Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Aug. 4th, 2020 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThe Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this space, as I am still writing.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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.
I'll be soliciting ideas for outcasts, rebels, revolutionaries, protesters, neurovariant people, tyrants, saboteurs, supervillains, superheroes, social engineers, failure analysts, intelligent nonhumans, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, inventors, other people who think outside the box, troubleshooting, adapting, editing, rebelling, social engineering, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, reading, writing, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, shocking people, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, workshops, laboratories, classrooms, meeting halls, rebel bases, back rooms, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, alien planets, fantasy worlds, other places that require creativity, scientific discoveries, innovation, just messing around with things, old tools in new applications, logic vs. intuition, civil unrest, sea change, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, confusion, independence, cooperation, values conflict, loyalty, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Ladiesbingo Card 9-2-19
Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20
Five Moments of Intimacy Bingo Card 8-1-20
(Note that this card is designed to cram all the prompts of a row into one fill.)
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is all about neurovariant people.
Arts and Crafts America uses art in creative ways.
A Conflagration of Dragons requires new approaches after the fall of civilizaton.
Frankenstein's Family shows what happens when the scientists teach the villagers.
Hart's Farm features unconventional relationships.
Monster House is pretty much all unconventional.
The Moon Door centers around a chronic pain support group, necessitating many novel solutions.
The Ocracies is about all different types of government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features the God of Drunks and his followers.
Polychrome Heroics has many different organizations and groups, and quite a lot of unconventional problem-solving. In particular, check out the Maldives adopting soups.
Seeing Hearts is all about upsetting expectations.
The Steamsmith engineers a lot of changes.
The Time Towers is about subtle alterations or examinations of history.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" (8 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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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 Dreamwidth, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, 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. "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" has 8 verses and stands alone.
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; four of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be four 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.
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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." See above for details. 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 "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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.
I'll be soliciting ideas for outcasts, rebels, revolutionaries, protesters, neurovariant people, tyrants, saboteurs, supervillains, superheroes, social engineers, failure analysts, intelligent nonhumans, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, inventors, other people who think outside the box, troubleshooting, adapting, editing, rebelling, social engineering, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, reading, writing, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, shocking people, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, workshops, laboratories, classrooms, meeting halls, rebel bases, back rooms, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, alien planets, fantasy worlds, other places that require creativity, scientific discoveries, innovation, just messing around with things, old tools in new applications, logic vs. intuition, civil unrest, sea change, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, confusion, independence, cooperation, values conflict, loyalty, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Ladiesbingo Card 9-2-19
Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20
Five Moments of Intimacy Bingo Card 8-1-20
(Note that this card is designed to cram all the prompts of a row into one fill.)
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is all about neurovariant people.
Arts and Crafts America uses art in creative ways.
A Conflagration of Dragons requires new approaches after the fall of civilizaton.
Frankenstein's Family shows what happens when the scientists teach the villagers.
Hart's Farm features unconventional relationships.
Monster House is pretty much all unconventional.
The Moon Door centers around a chronic pain support group, necessitating many novel solutions.
The Ocracies is about all different types of government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features the God of Drunks and his followers.
Polychrome Heroics has many different organizations and groups, and quite a lot of unconventional problem-solving. In particular, check out the Maldives adopting soups.
Seeing Hearts is all about upsetting expectations.
The Steamsmith engineers a lot of changes.
The Time Towers is about subtle alterations or examinations of history.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" (8 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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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 Dreamwidth, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, 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. "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" has 8 verses and stands alone.
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; four of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be four 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.
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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." See above for details. 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 "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 11:49 pm (UTC)Yeahh... possibly laying mines and caltrops behind us as we go.. Hell, I'd man the stern chasers if I thought there was someplace to go.
Something I learnt the hard way, never run away always run towards. If you're going to escape, best to have a plan and an destination in mind, even if it's only an interim one.
Safe Harbour Landing could be either a good omen, or horribly ironic depending on how it turned out.. but it sounds plausible.
Thoughts
Date: 2020-08-05 12:41 am (UTC)"There's something you don't know."
"What's that?"
"My ship is towing mines!"
>>Something I learnt the hard way, never run away always run towards. If you're going to escape, best to have a plan and an destination in mind, even if it's only an interim one.<<
Except with riptides and falling trees, where safety is sideways.
>>Safe Harbour Landing could be either a good omen, or horribly ironic depending on how it turned out.. but it sounds plausible.<<
True. I like the name though.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-08-05 01:29 am (UTC)One idea would be to pool funds with other affinity groups - queer refugees, socialist organizations, safehouse programs, etc. (Some supporters may be willing to donate.)
Also, if you have some but not all of the money you may be able to strategically purchase /parts/ of the town. As you get more funds, or as other people move away, you could colect more land over time.
>>Perhaps it isn't a whole Bottom Ten country, but it's certainly a creative fix.<<
I know someone who was originally from Haiti. Based on what this person has said and some of this past year's news, I suspect any Terramagne supervillan group could take over by /providing decent jobs/. I'll also suggest social safety programs, medical care, and education. I suspect the bare bones of this would copy well to any bottom ten country that isn't an /active war zone/.
>>I've been getting feeling of late that those of us on margins of society really need a sanctuary, to circle the wagons in, so to speak.<<
There's gotta be a way to do this in your own neighborhood without a fancy hideaway. Most of the folks I know either don't have the money for that, or will hesitate to run bc they'll be leaving people behind.
>>My instincts and general feel for the current of History...<<
I zigzag between 'cautiously optimistic' and '****' in regards to current affairs...
>>If you're going to escape, best to have a plan and an destination in mind, even if it's only an interim one.<<
Also, if anyone does find a hideaway? Expect other people (friendly or not) to come. A defense plan and a surge plan could be helpful.
I've read exactly one prepper book about living in a collapsing society and it is very depressing. Extremely insightful and chock-full of good ideas, but very depressing. (Most prepper books frame it as an action movie...)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-08-05 02:54 am (UTC)If we start small with buying up houses in a single area, we could make an enclave of sorts that's already in the area we live in. One big sized house could provide shelter for 3-5 adults, depending on if said adults have kids, and if we waive the idea of rent in favor of parties chipping into the pool for the next house, we could expand to multiple houses. And grow... like a queer socialist nerd slime mold.
As for surge/defense plans, my friends and I have been playing the Apocalypse Game for years. We workout surge and defense plans as a party game. We're good there.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2020-08-05 03:23 am (UTC)*chuckle* In T-America, the government often buys neighborhoods or developments that go bust. So far I've written Ansel's Island Resort neighborhood in a lot of detail. More recently, I did a poem where the government had given the Black Cherokee a failed resort. And I've got notes on Bluehill doing something similar with a failed development, giving it to black families as restitution for slavery. Investing land capital like that really helps pull people out of poverty, which pulls fuel away from the problem.
>>If we start small with buying up houses in a single area, we could make an enclave of sorts that's already in the area we live in. <<
Look up cohousing. That's one of the ways it can evolve. There are lots of resources on how to make it work.