Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Sep. 7th, 2021 01:11 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 page as I am still writing.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Leadership and Followship." 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 leaders, followers, world figures, dance partners, beat partners, housemates, communards, comares, superheroes, supervillains, mentors, activists, counselors, other people who provide or seek guidance, building trust, establishing loyalty, creating intimacy, making friends, getting to know each other, growing closer, relying on each other, asking for help and getting it, teaching people, making plans, cooking together, discovering things, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, government seats, mentorship organizations, dance halls, sharehouses, schools, clubs, workplaces, laboratories, makerspaces, nonhuman environments, other places where people lead and follow, organizational structures, family dynamics, dominance theory, partnerships, leading/following as an orientation, layered personal boundaries, emotional closeness, first contact, interspecies relationships, trial and error, lab conditions are not field conditions, innovation, loneliness, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Platonic Love Fest Bingo Card 9-1-21
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is about neurovariant people developing their own society.
The Blueshift Troupers travel in a living ship with a solid group structure.
Clay of Life follows Menachem the blacksmith and his friend Yossele the golem.
Daughters of the Apocalypse is largely run by women, and leaders are often quite young, given the pattern of losses.
Feathered Nests has very different social structure between humans and Fifers.
Frankenstein's Family features two scientists running a valley in historic Romania, plus werewolves, vampires, and a mummy for a wide variety of social dynamics.
Hart's Farm is a free love community generally run by elders.
The Moon Door mixes a women's chronic pain group and lycanthropy, which includes pack dynamics.
Not Quite Kansas has demons and angels quite alert to respective ranks.
The Ocracies all use different systems of government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features Shaeth, who keeps attracting more followers than he knows what to do with.
Path of the Paladins has the paladins leading people while following their patron deity.
Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own interpersonal expectations. Relevant threads include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Aquariana, Broken Angels, Cuoio and Chiara, Dr. Infanta, Iron Horses, Officer Pink, Pain's Gray, Rutledge, and Shiv.
Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions. World without Alex = life expectancy of a glass hammer.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "Begin to Understand Ourselves" (8 verses, An Army of One).
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 "Leadership and Followship." 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. "Begin to Understand Ourselves" has 8 verses and belongs to An Army of One.
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. If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale in one series.
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 "Leadership and Followship." 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 "Begin to Understand Ourselves." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
I'll be soliciting ideas for leaders, followers, world figures, dance partners, beat partners, housemates, communards, comares, superheroes, supervillains, mentors, activists, counselors, other people who provide or seek guidance, building trust, establishing loyalty, creating intimacy, making friends, getting to know each other, growing closer, relying on each other, asking for help and getting it, teaching people, making plans, cooking together, discovering things, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, government seats, mentorship organizations, dance halls, sharehouses, schools, clubs, workplaces, laboratories, makerspaces, nonhuman environments, other places where people lead and follow, organizational structures, family dynamics, dominance theory, partnerships, leading/following as an orientation, layered personal boundaries, emotional closeness, first contact, interspecies relationships, trial and error, lab conditions are not field conditions, innovation, loneliness, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Platonic Love Fest Bingo Card 9-1-21
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is about neurovariant people developing their own society.
The Blueshift Troupers travel in a living ship with a solid group structure.
Clay of Life follows Menachem the blacksmith and his friend Yossele the golem.
Daughters of the Apocalypse is largely run by women, and leaders are often quite young, given the pattern of losses.
Feathered Nests has very different social structure between humans and Fifers.
Frankenstein's Family features two scientists running a valley in historic Romania, plus werewolves, vampires, and a mummy for a wide variety of social dynamics.
Hart's Farm is a free love community generally run by elders.
The Moon Door mixes a women's chronic pain group and lycanthropy, which includes pack dynamics.
Not Quite Kansas has demons and angels quite alert to respective ranks.
The Ocracies all use different systems of government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features Shaeth, who keeps attracting more followers than he knows what to do with.
Path of the Paladins has the paladins leading people while following their patron deity.
Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own interpersonal expectations. Relevant threads include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Aquariana, Broken Angels, Cuoio and Chiara, Dr. Infanta, Iron Horses, Officer Pink, Pain's Gray, Rutledge, and Shiv.
Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions. World without Alex = life expectancy of a glass hammer.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "Begin to Understand Ourselves" (8 verses, An Army of One).
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 "Leadership and Followship." 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. "Begin to Understand Ourselves" has 8 verses and belongs to An Army of One.
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. If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale in one series.
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 "Leadership and Followship." 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 "Begin to Understand Ourselves." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
Poem
Date: 2021-09-07 06:39 pm (UTC)Hold for original prompter.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-07 06:45 pm (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2021-09-07 06:55 pm (UTC)Okay ...
>> I know it's been bad for a long time, but it just gets worse. The world is going to hell in a handbasket. <<
Yeah, it's getting a lot worse. The hell of it is, this is the least bad it's going to be in the foreseeable future.
>> I just saw more people in Louisiana, New York and New Jersey without a roof over their head. <<
My sympathies.
