This poem is spillover from the July 4, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from kengr, antisocialite_forum, curiosity, redsixwing, alatefeline, sweet_sparrow, technoshaman, mdlbear, chanter_greenie, and callibr8. It has been sponsored by ng_moonmoth, across_space_and_time, technoshaman, and alatefeline. This poem belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics. It directly follows "We Are All Related," so read that first or this will make no sense.

WARNING: This poem contains some intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. You-all wanted to see the gaybashers who attacked Kenzie curbstomped by the Iron Horses, so here it is. Watch out for conspiracy to commit assault, religious issues, conflicting obligations, bloody souvenirs, desire for vengeance, magical/spiritual stalking of culpable parties, Thunderbird is fucking scary and so is his follower, rude language, using superpowers against ordinary opponents, gaybashers stalking around a gay bar, oblique references to pony play, references to poaching and hazardous equipment, graphic violence, vigilante justice, use of barbed wire as a rumble weapon, probable permanent injury, brutal application of inconvenient truth, temporary hearing impairment, explanation of internalized oppression and repression of identity, complicated transgender issues, and other mayhem. This is a major plot development, so skipping it would leave a big gap, but the main thing you need to know is simply that the Iron Horses hunt down the gaybashers and beat the shit out of them. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fantasy, fishbowl, gender studies, poem, poetry, reading, spirituality, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

This poem is spillover from the July 4, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "nonphysical passions" square in my 5-29-17 card for the Pride Bingo fest.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, gender studies, poem, poetry, reading, spirituality, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Keep an eye on this post, as I'm still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "gender, orientation, and identity."  I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

Click to read the linkback poem "The Emulsification of Humankind" (14 verses, Torn World).


What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?

Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.

In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "gender, orientation, and identity." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.


Cyberfunded Creativity

I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:

1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.

2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.



3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).

0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.

4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here.  See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"

5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your LiveJournal, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network.  Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall.  Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl.  If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published.  If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.

Linkback perk: I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of the poem.  One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Dreamwidth or Twitter, rather than all on LiveJournal.  Comment with a link to where you posted.  "The Emulsification of Humankind" has 14 verses and belongs to Torn World.


Additional Notes

1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."

2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the LJ message function.  (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.)  These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.

3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity.  While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category.  Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those.  I've also posted a list of other donor perks there.  I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.

4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.

5) If donations total $100 by Friday evening then you get a free $15 poem; $150 gets you a free $20 poem; and $200 gets you a free epic, posted after the Poetry Fishbowl.  These will usually be series poems if I have them; otherwise I may offer non-series poems or series poems in a different size.  If donations reach $250, you get one step toward a bonus fishbowl; three of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be three months in a row.  Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it may be a half-day rather than a whole day.  If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale.


Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "gender, orientation, and identity." I'll be soliciting ideas for QUILTBAG folks, queer allies, homophobes and other identity bigots, boomerang bigots, gender scholars, the oppressed, the misunderstood, ordinary people, outcasts, abuse survivors, the women that men don't see, questioning, debating labels, losing everything, looking in the window, taking people for granted, surviving oppression, hiding in the closet, coming out, upstanding, speaking truth to power, punching up, protesting, telling your own story, bedrooms, classrooms, counseling offices, churches, government buildings, libraries, cities, alleys, bars, parades, liminal zones, self-discovery, self-awareness, QUILTBAG pride, pride flags, other symbols of identity, birth control, reproductive freedom, sex toys, assumed male gaze, same-sex marriage, alien sex/gender dynamics, unpaid labor, self-sacrifice, emotional labor, disruptions, subversive education, humility, humiliation, social evolution, appreciation, identity literature, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.

I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "The Emulsification of Humankind."  The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Tags: #poetryfishbowl, #promptcall, activism, cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, gender studies, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: creative

This poem came out of the May 2, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from my_partner_doug. It also fills the "Fade Into You" square in my 2-1-17 (Love Songs) card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This was the linkback perk poem for the June 6, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl, originally hosted by DW user Dialecticdreamer.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, history, poem, poetry, reading, science, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

Middle East meets Hispanic in this epic dessert.  This?  This is why we need multiculturalism.  *DROOL, SLOBBER* 

Tags: ethnic studies, food, recipe
Current Mood: impressed

This poem is spillover from the June 6, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from chanter_greenie. It also fills the "random act of kindness" square in my 5-1-16 card for the Solo Celebration Bingo fest. This is the second freebie for new prompters.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

Enjoy "Stairway to Heaven" played on traditional Japanese instruments.  The effect is ethereal and beautiful.  :D  This is why we need multiculturalism and diversity.  Fusions can be so awesome.

