Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, February 2

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, February 2, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "Cultural Differences."  I'll be soliciting ideas for fish out of water, anthropologists, time travelers, families, polycules, housemates, roommates, nomads, loners, humans adopted by animals, animals that sometimes adopt humans, alien or fantasy species with exotic cultures, superheroes, supervillains, social engineers, urban planners, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, rebels, wild young things, other people who cross cultures, traveling, moving out, moving in, living together, picking fights, making friends, solving disputes, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, social engineering, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, creating connections, 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, returning home, schools, Triton Teen Centers, libraries, mediation centers, foreign countries, traditional ethnic structures, alternative building styles, sharehouses, boarding houses, multigenerational homes, apartments and complexes, intentional communities, cohousing, caravans, tent cities, homeless shelters, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, living ships or other residences, fantasy worlds, alien planets, fantasy or alien housing styles, other unfamiliar locations, culture gap, culture shock, kinesics and proxemics, future shock, forgeign languages, language shock, emergency language issues, house rules, negotiation, mediation, cooperation, enemies to friends, enemies to lovers, truces in improbable contexts, unexpected bonds, symbiosis, polyamory, sedoretu, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, intentional neighboring, complementary strengths and weaknesses, independence, interdependence, values conflict, moral injury, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.

Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

An Army of One includes mostly neurodiverse and some neurotypical characters.

Beneath the Family Tree is a community of three different hominid species.

The Blueshift Troupers is all about crossing cultures.

A Conflagration of Dragons has the Six Races plus the dragons, which means lots of awkward cultural interactions and a few strong alliances.

Feathered Nests has the alien Fifers whose polyamorous arrangements are spilling over to humans.

Fledgling Grace involves the appearance of wings that can reveal hidden aspects, causing cultural friction.

Frankenstein's Family includes humans, werewolves, vampires, a mummy, and two doctors in all sorts of arrangements.

The Godship Wanderers has a living ship with alien and human residents.

Hart's Farm is a free-love community amidst a more conservative culture.

Monster House has human inhabitants plus a bunch of different monsters.

Not Quite Kansas has humans and demons living together in unexpected ways.

The Ocracies features all different government systems.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animals soups trying to live as best they can.  The cross-cape cultural differences can get dramatic.  Most of the named threads suit this theme.

Schrodinger's Heroes includes characters from many different backgrounds trying to work together.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "A Sense of Weather Changes" (9 verses, standalone).

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week.  (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts.  I am now.)  Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog. 


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, February 2. I'll be soliciting ideas for thematic characters, plots, settings, objects, and poetic forms in particular. Chances are I'll spend a good chunk of the day, from afternoon to evening or more, 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 go into my archive for magazine submission.

If donations total $100 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. 

I want to promote linkbacks pointing people to the "Fishbowl Open" post on Tuesday. I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of "A Sense of Weather Changes" (standalone).  One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Twitter or LiveJournal, rather than all on Dreamwidth.

(See the complete list of current perks.)


If you enjoy my poetry -- or if you just love poetry in general, or want to promote interest in patching up different living styles -- 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!