The Speculative Literature Foundation is offering a grant for working-class and impoverished writers.
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Poem: "The Responsibility That Comes"
Jan. 15th, 2015 03:28 pmThis poem is from the January 6, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from ![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stardreamer and siliconshaman. It also fills the "accepting responsibility" square in my 12-30-14 card for the Rites of Passage fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics, and is a direct sequel to "In Dublin's Fair City."
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stardreamer and siliconshaman. It also fills the "accepting responsibility" square in my 12-30-14 card for the Rites of Passage fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics, and is a direct sequel to "In Dublin's Fair City."( Read more... )
bookblather is playing Poke a Bigot in the Eye in honor of this douchenozzle minister. Give a gay or lesbian pairing, get ficlet.
In your own space, talk about what you bring to fandom. It can be something tangible, or not. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
I'm a writer. I write original and fannish things. I also make whole new worlds. Some of those, like Schrodinger's Heroes, are explicitly intended for other people to play in.
I'm an editor. I give feedback on friends' work. I enjoy helping folks improve their writing.
I'm a reviewer. I recommend cool things so more people can appreciate them.
I'm a scholar. This helps me spot patterns, some of which are very useful, like describing the developmental arc of identity literature. Also it's gotten me into putting reference links after my writing, so if I bring up a difficult topic, you're not left holding the bag, there are resources for dealing with it.
I'm an activist. I use literature to show people what is possible. Pretty much anything that is an idea or practice rather than an object or power can feasibly be transported from one universe to another. So I look for things that can make the world a better place and bring them here. Other times I point out the flaws in what people are doing here. I fill in gaps where some people are not represented, or are portrayed negatively.
I am a bard by talent, vocation, and profession. This is what I am; this is what I do.
I'm a writer. I write original and fannish things. I also make whole new worlds. Some of those, like Schrodinger's Heroes, are explicitly intended for other people to play in.
I'm an editor. I give feedback on friends' work. I enjoy helping folks improve their writing.
I'm a reviewer. I recommend cool things so more people can appreciate them.
I'm a scholar. This helps me spot patterns, some of which are very useful, like describing the developmental arc of identity literature. Also it's gotten me into putting reference links after my writing, so if I bring up a difficult topic, you're not left holding the bag, there are resources for dealing with it.
I'm an activist. I use literature to show people what is possible. Pretty much anything that is an idea or practice rather than an object or power can feasibly be transported from one universe to another. So I look for things that can make the world a better place and bring them here. Other times I point out the flaws in what people are doing here. I fill in gaps where some people are not represented, or are portrayed negatively.
I am a bard by talent, vocation, and profession. This is what I am; this is what I do.
Community Supported Agriculture
Jan. 11th, 2015 10:48 pmCommunity Supported Agriculture is a way of eating local, independently produced food -- mainly vegetables but some CSAs also offer fruit, herbs, even animal products such as dairy, meat, honey, or wool. Usually the signup season is winter or early spring, so now is the time to look if you are interested; here's one example of a price list based on time and share size. Consider the pros and cons, and how to choose a CSA. Search for a CSA in your area.
Unreasonable Goals
Dec. 29th, 2014 05:30 pmI found this post about "Unreasonable Goals" regarding autistic people.
None of these are goals. They are demands. Goals are something you set for yourself to achive a desired result; demands are placed on you by an outside agent, usually more powerful than yourself. A real goal for an autistic child might be "Make one good friend whose company I enjoy" or "Build an organizer for my collection." These would improve personal experience (having fun, getting to put things in order) while also improving interpersonal results (building a relationship, preventing other people from stepping on or fighting over toys).
It also got me thinking that it would be interesting to create a demonstration of what it would be like for neurotypical people to live in a neurovariant culture. To be told that every single thing you do or are is wrong, that you have to do everything differently -- and with a smile, because complaining is bad and asking for changes is selfish. Take all the things that neurotypical people want neurovariant people to stop doing, or do differently, and make neurotypical people do it all the neurovariant way. Stop staring! Do you want people to think you're a pervert? Stop switching topics! Can't you keep your attention on topic for one hour? Just ONE? Respect people's bodies! Would it kill you to stop grabbing people all the time? I think that would help them understand why autistic people have a reputation for "rages."
