HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY, BLACK PHOENIX! YOU CAN ALMOST VOTE!

And speaking of voting (because I am a horrible, nagging harpy), please vote. Vote in all elections, no matter how minor they may seem. Your vote determines who has access to basic human rights, your vote determines which civil rights we are granted, your vote can help save us from catastrophic climate change, your vote can protect the those in poverty and those who are vulnerable, marginalized, and threatened. Your vote can save lives.

The right to vote is precious, and every single vote matters. Your voice matters.

US peeps – do you need to register to vote or check your voting registration status? Clicky here: Register to Vote!

Right now, during this perilous, dangerous, and dark time – I want to start by thanking everyone that enables us to support charitable organizations that stand to preserve and defend civil rights, the environment, and marginalized groups. Thank you for purchasing and boosting our Activism scents, thank you for donating to our tampon and pad drives, our food drives, and our toy drives. Thank you for helping us help others. We couldn’t do it without the gift of your kindness, compassion, and generosity, and I am deeply grateful. Grateful beyond words.

I said this in 2016, and it bears repeating –

This is our family. You – if you are reading this – are part of our family, and I am grateful for you.

I know that it is cold comfort, but I want to tell you that we stand with you and you are not alone. We stand with the LGBTQ community, we stand with the disabled community, we stand with our brothers and sisters in every single minority religious, racial, and ethnic group. We stand with the trans community, we stand with immigrants and refugees, we stand with those who would protect our water and our land.

We stand with you against hate. We stand with you against intolerance. We stand with you, and we will do everything within our power to fight with you and for you in this dark, uncertain time.

With all my heart, I want to thank our customers. You are more than clients; you are our friends, our extended family. Thank you for being with us through so much – through bright days and darkness, through sorrow and joy. Thank you for the gift of your friendship, thank you for standing with us through difficult times, thank you for sharing our laughter and the burdens of our grief. The community that has grown around BPAL these past fifteen years is like nothing else in this world, online or off. True, everlasting friendships – the love of family – is evident everywhere I look. Whenever I go onto the forum, I bear witness to incredible acts of love and kindness. We support one another selflessly in times of need, and I hold each and every one of you as models of emotional generosity and true friendship. It is an honor for me to be a part of your lives, and my gratitude is beyond words. Thank you for everything that you have brought to my life, thank you for everything. I know I’ve said it many, many times: the single most important gift that Black Phoenix has given me throughout this decade is the phenomenal, world-encompassing family that I now have because of all of you. You can’t imagine how much you mean to me. Thank you.

With all my love and gratitude…

Thank you, Brian, for being the dearest and truest of friends. You are the spine of this company, its rock-solid foundation. Without you, this company would be a series of abstract ideas without form. You help me manifest my strange daydreams, you always make me laugh, and you never, ever let me down. Thank you for putting up with my shit, I love you, big brother.

Thank you, Ted, for being my heart’s joy, my true love, my soulmate, my muse, and my strength. You are as vital to me as breath and light, and as much a part of me as the blood that flows through my veins. Thank you for being my Prince Charming, thank you for always being there for me, thank you for your patience, your sober counsel, your laughter, your filthy mind, your sense of humor. Thank you for being you, thank you for being mine.

Lilith, you are my muse and my angel, my little werewolf, my baby bat. You are the light in my heart, you are my joy, and every single day I love you more and more.

Thank you, Jacquelynn. God, you are the absolute best. Thank you for all of your dedication to the Lab, for your hard work, your dedication, your creativity, your intelligence and wit, and your huge, huge heart. You are such an important, vital part of BPAL, and I love you SO, SO MUCH!

Thank you, Piolet, for your hard work and your strength of character. Thank you for your wisdom and your humor, your optimism, your patience, your commitment, and your friendship. You are one of my dearest friends, and I love you!

Tom, thank you for all that you do. Thank you for all of your help promoting BPAL, thank you for being my Other Voice, thank you for always being there for me, for being a true friend, for listening to my incessant kvetching, and for your huge heart and vast, boundless creativity. Thank you for lending us your talent, thank you for being my friend. I love you.

Thank you, Chrissy, for your passion and drive, your creativity and enthusiasm. I am grateful for you and for all you do, and I love you!

Thank you, Stephanie, for your incredible work ethic, your drive and your dedication. You are a treasure, and I love you!

Cerina, thank you for all of the hard work you put into helping us get through both calm work weeks and batshit crazy seasons. We couldn’t do this without you. I love you!

Thank you, Galen, for the incredible videos that you have been crafting for BPAL. Thank you for the gift of your vision. You are exceptionally talented, incredibly sweet, and I treasure you. I love you!

Thank you, Sara and Viv, for all the love, joy, dedication, and enthusiasm you put into every Lunacy. We couldn’t do our events without you, and I love you both very, very much.

Kaitlin, you are my best doge. You cannot imagine how grateful I am for your help and for your friendship. Thank you for putting up with our madness, our ridiculous requests, our last-minute panics. Thank you for the gift of your incredible heart, your beautiful Libra charms, and your deep compassion. I love you.

Samantha, you are a wonderful human being and a true friend. Thank you for all that you do to support and promote Black Phoenix, and thank you for always being there for us. I love you!

Thank you to Tom, Lisa, Eva, Chris, Eric, Jason, Jessica, Sara, and Galen for making this year’s Carny Life possible. You were all amazing, and we are deeply grateful for your help. Thank you so much for being there for us, and for giving so much of yourselves to the events!

Thank you, Donna and Jeff, for being our bottle babysitters! You are lifesavers, and we love you so, so much! You can’t imagine how much we love you!

Thank you, Em. You are such an amazing human being. Thank you for your wise counsel, for always having my back, for always being there for me, and for always listening. I would be lost without your advice and your friendship. I love you!

