Hi there.
I’m Allison Arth, and here are a few things I do.
I make roleplaying games.
I create writing-forward tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs), including the Western Cantos poetry RPG cycle, featuring the acclaimed solo RPG Gentleman Bandit, walks players through the process of writing different types of poems, which then become artifacts of play. These games guide players in telling both solo and collaborative stories, and help them explore the intersections of creativity and control — and flex their writing muscles — in a low-stakes setting, whether on their own, or around a table with friends.
I chat about creativity.
My podcast, Little Oracles, considers creative theory and thought, and creative practice and process in a variety of formats, from chats with working, cross-disciplinary creators, to thinkpiece-style audio-essays, to reflections on what I’ve been reading. (Because I write, I read a lot.) I also program the Asynchronous Book Club — or ABC for short — so if you wanna read some books that align with monthly reading themes, check out @littleoracles on Instagram.
Before the podcast, Little Oracles saw two incarnations: a personal poetry project designed to excavate and revive mundane words, followed by a multimedia digital installation that combined 17 of those original lexical fractals with my own Polaroid photography and correlating miniature soundscapes.
I write.
I love cats, and though my two sweet boys have passed, their photos have ong been a source of inspiration for a series of work-in-progress poems (which aren’t about cats, mostly) that I chronicle on Instagram.
I also love food, and I kept a food blog called Tiny House Supper Club, creating and cataloging recipes, and writing essays about food-adjacent things, like cake plates and estate sales.
Current projects include a cycle of microfiction inspired by Catholic symbology, rites, and practices (e.g., reliquaries and indulgences); a long-form poetry piece about embodiment, object permanence, and grief; and textural, tablesetting writing for my upcoming game projects, all set in the American West of the late-19th Century — or thereabouts.
@arthograph
additional details about moi | I’m a career creative director and content creator, and I’ve collaborated and strategized with all manner of orgs, from nonprofits, to big brands, to small startups. I really love helping folks tell the world who they are.
Open to freelance project proposals and/or your top 5 Golden Girls eps. DM me.