amandapalmer
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The State of All Things: December 2025
🕑 Added 2025-12-22 11:36:59 +0000 UTCTHE BIG OL' LIFE N DEATH UPDATE
TOP HOUSEKEEPING/EVENTS
PATREON CATCH-UP (what's been happening here on the Patreon this month...)
LIVE SHOW CATCH-UP FOR THE MONTH
UPCOMING PATRON RELEASES, SHOWS AND EVENTS
COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD (notices from the global community and my art-friends)
ART BEGETTING ART (art from the community, inspired by my/the dolls work)
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THE BIG OL' LIFE N DEATH UPDATE
Dear me.
Hello from across the world!
Greetings from the liminal….
I’m gonna lean heavily into the video this month, because I'm doing things out of order and posting this from jet-lag land down under.
I’m here to accomplish some very fundamental things besides give my kid an ongoing connection with this whenua, this land here.
I’m here to research. I’m here to write. The little shows I’m playing are shuffling around and venues are going to change - not a surprise - this happened in the Pacific Northwest, too. So if you’re coming, see venue changes below.
I don’t plan to post a ton outside the basics while I spend the next couple weeks in family-land and gig prep. I’ll be posting lightly. (but I always say that?)
I'm doing okay, I’m thinking deeply and working out the next year, I'm both settling into the quiet of this weird little season and also living in a sometimes-deafening tsunami of clarity that is fueling the songwriting, the music recordings and the videos that I've been slowly creating in studios in and around Boston, as I juggle working on shaping the new book, and more.
And while this year has been an absolutely astonishing challenge (oh my Gaads!), I'm in really -bizarrely? - great spirits.
I'm co-shit-snorkeling with a lot of people in my sphere, but I am trying to take care of my own little boat lest it tip. I am enjoying the deep comradeship of others who are going through similar storms and doldrums.
Lots of my friends are dealing with grief, elderly parents, divorce, relationships with people in the jaws of addiction and mental health melts, you name it. We all snorkel in the shit together and need to find laughter every single day. We need to laugh to stay alive.
One other huge contributing factor in my current okayness (besides the obvious balm of coming back down under): I've gotten back into my meditation and yoga practices, bit by bit. I let it slip for too long....it's been putting a ton of breath back in my body.
I've also been spending time with close and trusted friends and they're such a balm for my soul, so are these little shows….so is Ash.
Grooving on an inner plane, as Robyn Hitchcock says. The patrons here are keeping my heart and my bank account afloat.
All I can hope to do is repay you all by being the best possible artist version of myself.
Thank you all. 🥰
Thank you so much for being here, I know you all can imagine how much it means right now.
I’m gonna leave you with some of the most inspiring selections from a book that is really blowing my mind and stitching my soul…and inspiring me to write write write every day.
Four different people over the last few years gifted me this poetic breath-shot of a book, “Bluets” by Maggie Nelson. It took my friend Lacy (her belly swelling with her first child) pressing the book into my hands with a concerned and grave look a few months ago to get me to actually crack it open. I decided to bring it for flight reading.
And here I sit, in an airplane middle seat with a blue seat-cover, my child at my side reading a graphic novel, hurtling towards New Zealand….understanding.
Aie. Air. Poems, books, music, wordless art….there is a reason that my friends are my friends. The real friends. The blue friends. Together, poem by poem, painting by painting, and album by album, from poems by Goethe to lyrics by Lily Allen, we thread together some sort of sense of this broken and joyful world through the art that dares us to think and feel beyond the veil.
( Thank you Lacy. I love you so much.
And I can’t wait to swaddle your baby in blue.)
💙
Meanwhile, my god….this is some of the richest and most inspirational writing I’ve slammed into in years. ……..
.....
My GOD I WANT TO STAND UP AND APPLAUD.
TOP HOUSEKEEPING/EVENTS….
AUSTRALIA AND AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND...WE HAVE UPDATES!!
Waiheke and Sydney shows both have updated venue info that’s been/being emailed to all ticket-holders! Melbourne venue hasn’t changed or shifted.
This has been a wildest ride…I cannot wait to see you all in the flesh.
Show art: Niki McQueen
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JUST ANNOUNCED..... Patreon is finally allowing GIFTING OF MEMBERSHIP!!!
This is something I've been asking Patreon about basically since the beginning, ten years ago. And now it is FINALLY HERE!
If you are a paying patron and want to GIFT SOMEBODY PATRONAGE.... here's a post with instructions on how to do it! There are three options: gifting to a specific person, gifting patronage to an EXISTING patron (to either upgrade their tier, or have their existing tier paid for), or finally to gift a membership to a stranger.
All the details are in the above post.
