toward the sky; a porthole looking onto a starry landscape; a gridded Brutalist ceiling framed by stained concrete.
a brightly coloured collage of medieval figures cut out from various public domain illustrations, overlaid on a black and white background photo showing "Gallos", a statue at Tintagel, with an obscured face. the overlaid figures, clockwise from top left: a mysterious hooded figure holding a hand to its mouth, in yellow; a beheaded knight astride a horse, holding aloft his own head - but as a bundle of greenery; a sorceress in a leaf-patterned shawl with her face obscured, in red; a man with obscured face in a tunic and breeches (in green) astride a sun-themed horse (in pink). in the middle there is a woman brushing her long dark hair, in blue, above the words "Sir Gawain the Son of XXX, King of XXX", where the Xs represent inkblots.
square 9-image moodboard with green border evoking the design of the poster for GREY GARDENS. top row of images, L-R: a gallery wall exclusively of paintings of eyes; a toroidal space station above a planet; a cyborg-like feminine figure with gaze askance against a backdrop of cables. middle row, L-R: two feet on a white floor smeared with dirty confetti; a masculine figure carrying a camera rig in one hand; the shambles left behind by a party on a low stage, framed by pink curtains. bottom row, L-R: a masculine, crown-wearing figure in partial silhouette with one hand open toward the sky; a porthole looking onto a starry landscape; a gridded Brutalist ceiling framed by stained concrete.
a brightly coloured collage of medieval figures cut out from various public domain illustrations, overlaid on a black and white background photo showing "Gallos", a statue at Tintagel, with an obscured face. the overlaid figures, clockwise from top left: a mysterious hooded figure holding a hand to its mouth, in yellow; a beheaded knight astride a horse, holding aloft his own head - but as a bundle of greenery; a sorceress in a leaf-patterned shawl with her face obscured, in red; a man with obscured face in a tunic and breeches (in green) astride a sun-themed horse (in pink). in the middle there is a woman brushing her long dark hair, in blue, above the words "Sir Gawain the Son of XXX, King of XXX", where the Xs represent inkblots.
A screenshot of Straith’s hoopla app, which shows various recently borrowed films and a promo banner advertising the film SCARBOROUGH (2019). The banner is helpfully labeled as Canadian content (cancon) using the logo for Ottawa’s science fiction and fantasy conference (Can*Con).
square 9-image moodboard with green border evoking the design of the poster for GREY GARDENS. top row of images, L-R: a gallery wall exclusively of paintings of eyes; a toroidal space station above a planet; a cyborg-like feminine figure with gaze askance against a backdrop of cables. middle row, L-R: two feet on a white floor smeared with dirty confetti; a masculine figure carrying a camera rig in one hand; the shambles left behind by a party on a low stage, framed by pink curtains. bottom row, L-R: a masculine, crown-wearing figure in partial silhouette with one hand open toward the sky; a porthole looking onto a starry landscape; a gridded Brutalist ceiling framed by stained concrete.