>> Where's FEMA? <<
Probably still trying to find its hands, hasn't gotten to either map or ass yet. >_<
One time some FEMA jackass was peddling insurance at the fair, and tried to hustle me to buy some. I laughed at him and mocked him mercilessly. He whined that he only worked for them. I said, "When you choose to work for someone, you will get judged for their actions whether you agree with those or not."
>> I have no idea how people aren't dying in Louisiana from the heat. <<
They probably are. Lethal heat waves are getting more common, and this will only increase. If society doesn't provide cooling as a guaranteed right, and ensure everyone has access to it, they're going to lose a lot more people. The species has it to spare, but the social cohesion probably does not.
>> And that's just one little spot. Katrina happened 16-years-ago. If that doesn't say something about lack of leadership I don't know what does.<<
The one good thing I've heard is that the infrastructure improvements in New Orleans held up much better this time.
Re: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
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From:Re: Thoughts
From:Poem
Date: 2021-09-08 02:55 am (UTC)168 lines, Buy It Now = $84
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-07 07:18 pm (UTC)Leaders don't always choose to be leaders, sometimes the followers choose them. I was thinking, what would happen to the Ebony & Ivories if Boss White was hit by a nasty flu bug? Who would everyone look to for leadership? [hint, Shiv!]
Boosting this to my journal.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-07 09:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:Poem
From:Poem
Date: 2021-09-23 01:13 am (UTC)307 lines, Buy It Now = $307
Double price for research
Also, Dialecticdreamer is working on some stories connected with this, so sponsoring the poem will clear the way for those.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-07 07:35 pm (UTC)How's Cuoio doing with his new team?
Wasn't our food truck friend in Rutlege thinking of opening something more permanent? Certainly with the various antis around there he's gonna be up against *something*...
(I do love it that he's quietly world-famous because of Zipper. And it also means I get recipes... ;) )
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 04:53 pm (UTC)Another thing for Menachem and Yossele, every seven years is the shmittah year, when Jews are to let the land rest as much as possible. THIS year is one, 5782. Did their travels overlap with a shmittah year?
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:Poem
From:Poem
Date: 2021-09-10 04:53 am (UTC)"The Melting Pot"
Ramon Temple encourages Kardal to start a restaurant.
348 lines, Buy It Now = $174
"What You Believe Is Great Work"
Kardal looks at possible restaurant locations and mulls over what to cook.
296 lines, Buy It Now = $148
Poem
Date: 2021-09-12 09:42 am (UTC)72 lines, Buy It Now = $36
Re: Poem
From:Re: Poem
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From:(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-07 10:37 pm (UTC)Big problems are usually solved by a million people putting in whatever help they can, and /not/ by one guy in a suit (spandex or otherwise) punching someone in the nose.
For Daughters of the Apocalypse:
Reversal of the Badass and Child trope - badass is female (and possibly more of a survivalist that a Lone Ranger sort). Possibly child is actually children, but I'd like to avoid the standard of them all being female, adorable infants or adorable female infants.
Leadership in the multispecies groups. (Also, are the Wolf Scouts going to incorporate ravens at some point?)
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 12:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-07 11:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 03:35 am (UTC)Poem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 03:59 am (UTC)Most kids who have a healthy, functional relationship with an adult will tend to go for help when in over their heads. (Related, pets and persons with social difficulties will often go to their 'safe person' for assistance / comfort.)
Seriously, we need more stories where even if the kid, untrained bystander, etc gets stuck being the zeroth responder, they a) can call for backup and b) have a safe place / person to land on for EFA.
Poem
From:Poem
Date: 2021-09-16 04:30 am (UTC)440 lines, Buy It Now = $220
Followers without leaders; leaders without followers
Date: 2021-09-08 12:09 am (UTC)On the flip side, is someone a leader if nobody will follow them? Or are they merely deluded agitators? In a more functional vein, are early adopters leaders, or just folks who get there first? That one also generalizes to explorers.
Now I'm also thinking of the Bear Tunnels. The time travelers didn't set out to be leaders, but the locals are following them because what they are doing works well, and is culturally consistent. And I get the impression they still really aren't comfortable as leaders.
Re: Followers without leaders; leaders without followers
Date: 2021-09-10 11:03 am (UTC)207 lines, Buy It Now = $104
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 12:33 am (UTC)* Temporary illness or disability
* Long-term or permanent illness or disability
* Not the subject matter expert in the moment
* Someone of higher rank shows up and must be obeyed
-- Option A -- and is capable
-- Option B -- and is not capable
Leading from a subordinate position. Possible scenarios (or choose one of your own!):
* Senior nurse and new intern / resident
* Senior sergeant and new lieutenant
* Experienced submissive and new dominant
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 05:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:Poem
From:Poem
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From:(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 12:43 am (UTC)Poem
Date: 2021-09-13 08:19 am (UTC)Already sponsored, I sent this one to my parents.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-08 01:11 am (UTC)Poem
Date: 2021-09-13 11:30 am (UTC)85 lines, Buy It Now = $43
Poem
Date: 2021-09-08 02:52 am (UTC)Done for the night!
Date: 2021-09-08 11:40 am (UTC)Poem
Date: 2021-09-12 11:29 am (UTC)453 lines, Buy It Now = $227