Ilana Gustafson
Trying to Listen While a Mantid is Dying Under Your Chair
Underneath your chair, the mantid quivers on its side while you tell me about something else you just remembered we lost in the fire. I debate whether to interrupt to tell you the mantid isn't doing too well. Yesterday, you tried to give it water in a small cap hoping it was just a little dehydrated. The quivers slow to stillness while you're describing that copy of The Tin Drum you had for twenty-something years. Annotated. I decide to not tell you. I'll place it in the rosemary bush when you get up to go inside.
Bio
Ilana Gustafson is a Cuban-American writer and theater artist who has written and performed with companies Studio Zanni, ARTEL, City Garage, Rachel Rosenthal Company, and others. She was living in the foothills of Altadena, California when she and her partner lost their home and belongings in the January 2025 Eaton Fire.