top of page
Search

A Whimsical Surprise

  • Writer: Beatrice Winifred Iker
    Beatrice Winifred Iker
  • Apr 8
  • 3 min read

Happy April!


The artist of the month is Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872), a Black, self-taught landscape painter.


"Landscape with Family by Lake", a painting by Robert S. Duncanson of sweeping, romantic views of the Ohio River valley.
"Landscape with Family by Lake", a painting by Robert S. Duncanson of sweeping, romantic views of the Ohio River valley.

Source: Robert S. Duncanson, Landscape with Family by Lake, 1858, oil on canvas, 12 x 17 in. (30.5 x 43.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of J & R Investments, 1983.95.175.



How was March, you ask? Sit back and let’s discuss 🍵


This month’s lesson was a whimsical surprise.

This month’s fragrances were Sea Salt and Coconut.

This month’s plant was a Pachira Aquatica named Money Honey.

This month’s writing was a relationship-as-horror.

This month’s tarot card was Three of Cups.



Let’s start with a whimsical surprise.


I recently watched Zootopia 2 with a bunch of kids, and it filled my heart with such joy. I danced. I sang. Shakira’s voice is still on an earworm rollercoaster inside my brain.


I’m so grateful for the perspective children can give. Thanks to this infectious joy, for the first time in my adult life, I bought a………picnic basket! And I have every intention of using it this summer (it snowed today, so I have some time) on my usual forest walks.


I am ready for some whimsical shit!


Here are Bea’s Basket Goals for 2026:


Decorate the basket (next month’s newsletter will be crafty!)


Use the basket 5 times between May and September (I make no promises about pictures, but I will try my best 😄)


Write 1 poem and 1 short story centered around the basket (and make 1 of them speculative ✨)



This month’s fragrances were Sea Salt and Coconut.


This month’s body lotion, perfume, and perfume oil are pictured on a wooden dresser.
This month’s body lotion, perfume, and perfume oil are pictured on a wooden dresser.

Body Lotion: Salt Water Vanilla by Saltair

Notes: Vanilla, Sea Salt, Sandalwood


Perfume: Coconut Palm by Mix Bar

Notes: Coconut Wood, Vanilla, Salty Accord, Incense, Amber, Musk Milk


Perfume Oil: Golden Hour by Sand + Fog

Notes: Peach, Pineapple, Orange, Coconut, Sweet notes, Milk, Musk, Vanilla, Sandalwood



This month’s plant was a Pachira Aquatica named Money Honey.


Money Honey, the Pachira Aquatica, sits on a wooden dresser
Money Honey, the Pachira Aquatica, sits on a wooden dresser

I named my Pachira Aquatica ‘Money Honey’ for two reasons: first, because he is a Money Tree, and second, because I love doo-wop music, especially Clyde McPhatter.


The song “Money Honey” by The Drifters is frequently playing in my house.



This month’s writing was a relationship-as-horror novel.


Published in Nightmare Magazine’s April 2023 issue, “Delicate Webbing” is my horror flash about a frighteningly unhealthy (codependent) relationship.


The cover for the April 2023 Nightmare Magazine issue.
The cover for the April 2023 Nightmare Magazine issue.

I am now turning this flash fiction into a novellette. Think The Shining meets Midsommar, but Southern Gothic.


Goal: ~15,000 words.


With one of my favorite horror subgenres (body horror), plotting “Delicate Webbing” and fleshing out the characters has been heart-filling.


I’ve long wanted to have a conversation about the dangers of loving/trusting your lover more than yourself.


Who are you in the throes of obsession? What happens when you’d do anything to ensure your partner never leaves? Who are you willing to become? What are you willing to become?


I can’t wait for you to find out 🪡



This month’s tarot card was Three of Cups.


The Three of Cups represents communal celebration. What are we celebrating? Life, friend.


This month’s tarot card sits on a wooden dresser. The tarot deck is The Wild Unknown by Kim Krans.
This month’s tarot card sits on a wooden dresser. The tarot deck is The Wild Unknown by Kim Krans.

Every day, as I hear heartbreaking news or watch politicians threaten to take away more and more of my rights, I am reminded of how grateful I am for my community. They see me, love me, make me laugh until I cry, and allow me to live my life free from judgment.


I am truly thankful to have a safe space to retreat to when the world feels overwhelming and overstimulating (which has been quite often lately).


Those who wish me, a queer Black artist, a life of misery will not succeed, come hell or high water.



Next month, prepare for a thoughtfully decorated picnic basket.



In the meantime…


Bea’s Books Reminders


The cover for Charley’s Honky-Tonk Mission by Beatrice Winifred Iker and illustrated by Miguelina Milien features Charley Pride smiling and playing the guitar against a wind-swept, cloudy background.
The cover for Charley’s Honky-Tonk Mission by Beatrice Winifred Iker and illustrated by Miguelina Milien features Charley Pride smiling and playing the guitar against a wind-swept, cloudy background.

CHARLEY’S HONKY-TONK MISSION is my picture book-in-verse about Charley Pride, America’s first Black country music superstar.


Out June 9, 2026, and you can pre-order here.


The cover for I'll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker, with art by Mike Heath | Magnus Creative, features green, gnarled roots that form a skull underground, reaching up into a church in the woods under a blood red sky.
The cover for I'll Make a Spectacle of You by Beatrice Winifred Iker, with art by Mike Heath | Magnus Creative, features green, gnarled roots that form a skull underground, reaching up into a church in the woods under a blood red sky.

My debut, a Southern Gothic horror novel set at an Appalachian HBCU, is called I’LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOU and is out now!


Please request from your library, or order here.

 
 
bottom of page