None of these are goals. They are demands. Goals are something you set for yourself to achive a desired result; demands are placed on you by an outside agent, usually more powerful than yourself. A real goal for an autistic child might be "Make one good friend whose company I enjoy" or "Build an organizer for my collection." These would improve personal experience (having fun, getting to put things in order) while also improving interpersonal results (building a relationship, preventing other people from stepping on or fighting over toys).
It also got me thinking that it would be interesting to create a demonstration of what it would be like for neurotypical people to live in a neurovariant culture. To be told that every single thing you do or are is wrong, that you have to do everything differently -- and with a smile, because complaining is bad and asking for changes is selfish. Take all the things that neurotypical people want neurovariant people to stop doing, or do differently, and make neurotypical people do it all the neurovariant way. Stop staring! Do you want people to think you're a pervert? Stop switching topics! Can't you keep your attention on topic for one hour? Just ONE? Respect people's bodies! Would it kill you to stop grabbing people all the time? I think that would help them understand why autistic people have a reputation for "rages."
Writers Who Can Remember Freedom
Dec. 27th, 2014 03:34 pmToday I found this speech from Ursula K. LeGuin:
I think hard times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine some real grounds for hope. We will need writers who can remember freedom. Poets, visionaries — the realists of a larger reality. …
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Matching Games with Textures
Dec. 27th, 2014 01:13 amSo I saw this.
From the picture, I thought those were cards with different embroidered textures, meant to be played like a Memory game. Very little like this seems to be available -- the only texture sets I could find were small sets just meant to be touched for comparison, not trying to remember them for playing a game. Well, fuck it, make your own. Glue things like sand, beads, glitter, etc. onto cardstock or embroider over it and then cover the back with another piece. Alternatively you could glue fabric onto cards. Here are some examples. This is a great way to reuse old playing cards if you have those. Fun game for touch-dominant or vision-impaired folks, or anyone who's tired of all the vision-dominant games. Also you could play this in the dark when the power goes out.
From the picture, I thought those were cards with different embroidered textures, meant to be played like a Memory game. Very little like this seems to be available -- the only texture sets I could find were small sets just meant to be touched for comparison, not trying to remember them for playing a game. Well, fuck it, make your own. Glue things like sand, beads, glitter, etc. onto cardstock or embroider over it and then cover the back with another piece. Alternatively you could glue fabric onto cards. Here are some examples. This is a great way to reuse old playing cards if you have those. Fun game for touch-dominant or vision-impaired folks, or anyone who's tired of all the vision-dominant games. Also you could play this in the dark when the power goes out.
Mall of America Protest
Dec. 22nd, 2014 01:38 pmMall of America oppressed protesters recently. My thoughts ...
* Yes, protests can be inconvenient and troublesome, but they are necessary to a healthy society. Protests happen when purely rational methods of conflict resolution have failed. If peaceful protests are suppressed, then violent ones are the next step, and so on down the line until the problem is solved or society comes apart at the seams. And oh, the irony of Mall of America oppressing protesters, when freedom of assembly and petition are among the things that the founding fathers went to war to secure.
* If you are a protester targeting a commercial installation, you get the most bang for your buck from hitting them on a day they can't recover from, such as Black Friday or right before Christmas.
* If you're caught up as a bystander in a situation like this, one safe and legal option is to put down whatever you intended to purchase, and leave. If the establishment is a luxury stop like a mall, refuse to go back. If it's necessary like a grocery store, you can still deny them your willing support by instead supporting petitions and other actions against them. Tell the store why they've lost your business. In this particular case, you might want to spend your money at a black-owned business instead. Since the only thing some people care about is money, hit them where they live by diverting your funds from them to the people you support.
* This moves Mall of America from my list of places it would be fun to visit, to my list of places I actively disrecommend.
* Yes, protests can be inconvenient and troublesome, but they are necessary to a healthy society. Protests happen when purely rational methods of conflict resolution have failed. If peaceful protests are suppressed, then violent ones are the next step, and so on down the line until the problem is solved or society comes apart at the seams. And oh, the irony of Mall of America oppressing protesters, when freedom of assembly and petition are among the things that the founding fathers went to war to secure.
