Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Mar. 28th, 2023 05:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, April 4, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "Non-standard Identities." I'll be soliciting ideas for outcasts, fish out of water, goths, psychics, fans, rennies, artists, bohemians, mavericks, oddballs, Pagans, monsters, circus freaks (aka Very Special People), grinders, activists, people in fringe cultures, historic figures, culture heroes, partners, comares, superheroes, supervillains, counselors, other people who involved in fringe cultures, striking out on your own, exploring the fringes of society, challenging the norms, wondering what is "real," upsetting applecarts, taking pride in something that others scorn, studying the QUILTBAG, questioning your gender, exploring your own orientation, creating intimacy, making friends, falling in love (or like), getting to know each other, growing closer, moving in together, formalizing a relationship, fumbling for vocabulary, leaving an abusive or unsupportive family, starting a new family, 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, hermit shacks, art colonies or retreats, psychic fairs, new age or Pagan shops, bohemian boutiques, goth hangouts, speculative fiction conventions, odd bookstores, curiosity shops, "bottle shops" (weird stores that are not there when you go back to look for them again), circuses or carnivals, grindshops, tattoo or body art parlors, Renaissance faires, LARP grounds, SPOON bases, Kraken bases, gay bars, feminist bookstores, sharehouses, counseling clinics, queer studies or art departments in schools, QUILTBAG clubs, quiet rooms, freak-friendly workplaces, nonhuman environments, gardens, other freak hangouts, diversity, Pagan symbols, tie-dye anything, goth fashion, historic garb, under-recognized nations, bohemian or hippie fashion, zetetic materials like dexflan, mystical artifacts, pride flags, other symbols of QUILTBAG identity, magical aspects of sex/romance, how superpowers can complicate sexuality or other identities, family dynamics, alternative family structures, partnerships not based on sex/romance, layered personal boundaries, emotional closeness, first contact, things other species consider queer that humans don't, interspecies relationships, trial and error, lab conditions are not field conditions, innovation, skin hunger, loneliness, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
I have several posts you may find inspiring:
QUILTBAG Characters
Romantic Orientations in My Characters
Sexual Orientations in My Characters
Genders in My Characters
See also:
The Ace-Aro Spectrum
Nonsexual Intimacies
Five Moments of Intimacy
A previous FMI bingo card from a fest on Allbingo
From my March Meta Matters Challenge activities about Outcasts:
Wednesday TV Series (The Addams Family) Overview
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
If your identity has not yet be represented, or only done badly, then by all means prompt for it and I'll do my best to fill the gap.
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
Artists of Destruction is promising if you want something weird and dark.
Arts and Crafts America is ideal for wild bohemian things.
The Blueshift Troupers span a range of personalities, quirks, and sexualities, and sometimes shift gender.
Daughters of the Apocalypse has far more women than men, so lesbianism and bisexuality are considered sensible, but gay men may be seen as selfish. Most of the survivors are odd in some way -- or several ways.
Eloquent Souls has some unusual soulmates.
Frankenstein's Family features two men (one of them trans) in a queerplatonic relationship, vampires, werewolves, Caldarari, and other unusual folks.
Hart's Farm is a free love community with diverse bonding methods and personality quirks.
Monster House includes a wide range of monsters, and a couple of gay teens.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features Shaeth, who might as well have declared himself the God of Misfits.
Path of the Paladins has asexual leads and several characters who stick out for other reasons.
Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own quirks. QUILTBAG characters include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Pain's Gray, and Hefty in the Shiv thread (and Shiv is acespec). I encourage readers to prompt for any of the large casts and complex settings that I have already developed, such as:
* the bohemian folks at Hanson Hall in Omaha, Nebraska
* the Mori no Tami and their allies at Mori no Mura in Humboldt County, California
* the hippies of Emerald Mountain Glen in Vermont
* the rescued sexbots in Thalassia
* the rescued primals now at the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana
* the Withering Heights LARP in Colorado
* the Solace polycule in Atlanta, Georgia
* the cohousing and polycule in Portland, Oregon
* the various polycules from "A Celebration and a Consolation" out east
Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions, and they're a very diverse group in a very conservative area.
The Steamsmith has a genderqueer lead and some other variously odd characters.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "Besa" (9 verses).
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, April 4. 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 "Besa" (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 unusual characters -- 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!
