In the Time of Orange

Jane P. Perry

“In The Time of Orange” began as an exercise in allowing the fluidity of watercolor medium to express itself without compositional intent. When I finished I did not know what to make of this startlingly image. That was in 2010. We in the Northwest have now had four years of dire fire weather (no longer called ‘fire season’ because the danger is year-round), where climate chaos sends us into evacuation preparations each time the winds come up. On September 9, 2020, in the midst of our global pandemic, the San Francisco Bay Area woke into a dark orange light that hung through wildfire particulates. Most felt the day apocalyptically. “In The Time of Orange” was a presciently channeled message.

Jane, she/her, is a member of 1000 Grandmothers For Future Generations, writing and creating art on our critical relationship with nature in The Gloucester Times, Paper Dragon, Dove Tales, and Still Point Arts Quarterly. She released her cross-genre book White Snake Diary: Exploring Self-Inscribers (Atmosphere Press) in 2020, with diary-related pieces in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern and The Oaklandside. Jane's sound poem “Echo Bridge” is one of The Missouri Review’s 2021 poetry finalists. She is a guest on Chochenyo-speaking, unceded Huchiun Territory (Oakland). 100% of the return on White Snake Diary goes to Lisjan Ohlone sovereignty through Sogorea Te Land Trust.