* If you are a protester targeting a commercial installation, you get the most bang for your buck from hitting them on a day they can't recover from, such as Black Friday or right before Christmas.
* If you're caught up as a bystander in a situation like this, one safe and legal option is to put down whatever you intended to purchase, and leave. If the establishment is a luxury stop like a mall, refuse to go back. If it's necessary like a grocery store, you can still deny them your willing support by instead supporting petitions and other actions against them. Tell the store why they've lost your business. In this particular case, you might want to spend your money at a black-owned business instead. Since the only thing some people care about is money, hit them where they live by diverting your funds from them to the people you support.
* This moves Mall of America from my list of places it would be fun to visit, to my list of places I actively disrecommend.
Poem: "Why Cougars Hunt Young Men"
Dec. 17th, 2014 03:45 pmThis poem is spillover from the July 1, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from LJ user Laffingkat. It also fills the "myth / fable" square in my 6-1-14 card for the ![[community profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genprompt_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by stardreamer.
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genprompt_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by stardreamer.( Read more... )
Poem: "Unusual Suspects"
Dec. 16th, 2014 08:17 pmThis poem came out of discussion with dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "usual suspects" square in my 9-29-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. It has been sponsored by stardreamer. This poem belongs to the FORK thread in the Polychrome Heroics series.
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dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "usual suspects" square in my 9-29-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. It has been sponsored by stardreamer. This poem belongs to the FORK thread in the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Poem: "FORK in the Road"
Dec. 16th, 2014 02:50 pmThis poem was written outside the prompt calls, inspired by a discussion with dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "face to face" square on my 9-29-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. It has been sponsored by stardreamer. This poem belongs to the FORK thread of the Polychrome Heroics series, following the events of the story "Keeping Warm" and demifiction "Corporation Sues Man."
WARNING: This poem features bigotry and hateful slurs. If these are sensitive topics for you, please consider your mindstate before deciding whether you want to read further.
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dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "face to face" square on my 9-29-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. It has been sponsored by stardreamer. This poem belongs to the FORK thread of the Polychrome Heroics series, following the events of the story "Keeping Warm" and demifiction "Corporation Sues Man."WARNING: This poem features bigotry and hateful slurs. If these are sensitive topics for you, please consider your mindstate before deciding whether you want to read further.
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Poem: "Bluff and Show"
Dec. 11th, 2014 05:53 pmThis poem is spillover from the December 2, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from alexseanchai and dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "bluffing" square in my 9-29-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Antimatter & Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
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alexseanchai and dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "bluffing" square in my 9-29-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Antimatter & Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.( Read more... )
Speaking =/= Breathing
Dec. 10th, 2014 08:58 pmHere's a terrific breakdown, with technical details, which disproves the fallacy that "If you can speak, you can breathe."
Humans need oxygen to survive. Not enough oxygen, they die. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with oxygen transmission. That's why the FIRST rule of emergency aid is Airway, Breathing, Circulation.
Also it is not okay to kill someone because they are annoying you. Killing is a last resort for when someone is actively trying to kill or maim you or someone else. Once they are no longer an active threat, it is not okay to kill them. It is also not okay to let them die or to prevent other people from rendering medical aid.
Basically, don't act like a B-movie villain.
I have a supervillain, Farce, who has asthma. It does not stop her from being a supervillain, but does complicate her life. Her nemesis is the superhero Damask, and there are some interesting fights that involve Farce's breathing problems. For the introduction, see "Weaving Damask."
Humans need oxygen to survive. Not enough oxygen, they die. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with oxygen transmission. That's why the FIRST rule of emergency aid is Airway, Breathing, Circulation.
Also it is not okay to kill someone because they are annoying you. Killing is a last resort for when someone is actively trying to kill or maim you or someone else. Once they are no longer an active threat, it is not okay to kill them. It is also not okay to let them die or to prevent other people from rendering medical aid.
Basically, don't act like a B-movie villain.
I have a supervillain, Farce, who has asthma. It does not stop her from being a supervillain, but does complicate her life. Her nemesis is the superhero Damask, and there are some interesting fights that involve Farce's breathing problems. For the introduction, see "Weaving Damask."
