Poetry Fishbowl Open!: ysabetwordsmith

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

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "chocolate and other foods." 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.

Watch for the linkbacks perk to go live. Click to read "Beggars' Night" (Monster House) or notify

minor_architect of linkbacks to reveal more verses.

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 "chocolate and other foods." 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 new feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated. At $150 you get a free series poem; at $200 you get an extra fishbowl featuring a poetic series.

$211 raised, first goal MET, second goal MET

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. The Twitter hashtag is #poetryfishbowl. 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.

minor_architect has volunteered to post the verses this month, so you'll need to notify her of your linkbacks in a comment to her post, in order for them to count. "Beggars' Night" belongs to the Monster House series and has 22 verses.

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 $150+ by Friday evening then I'll post an extra series poem after the Poetry Fishbowl. Everyone will get to vote which series gets a new poem. (If it's one that already has unpublished poetry, you'll get to pick from that.  Otherwise, I'll write something new, and December donors will get to offer me prompts.) If donations reach $200, the perk upgrades so that you get a whole extra fishbowl for a poetic series, including a free poem. Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it's likely to be a half-day rather than a whole day.

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 "chocolate and other foods."  I'll be soliciting ideas for people who work with food, fans of chocolate, cooking equipment, objects associated with chocolate, interesting food mishaps, the effects of chocolate, exciting discoveries in chocolate, kitchens, restaurants, places where chocolate is produced, the connotations of food, occasions associated with chocolate, 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 first edition of Lewis Turco's The Book of Forms 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, an extra series poem if donations reach $150+, and a series fishbowl if donations reach $200. Linkbacks reveal verses of "Beggars' Night.") The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

my_partner_doug

December 6 2011, 18:42:26 UTC 9 years ago

New comment

The progression of what one perceives as "good chocolate" as life goes on: starting with Hershey's, moving on to Trinidads, learning about Godiva, discovering Reubens...

Hershey's has given us "Kisses" and "Hugs"; what other displays of affection might be manifested in chocolate? What would they be called, and how would they be constructed?

Chocolate as a reason for Earth not being destroyed by Galactic Civilization.

Chocolate vs the GalFed

siege

December 6 2011, 19:39:29 UTC 9 years ago

Theobromine is a major poison for most non-humans, but that's the chemical in chocolate which stimulates our sense of lovingness. Plus the caffeine (which stimulates adrenaline release) boosts our "arousal" state of faster heartbeat, greater awareness and sensitivity to stimulus, and stronger emotional reactions (vital when in danger, but also associated with intense emotions of all kinds, including close intimacy and sexual desire). Dogs love chocolate, but they can't handle even the light stuff; rather like a small pin dipped in nicotine can be deadly to humans, whereas taking it in through smoke or patches is acceptable. Bromine on its own can induce paralysis in neural cells (which is why brominated drinks are often suggested for easing stomach ills).

Chocolate as a soldier's friend, perhaps? Certainly American and NATO soldiers who wish to make friends with the locals while on tour will carry ration bars or chocolate; but how would an alien biology react to this substance?

We would tell our astronauts and explorers not to eat something until it has been confirmed safe, though that might put them in a tough cultural spot if aliens expect their gifts to be enjoyed immediately. Would they eat it or save it for later? And what of alien enemies? The phrase "bait traps" comes to mind.

On the gripping hand, if aliens wanted chocolate, they could potentially claim acreage and grow it themselves. Why let us do that for them? There's an element of mutual benefit that would need to happen, I think. I would hope that's not "slavery", however.

But on the "love and roses" end of things, what if the existence of chocolate was what got Earth introduced or accepted into the Galactic Federation, and all the things we already do well (aside from killing each other out of greed) become a mutual benefit when better technologies are offered in trade?

Re: Chocolate vs the GalFed

janetmiles

December 6 2011, 21:58:06 UTC 9 years ago

One of the subplots in the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon game is that the Earth is not destroyed because of the existence of chocolate.

ysabetwordsmith

December 6 2011, 23:22:29 UTC 9 years ago

From various prompts about the captivating effects of chocolate, I got the free-verse poem "This Bittersweet Weed." Aliens arrive on Earth and fall in love with chocolate. Then they start noticing its intoxicating effects, and break into arguments over what to do about that. Earth's future winds up resting in, shall we say, some rather unexpected hands.

74 lines, Buy It Now = $37

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