busyWalking the Beat draws from diverse literary traditions including women's literature, queer literature, romance, and local color. If you aren't familiar with those genres, you have time to do some exploring before the fishbowl opens. This is my only popular series with a purely contemporary setting, rather than anything speculative, so the diversification is useful.
If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. This fishbowl is open to everyone, and you may share the announcement with anyone interested in the motifs that Walking the Beat incorporates.
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.
I'm going to host a Poetry Fishbowl on my blog on Tuesday, January 21. I'll be soliciting ideas for thematic characters, objects, plots, settings, and poetic forms in particular. Chances are I'll spend about half the day, from early afternoon to evening, alternating between this site and doing stuff offline so my back doesn't weld itself to the chair.
Perks: I will post at least one of the resulting fishbowl poems on the blog for everyone to enjoy, and an extra one if there's at least one new prompter or donor. The rest will be available for audience members to buy, and whatever's left over will get listed on the Serial Poetry page. I'm not running the whole perk stack since this fishbowl is itself a perk, but you still get those two.
If you enjoy my poetry -- or if you just love poetry in general, or want to promote interest in Walking the Beat -- please mark the fishbowl date on your calendar. Drop by and give me some ideas, comment on the posted poetry, encourage people to come look, whatever tickles your fancy. I hope to see you then!