Tags: ethnic studies, music, networking, video
Current Mood: busy

This poem came out of the June 6, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from librarygeek and Shirley Barrette. It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. This poem belongs to the series Polychrome Heroic.

Warning: This poem features an alternate-dimension version of a public figure, so if Real Person Fanfic squicks you, this may not be your thing. Also it doesn't directly mock an unpopular person, so if you're looking for rude political humor, that's in other poems.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fantasy, fishbowl, gender studies, history, poem, poetry, politics, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I'm still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "Poke ALL the bigots in the eye."  I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

Click to read the linkback poem "We Will Fade into You" (11 verses, standalone).


What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?

Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.

In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "Poke ALL the bigots in the eye." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.


Cyberfunded Creativity

I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:

1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.

2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.



3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).

0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.

4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here.  See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"

5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your LiveJournal, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network.  Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall.  Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl.  If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published.  If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.

Linkback perk: I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of the poem.  One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Dreamwidth or Twitter, rather than all on LiveJournal.  Comment with a link to where you posted.  "We Will Fade into You" has 11 verses and is a standalone.


Additional Notes

1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."

2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the LJ message function.  (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.)  These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.

3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity.  While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category.  Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those.  I've also posted a list of other donor perks there.  I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.

4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.

5) If donations total $100 by Friday evening then you get a free $15 poem; $150 gets you a free $20 poem; and $200 gets you a free epic, posted after the Poetry Fishbowl.  These will usually be series poems if I have them; otherwise I may offer non-series poems or series poems in a different size.  If donations reach $250, you get one step toward a bonus fishbowl; three of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be three months in a row.  Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it may be a half-day rather than a whole day.  If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale.


Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "Poke ALL the bigots in the eye." I'll be soliciting ideas for bigots, victims, upstanders, ordinary people, the women that men don't see, QUILTBAG folks, people of color, the misunderstood, outcasts, nemeses, bullies, abusers, oppressors, slavers, psycho bosses, troubled relationships, supervillains, superheroes, activists, poking a bigot in the eye, fleeing in terror, picking on people, resisting oppression, speaking truth to power, upsetting applecarts, facing your demons, feeding the right wolf, punching up, protesting, lunch counters, bars, reservations, slums, schools, playgrounds, counseling offices, government buildings, the Oval Office, dark alleys, oceans, liminal zones, mad science labs, The Tower, battlegrounds, graveyards, other places of power, internalized oppression, bigotry, racism, other isms that should be wasms, manifestos, identity literature, picket signs, disruptions, unusual vulnerabilities, minority languages, history written by the losers, radical transformation, the unspeakable, the inescapable, the indestructible, the nature of humanity (or lack thereof), hubris, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.

I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "We Will Fade into You."  The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Tags: #poetryfishbowl, #promptcall, activism, cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, gender studies, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: creative

Dimwit Thief has a new proposal for robbing brown people.

Tags: economics, ethnic studies, news, politics
Current Mood: angry

This poem came out of the May 2, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from ng_moonmoth, siliconshaman, technoshaman, librarygeek. It also fills the "injury" square in my 4-3-17 card for the origfic_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: activism, cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

This poem came out of the May 2, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dreamwriteremmy. It also fills the "baby" square in my 4-3-17 card for the origfic_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by kengr. It belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains some touchy stuff. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features an unsupportive social worker, language discrimination, a prickly soul, vulgar talk, and other angst. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, family skills, fantasy, fishbowl, linguistics, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

This poem is spillover from the April 4, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from chanter_greenie and callibr8. It also fills the "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" square in my 2-1-17 Love Songs card for the Valentines Bingo fest. It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. This poem belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains some intense topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features living in a warzone, references to war-related violence, imperialistic history, acts of genocide, Palestine and Israel are bottom-ten countries for valid reasons, fleeing in terror, survivor guilt, scrounging for survival, recruitment into a supervillain organization, and other angst. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer has posted the story "Catastrophe and Confusion."  It belongs to her original series Voices of the Engines and features some fascinating gender and ethnic dynamics.