Ali, you are and always will be my living Manual of Style! I love you! Thank you for unbabbling my babble, re-sensing my nonsense, and letting me bounce ideas off of you incessantly. You are an inspiration always. Thank you for always being there for me.

Thank you, Andra! Thank you for your laughter and your kindness, your wit and your friendship. You are a true friend, a truly amazing human being, and I love you so much!

Thank you to Sue and Del at Dark Delicacies for being such true and wonderful friends. Thank you for always being there for us, thank you for giving Black Phoenix a second home with you. Thank you for being the absolute best, most loving and perfect, greatest grandparents a little demoness could ask for! We love you so much!

Thank you, Courtney and Lisa, for being our extended Lunacy family! Thank you for all the energy and love you put into every event! We are all truly grateful!

Thank you,Cat, for being such an amazing friend. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for being my co-conspirator and confidante, thank you for your kindness. I love you!

Thank you to Thomas, Chandra, Melissa, Kat, and Tommy at Century Guild. I love you guys!

Jess, I am so deeply grateful for your friendship. Thank you for always being there for me. I love you!

Thank you to Neil Gaiman, Guillermo Del Toro, Legendary Pictures, Jim Jarmusch, Peter Beagle, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Emma Rios, Jess Schnabel, Disasterina, Erika Klash, Victoria Elizabeth Black, Fabio Listrani & Lo Scarabeo Tarot, Seanan McGuire, EFFY, Ministry of Trouble, Terry Pratchett, Terry Moore, Mike and Christine Mignola, George Perez, Peter David, Mark Waid, Thomas Negovan, Matt Wagner, Laika Studios, Jim Henson Productions, Brian Pulido, Joseph Michael Linsner, Gris Grimly, George RR Martin, Clive Barker, Mark Miller, David Mack, Gail Potocki, Sady Doyle, Seanan McGuire, and Erin Morgenstern for giving Black Phoenix the opportunity to interpret your work.

Thank you to the noble souls at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Your hard work changes lives. Thank you, Charles, for being an inspiration and a true friend.

Infinite love and profound thanks to the artists, photographers, models, musicians, and DJ’s that have lent us their talent: Dan Santat, Julie Dillon, Drew Rausch, Aristotle Pramagioulis, Alicia Dabney, Emma Rios, Madame Talbot, Quique Alcatena, Jennifer Rodgers, Manda Lander, Casanova Valentine, Pinwheel Pinwheel, Eric Thurnbeck, Galen Adair, Keri Newton, Robert Kraiza, Tanya Bjork, Andrew Fogel, Brian Kessinger, Abigail Larson, Aidan Casserly, Sarah Coleman, Miss Eaves, Kate Leth, Alicia Dabney, Mildren Louis, Jessye Herrell, Bill Crisafi, Veronique Hyland, Mabel Garcia, L’Ordre de l’Infiniment Nada, and DJ Accident Report.

Infinite love and profound thanks to our collaborators, the event promoters that give us a home on our carny travels, and all the amazing people who host our fragrances in their shops and boutiques: Dark Delicacies, Blood Milk, Haute Macabre, Loved to Death, Sphere + Sundry, Independent Shakespeare Company, Azamel, IDW, the CBLDF, Unemployed Philosophers Guild, Two Minutes to Late Night, Tribe Neverwas, Jaymes Mansfield, Michael Varrati, Disasterina, Erika Klash, Victoria Elizabeth Black, Ariel Italic, Lady Bearica Andrews, DJ Accident Report, Pinwheel Pinwheel, Brenda, Bill Rude, Portals of Time Vintage, Party Goats LA, Gothic Renaissance, Ritualcravt, Think Geek, Century Guild, the Mütter Museum, Whole Foods, Pretty Indulgent, HorrorBuzz, World of Wonder, Midsummer Scream, the Pleasure Chest, and Oddities Flea Market.

Love and thanks to the bloggers, journalists, magazines, and other media outlets that have taken the time to write about Black Phoenix. Honestly, I cannot thank you enough. Without you, I’d just be screaming into the void.

Heartfelt gratitude to all of the organizations we sponsor. You are a light in the darkness, and it is our honor to support you in your work:

The American Civil Liberties Union
The NAACP
The National Center for Transgender Equality
The Southern Poverty Law Center
Planned Parenthood
Burbank Temporary Aid Center
The National Park Foundation
The National Parks Conservation Association
Trevor Project
EMILY’s List
Orangutan Foundation UK
RAINN
RAICES
The Women’s Sports Foundation
Drive-By Do-Gooders
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
Global Giving’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund
Sonoma Valley Fire & Rescue
Lake Country Fire & Rescue
Humane Society of Ventura County
Hispanic Federation’s Hurricane Maria Relief Fund
UNHCR

In gratitude and with love, I thank you all for being with us through the past seventeen years.

17TH ANNIVERSARY: THE GEOLOGY SERIES
This is part anniversary celebration, part Genius Loci series. We are all inextricably linked to the land we live on; Black Phoenix is no different.

California is defined by her mountains and valleys, her fault lines and her batholiths, her murderous deserts and her lush forests — an unmatched diversity of landscapes and communities. From the deserts of Mojave to the sandy beaches, and all the towering mountain ranges that thrust themselves between, this is a land of pressure and release, dreams and devastation — and infinite promise. Ours is a rich, strange, delirious, and fierce history, and Black Phoenix is proud to call California home. Our roots run deep here.

This series is dedicated to the spirits of the land itself — of the minerals, rocks, and glittering things that lie deep within the earth.

This series is dedicated to beauty forming under pressure.

[Image: Rare map of California and the Southwest illustrating California as an island called Nova Mexico and including Cibola, Anian, and Quivira, among other mythical places. Published in 1661 by Pierre du Val.]