And if you are currently a FREE (non-paying) member of the Patreon and want to REQUEST a membership from one of our benefactor Santas, there's a post for you HERE with instructions to register your interest! We'll be sorting out these gifted memberships by hand, so give us a second to make sure everything's working out okay :)
WE ALREADY HAVE OVER 120 REQUESTS FOR MEMBERSHIP!!!, GO CHANGE SOMEONE'S HOLIDAY BY SENDING US SOME GIFT LINKS!!!
WHeeeeee......
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And your final bit of housekeeping up top: THE AFP AND DOLLS MERCH SALES ARE STILL ON.....in case you missed it, we're running huge sales on both the AFP and Dolls stores in time for the holidays.
We're clearing out TONSSSSS of old stuff at some low low prices, to make way for new things coming up.
Here's the link for the AFP sale: https://shop.amandapalmer.net/collections/2025-holiday-collection
And here for the Dolls sale: https://dresdendolls.com/collections/holiday-collection
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PATREON CATCH-UP (what's been happening here this month...)
In case you missed it, just after last month's Althing we released the film of the concert and Q&A I did back in August in Bearsville.
This was a gorgeously intimate show just with friends, family, and a tiny number of patrons. I played some songs, and took some questions, and we shot it all.
You can find the film within the Patreon post here - this isn't going out on YouTube or Vimeo or anywhere else. Just here on Patreon.
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We also had our latest PATRON AMPERSANDER BOOK CLUB meeting this month. It was an epic 3 hours catch up about our book picks, plus other books we're reading, and dove deep into parasocial relationships, honesty and integrity in memoir and art, difficult family estrangements, grief rituals (and the lack of them), cancel culture, sexism in book reviews, and more and more and more.
HERE'S THE LINK for all patrons to catch up on the book club chat.
And here's a post where I dive a little deeper into the plethora of books I've been reading lately...and for our next Ampersander Book Club, we have picked out TWO books (collectively, on the last chat!):
"SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE" by KURT VONNEGUT (our fiction...and an old, pithy FAVE) & "ON TYRANNY" by TIMOTHY SNYDER (our non-fiction).
The discussion webcast will be at the END OF JANUARAY, and open to ALL PATRONS! I'll poll for the best time, hold the phone, and start READING!!
Also head to the AMPERSANDER BOOK CLUB CHAT in the app for companionship from fellow readers.
That chat, and MANY others, are fun to join..go check it out:
......
And also in webcast-land this month... the latest $15 webcast happened a week or so ago.
It's a 2 hour talk through holiday season, I was IN THE KITCHEN prepping dinner... and then sat down, answered some questions, played a little bit of piano.
The archive is HERE, available for all $15 patrons to watch, or you can bump up your tier to access it!
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And finally this month, in the department of 'WHERE ARE YOUR PATRON DOLLARS GOING'......
I've been hunkering down in the recording studio.
It'll come into your ears when it's finished being breaded.
I did a little tour of the studio here for all paid patrons, and we've also been filming a secret music video project... hopefuly that'll be reaching you very soon.
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LIVE SHOW CATCH-UP FOR THE MONTH....
At the end of last month I hit up Niagara Coffee Haus in MA, and these photos just came in from Melissa Smith...
And a few from Lisa Dragini...
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I also had my show with AMIE MCNEE at the Brattle Theater.
(photo by Lisa Dragini)
We filmed the show for patrons, so look out for that coming your way in the next month or so….
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UPCOMING PATRON RELEASES, SHOWS AND EVENTS
To gather it up in one place: we have a few projects coming for you in the next couple of weeks:
The music video I've been recording here in the music studio....
The recording of my talk with Amie McNee....
The holiday show from The Magic Room....
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COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD (notices from the global community and my friends in art and life):
This is the space to share announcements or fundraisers with the community - if you have something you'd like to plug, or promote, send us an email at patronhelp@amandapalmer.net!
First up this month: I posted about these amazing folks last month, but it seems important enough to share again.
CHOSEN FAMILY LAW CENTER
CFLC is a trans-led nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income trans folks, queer parents, and non-nuclear families in New York – and they are leaders in legislative drafting at a city and state level nationwide to protect democracy, LGBTQIA+ rights, and diverse families.
CFLC’s Know Your Rights public education brings grounding legal information to queer people and is some of the most cited nationwide. CFLC is part of the team that passed the Protect Trans Futures bills in NYC this year, and they’ve previously passed laws in the Bay Area, CA and Boston area, MA. Their Executive Director Diana Adams is the Policy Co-Chair for the NYC Trans and Queer Provider Advocacy Coalition, and they’ll be working with Mamdani’s new Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs and NYC Council to pass laws that protect our LGBTQIA+ community.
Please join the fight for justice and make a tax-deductible donation today! Donate here!