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fantasy, fiction, gender studies, history, networking, reading
Current Mood: busy

This poem is spillover from the May 2, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Anthony Barrette.

Warning for extremely racist history.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, history, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

This poem is spillover from the May 2, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Anthony Barrette.

WARNING: This poem contains graphic descriptions of violent history and current malfeasance that many readers may find disturbing. It includes references to the Holocaust, Nazism and its sympathizers, trench warfare, rotting flesh, lying about historic facts, and other mayhem. Please consider your tastes and headspace before deciding whether this is something you want to read.

( Read more...Collapse )

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, history, horror, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

This poem came out of the May 2, 2017 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Anthony Barrette. It also fills the "criminal intent" square in my 4-3-17 card for the origfic_bingo fest. This is the kind of history I grew up reading, and sometimes got kicked out of class for mentioning; so if you like the way I write this stuff, thank my father.


"Battles and Wars"


George Armstrong Custer
was a man who told his own tales,
tall ones, inflating his deeds and his ego.

He had a white wife and a Cheyenne mistress,
who shouted and whispered his history.

He did whatever he wanted,
often with criminal intent.

He lost the battle but won the war.


The Lakota honored the Paha Sapa,
the Black Hills, more than they cared for gold,
and fought to protect their sacred lands.

The Cheyenne, too, followed them
off the empty prison of the reservation
to make their stand at Greasy Grass.

Among them, his Cheyenne woman
was left to speak her truth.

They won the battle but lost the war.

* * *

George Armstrong Custer is most famous for his last, fatal mistakes in the Battle of Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn).  For a native account, see the illustrations by Red Horse.  According to oral tradition, he also had a son by a Cheyenne mistress. You can read more about his shabby reputation here.

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, history, poem, poetry, reading, weblit, writing
Current Mood: busy

Or, how to make the government reconsider a truly stupid idea. 

Tags: activism, ethnic studies, humor, politics
Current Mood: amused

We met my parents in Champaign today.  :D  Stopped to shop for spices, and I got the ones I was looking for.  Doug found a new brand of world spice blends that I looked at for 2 seconds and said, "If I start going through those, I will blow $50 and I've already got a sizable order here."  But I definitely plan to go back and do that in the future.

For supper we went to Olive Garden, which had a sample table with their two flavored lemonades: strawberry-passionfruit and kiwi-melon.  Both were utterly fabulous.  I got the strawberry-passionfruit, Doug got the kiwi-melon, and we shared.  :D Both flavors had a top, middle, and bottom note so I will definitely remember that for future reference in fruity lemonades.  It made a huge difference over just strawberry lemonade.

We watched Step Afrika at the Krannert center, which was also brilliant.  They did amazing things with dance, drums, and body music.  Very exuberant, whole-body motions.  The show told the story of the Great Migration from Africa to the South, and then the South to the North.  \o/

Tags: entertainment, ethnic studies, food, history, music, personal
Current Mood: satisfied

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED!  Thank you all for your support.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "Clay of Life."  I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

Today is the last day of Pesach (Passover). Pesach Sameach to my Jewish fans!  This fishbowl will remain open until after sunset, for anyone who's observing the offline rule during Pesach. (I usually close it during the wee hours of the morning.)


What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?

Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.

In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "Clay of Life." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.


Cyberfunded Creativity

I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:

1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.

2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.



3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).

0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.

4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here.  See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"

5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your LiveJournal, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network.  Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall.  Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl.  If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published.  If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.


Additional Notes

1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."

2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the LJ message function.  (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.)  These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.

3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity.  While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category.  Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those.  I've also posted a list of other donor perks there.  I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.

4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.


Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "Clay of Life." I'll be soliciting ideas for Menachem, Yossele, other Jewish characters, figures from Jewish folklore, outcasts, the misunderstood, fish out of water, abuse survivors, refugees, hermits, others on the fringes of society, wandering, hiding, helping each other, expecting the unexpected, speaking heritage languages, surviving oppression, upstanding, speaking truth to power, punching up, synagogues, Jewish homes, famous Jewish places, cities, classrooms, offices, Pesach / Passover, other Jewish holidays, Jewish customs, self-sacrifice, disruptions, poorskills, humility, humiliation, appreciation, debate, the Torah, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.

I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations.  The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Tags: cyberfunded creativity, ethnic studies, fishbowl, holiday, poetry, reading, spirituality, weblit, writing
Current Mood: creative