Torture Report
Dec. 10th, 2014 01:24 amAmerica currently condones torture, as revealed in a recent report. (That link is fairly graphic.) They prefer to call it other things, and to purport that it is acceptable. However, it goes on causing all the problems that torture naturally causes, such as breaking people and inciting hatred of the torturers ... and frequently anyone associated with them, like their entire country. But let's look at a dictionary:
torture
noun [C/U] /ˈtɔr·tʃər/ US
› an injury or severe mental pain:
[C] All drivers suffer the tortures of traffic and bad weather.
› Torture is also the act of injuring someone or making someone suffer in an effort to force that person to do or say what you want to be done or said:
[U] The museum has many examples of instruments of torture.
torture
verb [T] /ˈtɔr·tʃər/ US
› to cause great physical or mental pain to someone:
She was tortured by the memory of their last argument.
Yes, the actions described in the report are torture. Now consider that the people who ordered these heinous acts, and those who performed them, are walking around free. Having done these things, how do you think they view their fellow human beings? Do you think they treat others with dignity and respect? Or are they out there verbally, physically, and sexually abusing more people because they think it is somehow okay to do these things? This doesn't make anyone safer. It makes the world an uglier and more dangerous place. Justified? Let me tell you this:
The end does not justify the means. The means determine the end.
torture
noun [C/U] /ˈtɔr·tʃər/ US
› an injury or severe mental pain:
[C] All drivers suffer the tortures of traffic and bad weather.
› Torture is also the act of injuring someone or making someone suffer in an effort to force that person to do or say what you want to be done or said:
[U] The museum has many examples of instruments of torture.
torture
verb [T] /ˈtɔr·tʃər/ US
› to cause great physical or mental pain to someone:
She was tortured by the memory of their last argument.
Yes, the actions described in the report are torture. Now consider that the people who ordered these heinous acts, and those who performed them, are walking around free. Having done these things, how do you think they view their fellow human beings? Do you think they treat others with dignity and respect? Or are they out there verbally, physically, and sexually abusing more people because they think it is somehow okay to do these things? This doesn't make anyone safer. It makes the world an uglier and more dangerous place. Justified? Let me tell you this:
The end does not justify the means. The means determine the end.
Poem: "The Anything Goes Games"
Dec. 7th, 2014 11:23 pmThis poem is spillover from the December 2, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from ![[livejournal.com profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
ng_moonmoth. It also fills the "Antarctica" prompt in my 6-1-14 card for the Genprompt Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by ng_moonmoth. It belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.
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Watch "Haida Raid 3: Save Our Waters"
Dec. 5th, 2014 07:25 pmThis is a gorgeous piece of activist animation, complete with Haida language and culture, reminding people to protect the waters so that our descendants can live.
Dressing for Safety
Dec. 4th, 2014 11:26 amIn the long ugly debate of blaming the victim for many crimes, clothing often comes into question, and the general agreement is that clothes don't cause crimes, criminals cause crimes.
However, there is one clothing change that is very old, and if you can make it work, then it reduces certain types of crime by quite a lot -- crossdressing. You have to be good enough to PASS or it just makes you more of a target. But if men are looking for a woman to rape, and they think you're a man, they'll ignore you. If they're looking for a man to murder, and they think you're a woman, they'll ignore you.
Right now, being a black man makes you look like murder bait to some people who are considered free to murder anyone they want with little chance of reprisal. So I figured that I would point out this historic solution. It's not ideal, but it might keep people breathing long enough to effect a longer-term solution.
However, there is one clothing change that is very old, and if you can make it work, then it reduces certain types of crime by quite a lot -- crossdressing. You have to be good enough to PASS or it just makes you more of a target. But if men are looking for a woman to rape, and they think you're a man, they'll ignore you. If they're looking for a man to murder, and they think you're a woman, they'll ignore you.
Right now, being a black man makes you look like murder bait to some people who are considered free to murder anyone they want with little chance of reprisal. So I figured that I would point out this historic solution. It's not ideal, but it might keep people breathing long enough to effect a longer-term solution.