They're currently $35k away from their year-end targate of $100k.
Other ways to get involved:
- Sign up for their newsletter here!
- Give them a follow on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, LinkedIn!
- Invite Diana or Andy into your workplace for a paid talk!
DONATE NOW:
https://chosenfamilylawcenter.org/donate
.……♥️……
Another member of the community (Caroline) reached out to me to promote a fundraiser she's doing to raise money for a scholarship program for boarding school fees in Malawi:
Following the incredible success of our 2025-2026 fundraiser, I, Professor Caroline Kautsire, am thrilled to launch the next chapter of The Caroline Kautsire Scholarship Program for the 2026-2027 academic year. This initiative, born from a deep commitment to education and opportunity, aims to transform the lives of deserving secondary school students in Malawi by providing them with the resources to pursue their dreams.
The objective of this program is simple yet profound: to raise funds to cover boarding fees and essential upkeep for talented, hardworking students who face financial barriers to education. These students will be carefully selected by dedicated bursary committees at their respective schools, ensuring that the scholarships reach those who demonstrate academic promise, determination, and a passion for learning. By alleviating the financial burden of boarding and living expenses, we aim to empower these young scholars to focus on their studies and unlock their full potential.
DONATE HERE NOW:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-malawis-youth-donate-to-scholarship-program
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ART BEGETTING ART (art from the community, inspired by my/the dolls work)
This incredible tattoo work was shared by Rebecca in the patron chats:
.
Wow….yes. Yes it is.
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I also wanted to share this collage Niki McQueen made, of the incredible artwork she's created for me and for the Dolls this year... just because.
She's been killing it every time - and has more of her own work for sale via her website HERE, in case you're after a last-minute holiday gift!
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That’s it for now.
Love on.
Read on.
So much holiday-time love to you all.
Hang in there.
xxx
AFP
------THE STUFF I SAY AT THE END OF THE POST---------
Some of this is a little outdated. I need to do some work on it. But:
1. If you are a patron and new to my work, don’t forget your patronage allows you access to ALL of my patreon releases to date. HERE is the link to download my latest big solo record, “There Will Be No Intermission”, and HERE is a link to download the PDF of the art/essay book that goes with it.
2. If you’re a patron reading this post via an email notification, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol. that's always nice for me to see, so i know who's reading.
3. You can see All the Things I’ve made so far on patreon…though this page badly needs updating.
http://amandapalmer.net/things
4. FIND EACH OTHER! JOIN THE SHADOWBOX COMMUNITY FORUM, find your people, and discuss everything: https://forum.theshadowbox.net/
...AND USE THE CHAT IN THE MOBILE APP AND DESKTOP TO FIND PATRONS AT ALL HOURS!!! BE. IN. COMMUNITY!!! Answer strangers. They won't bite. We're all nice here.
5. New to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff (at least up until a few years ago, this also desperately needs updating) on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/
6. General AFP/patreon-related questions? See a troll or something weird? Broken link? Bad typo? Ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net & management@amandapalmer.net
Comments
Len Tower Jr.
I bring two, so I have a choice.
Niki McQueen
I am so deeply grateful for our arts colliding, for you, for your friendship and your patronage. Thank you, Amanda, I love you. I wish you beauty and comfort in this complicated time xxx
Coila
I dreamed about you again. We were hanging out and then went to a Mormon church for... Some kind of not Mormon communing. You and I did, IRL, celebrate the start of Hanukkah on the same night so maybe that's why I dream these things. Thank you for the update! Things feel lovely and hopeful and hard and hopeless all at the same time, rn. I wish you and the community here all the best! ❤️
Len Tower Jr.
Book Club is online for all Patrons. Amanda will post the Crowdcast link later in January. Usually archived for later viewing.
Katherine May Williams
Booooooks! 😍(And yesssss 'Liars' by Sarah Manguso! I highlighted the shit out of that one. I hope you get round to it. I'd love to know your thoughts.) PS - Ah 'Bluets'. Love love love Maggie Nelson. I secondthirdfourth the recommendation of 'The Argonauts'.)📚
Wendy S. Katz
oh, those snippets about knowing what love is...I long to have a deep conversation about that.
Suzanne Mercury
Love you Amanda! And omg Maggie Nelson is outstanding-- check out her book The Argonauts sometime! Thinking of you!
tess
Love you so much! The Norwood show was amazing as always, and I hope being in NZ is good for your soul (and the kiddo’s)
Aryadna
Is the book club online or in person? Is it joinable?
Avital
It has been a year that feels like an orchestrated performance in many waves. I couldn’t always pick out the mood of the music playing but I almost always could when I was with this community! Seasons greetings yall
Marie
That tattoo 😵❤️