I have several posts you may find inspiring:
QUILTBAG Characters
Romantic Orientations in My Characters
Sexual Orientations in My Characters
Genders in My Characters
See also:
The Ace-Aro Spectrum
Nonsexual Intimacies
Five Moments of Intimacy
A previous FMI bingo card from a fest on Allbingo
From my March Meta Matters Challenge activities about Outcasts:
Wednesday TV Series (The Addams Family) Overview
Meta: "Why I Love Wednesday Addams" Part 1: Introduction
If your identity has not yet be represented, or only done badly, then by all means prompt for it and I'll do my best to fill the gap.
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
Artists of Destruction is promising if you want something weird and dark.
Arts and Crafts America is ideal for wild bohemian things.
The Blueshift Troupers span a range of personalities, quirks, and sexualities, and sometimes shift gender.
Daughters of the Apocalypse has far more women than men, so lesbianism and bisexuality are considered sensible, but gay men may be seen as selfish. Most of the survivors are odd in some way -- or several ways.
Eloquent Souls has some unusual soulmates.
Frankenstein's Family features two men (one of them trans) in a queerplatonic relationship, vampires, werewolves, Caldarari, and other unusual folks.
Hart's Farm is a free love community with diverse bonding methods and personality quirks.
Monster House includes a wide range of monsters, and a couple of gay teens.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features Shaeth, who might as well have declared himself the God of Misfits.
Path of the Paladins has asexual leads and several characters who stick out for other reasons.
Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own quirks. QUILTBAG characters include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Pain's Gray, and Hefty in the Shiv thread (and Shiv is acespec). I encourage readers to prompt for any of the large casts and complex settings that I have already developed, such as:
* the bohemian folks at Hanson Hall in Omaha, Nebraska
* the Mori no Tami and their allies at Mori no Mura in Humboldt County, California
* the hippies of Emerald Mountain Glen in Vermont
* the rescued sexbots in Thalassia
* the rescued primals now at the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana
* the Withering Heights LARP in Colorado
* the Solace polycule in Atlanta, Georgia
* the cohousing and polycule in Portland, Oregon
* the various polycules from "A Celebration and a Consolation" out east
Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions, and they're a very diverse group in a very conservative area.
The Steamsmith has a genderqueer lead and some other variously odd characters.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "Besa" (9 verses).
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, April 4. 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 "Besa" (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 unusual characters -- 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!
(no subject)
Date: 2023-03-30 12:29 am (UTC)Coming from an entirely other culture-species-experiential set and on really complicates things. It's so confusing to see locals unable to think outside of a box. Luca and Jasper have tried more recently - it's been bothering them both. They keep waiting for that lightbulb to go off.
- MK (he/him)
Thoughts
Date: 2023-03-30 12:42 am (UTC)Yes, it does.
Oh, I don't think I mentioned in the post above -- there's a plural character, Damask, in Polychrome Heroics. That's definitely a nonstandard identity.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-03-30 01:26 am (UTC)We can tell people repeatedly that it is a bad idea to try to automatically integrate everything perceived as remotely similar under the same umbrella, especially the local and non-local cultures who either have no voice in the matter and ones that are actively against the attempts at assimilation, and point out the obvious problems of erasure and alienation in continuing to attempt to envelop people who were either not asked or (repeatedly) say no. We've seen other people Bridge-type situation reject plurals entirely and make a point of deletitimizing them because they couldn't stand their own experiences, sciences, and culture erased like that. We can't stand it either. The people who've also had that experience here with plurals do not condone pushing others down, but they do sympathise with the defensive reaction.
But people don't listen to us. We'll still advocate respect of experiences and personhood, but we learned the hard way that the best way to deal with Plurals is from a distance. We aren't part of it, don't relate to the experiences, and want nothing to do with it.
The only plural who's been self-reflective and self-critical about this is LB. They actively seek out other local experiences from across times and cultures, and understand it isn't okay to call all of those Plural just because they can relate to the surface level of experiences. The rest don't seem to understand that their umbrella isn't one. >_< And the mindset of their categories for their experiences being encompassing is unfortunately coded into the language they use, and we cannot support that.
With all due respect - please do not recommend stories described as plural. At least not to anyone who uses this account. We won't support them.
- MK (he/him)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-03-30 01:45 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-03-30 01:49 am (UTC)Many, many cultures have some concept of a body as a vessel or transient vehicle that can be used as such. That concept is more universal than the modern cultural/identity unit of Plural (even if it likes to think of its perspective as universal - it is not, and is still learning boundaries).
- MK (he/him)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2023-04-02 01:11 am (UTC)- Fenrir (he/him)
(no subject)
Date: 2023-03-30 03:22 am (UTC)