Snakeskin
​
When all was bright and new
I sought a skin to make me whole.
​
The first that was offered Was ill fitting, stuffy;
Full of expectations
That weighed it down till
I crawled upon the ground,
Slithering,
Seeking the crumbs offered
For those like me.
But it chafed and tore,
Split at the seams,
Unable to hold the expanse that was
The chaos of me.
So I left to seek another.
​
The second, so like the first
But more flashy to others like
A signal I could never shut off.
That skin was shed too, in time.
And so it went,
Seeking
Wandering
Hoping to find a skin
That would fit
The expanse that was
The chaos of me.
​
Until one day,
Stumbling,
I saw that I was
Growing a skin all my own.
​
Had I known sooner that
Such creation was possible
Would I have sought all those
Lives that were not my own?
Would I still have found my way
To this body that is truly able
To hold me?
Erin Newhall
NIKSEKANS
Dance
~ Ash Nunez
Meet the Creators
Ash Nunez
Ash Nunez is a collector, spinner, and creator of stories. Through their role as a purveyor of delights and curiosities as Old Growth Alchemy, narrating the Widdershins Stories podcast, or bookbinding through Ashen Briar Bindery, they are constantly seeking new ways to engage in storytelling and craft ephemeral beauty.
Erin Newhall
Erin Newhall graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Dance from Salem State University, where she was honored as a Presidential Arts Scholar and twice received the Creativity Award. Her dynamic career began with performances and tours with the modern company The Move Shop and hip hop company Unyted Stylz. She has taught a variety of dance styles to students of all ages, both at numerous dance studios in the New England area and as a faculty member at Dana Hall School. As the Competition Director for Elite Performance Challenge and Excel in Motion, Erin traveled across the United States, running regional and national dance competitions and conventions, collaborating with talent from 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Her journey then took her to Sydney, Australia, where she toured as a featured tap dancer with the dixieland band The Low Down Riders. She continued her international career in New Zealand, teaching and choreographing with the company Full Swing in Wellington. Returning to Boston in 2017, Erin became the head coach of the Harvard University Dance Team, leading them to compete at UDA nationals at the ESPN Center in Orlando, Florida, for two seasons. Most recently, Erin appeared as a principal dancer in the film Hocus Pocus 2.