Zinnia

Zinnia is the zine and music project between writer Nancy Nichols and her son, Chicago guitarist and composer Casey Nielsen. In their live performances, improvised music provides a soundtrack to Nichol’s live readings and each story inspires its own designated composition performed after each reading.

Favorite Basements

 A 2024 prompt in Sun Magazine inspired my mom, Nancy Nichols, to write about basements in her life. Fond memories of family and friends were embedded in many homes she’d enjoyed while growing up. After reading Nancy’s essay, my own imagination also surged, weaving an inspired common thread between basements in Nancys’ past with those of my own. Musically captivated by young Nancy and her friends going down into basements, playing out their boisterous childhood fantasies, I imagined wild uninhibited dancing in dark basements, and a guitar rhythm came to me. Like the spaces we keep beneath our houses, my song Basements is a bit cluttered and off-kilter, full of romping motifs that run into each other. Get Basements at any paid tier on my Patreon page.

Secret Candy Coins and Cash

Secret Candy Coins and Cash, the second zine from Zinnia, is the tender remembrance of author Nancy Nichol’s maternal grandmother Kay. To those who loved, Kay generously made gifts of the candy and money she hid away I her homes. Enjoy Casey Nielsen’s composition “Kay” as you read your copy.