Jan. 30th, 2012

ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] meeks posted an update about Lorelei's Kickstarter project.  This project currently has 88 backers with $4,859 pledged of $9,000 goal with 12 days to go, so it's over halfway there.  The really exciting thing is that someone promised to match donations!  A little more than $1000 in new pledges will hit the goal.
ysabetwordsmith: (Fiorenza)

This poem came out of the January 17, 2012 bonus fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from [livejournal.com profile] thesilentpoet, [livejournal.com profile] aldersprig, [livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, and [livejournal.com profile] ankewehner.  Fiorenza and Don Candido talk about their respective roles in the village.  You can find out more about this series on the Serial Poetry page.

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $.50 per line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses. 

So far sponsors include: [livejournal.com profile] the_vulture[livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, general fund

FULLY FUNDED
106 lines, Buy It Now = $53
Amount donated = $30.00
Verses posted = 11 of 22

Amount remaining to fund fully = $23.00
Amount needed to fund next verse = $2
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1.50


ExpandRead more... )
The Godfather

Once a month Fiorenza went to church
to help Don Candido remove wax
from the fixtures that held the herbal candles.
The wax smelled sweetly of such things
as rosemary or bayberry or our lady's bedstraw,
a hint of summer even in winter.

Fiorenza sighed,
blowing her black curls out of her face.
"What is the matter?"
Don Candido asked her.

"Ah, it is the old women again,"
said Fiorenza.
"Some of them still think
I am too young to be wisewoman,
though there is no one else to do it."

Don Candido nodded.
"They say much the same of me,
that I am too young to be the village priest,"
he said.  "Some elders will never accept
a different authority than the one
they knew growing up."

Fiorenza twisted the little dull knife,
prying loose a piece of beeswax
streaked red-brown with cinnamon.
"I barely remember Don Angelo,"
she said.  "He was just the man in the church.
Then one day, Grandmother took me to the door
and you were there instead,
so nervous in your new vestments."

"I remember you too," Don Candido said,
"all knees and elbows behind that basket of herbs."
He rubbed oil over one of the candle holders
to remove the last bits of wax.

"You know how I came to be wisewoman,
for you said the service when my grandmother Carmela died,"
Fiorenza said.  "You never told me, though,
how you came to be a priest so young."

"I suppose it is because of my godfather,"
said Don Candido.  "There is a tradition in my family
that a thirteenth child is given Death for a godfather."

"A pretty conceit," said Fiorenza,
but Don Candido shook his head.
"It is the truth," he insisted.
"Death comes to the church for the baptism
and the confirmation.
Then there is a gift when the child reaches majority --
some use it foolishly, but I would never.
I respect my godfather too much for that."

"I wonder what sort of gift Death would give,"
Fiorenza mused.  "I do not know him well.
He and I are often at odds."

"When I became a man, Death showed me
a great cathedral all filled with blazing candles,"
Don Candido explained.  "Each candle was a life,
short ones for elders, long ones for children, and so on."
The priest took fresh candles from their box,
carefully trimming and shaping the wicks.

"When I visit the housebound, my godfather
shows me their candles, so that I know
whether they will live or will die soon.
Then I know what prayers to say,"
Don Candido said.  "It is a great gift.
Everyone was so impressed,
they assigned me a village despite my youth."

"Yes, I can see that," Fiorenza said quietly.
"It must be a precious thing to know,
however hard to bear."

"No harder than it is for you," he said,
"when the signs of a body tell you the same.
My godfather has always been gentle with me."

Fiorenza pondered that
as she fetched another box of candles.
"I have known Death to be gentle,"
she said, "but I have also
known him to be cruel as a cat."

"I think that Death is more compassionate
that most people realize," the priest said.
"It is merely that he knows things we do not."

"I have seen horrid old men
die peacefully in their sleep,
and little children die screaming,"
said Fiorenza.

"Have you never seen a horrid old man
give a coin to a beggar child,
or a children throw stones at a dog?"
Don Candido countered.
"It is enough for me to know when
a life will end, so I may choose my prayers."

Fiorenza finished her candle holder
and watched Don Candido
carefully fitting new candles into the cups.
"Why do you always hold candles with both hands?"
she wondered.  "It's not like they're terribly fragile."

"My godfather warned me
never to drop a candle,
nor spill the consecrated oil or salt,
nor leave my hat upon a bed,"
Don Candido said.
"I try to follow his advice."

"Well, I think we are done for the day,"
Fiorenza said as she wiped her hands on a rag.
They packed the supplies away.
Don Candido thanked her,
and Fiorenza said, "It was no trouble."

Then she paused at the door and added,
"Please give my regards to your godfather."

ysabetwordsmith: (Fiorenza)

This poem came out of the January 17, 2012 bonus fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from [livejournal.com profile] thesilentpoet, [livejournal.com profile] aldersprig, [livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, and [livejournal.com profile] ankewehner.  Fiorenza and Don Candido talk about their respective roles in the village.  You can find out more about this series on the Serial Poetry page.

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $.50 per line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses. 

So far sponsors include: [livejournal.com profile] the_vulture[livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, general fund

FULLY FUNDED
106 lines, Buy It Now = $53
Amount donated = $30.00
Verses posted = 11 of 22

Amount remaining to fund fully = $23.00
Amount needed to fund next verse = $2
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1.50


ExpandRead more... )
The Godfather

Once a month Fiorenza went to church
to help Don Candido remove wax
from the fixtures that held the herbal candles.
The wax smelled sweetly of such things
as rosemary or bayberry or our lady's bedstraw,
a hint of summer even in winter.

Fiorenza sighed,
blowing her black curls out of her face.
"What is the matter?"
Don Candido asked her.

"Ah, it is the old women again,"
said Fiorenza.
"Some of them still think
I am too young to be wisewoman,
though there is no one else to do it."

Don Candido nodded.
"They say much the same of me,
that I am too young to be the village priest,"
he said.  "Some elders will never accept
a different authority than the one
they knew growing up."

Fiorenza twisted the little dull knife,
prying loose a piece of beeswax
streaked red-brown with cinnamon.
"I barely remember Don Angelo,"
she said.  "He was just the man in the church.
Then one day, Grandmother took me to the door
and you were there instead,
so nervous in your new vestments."

"I remember you too," Don Candido said,
"all knees and elbows behind that basket of herbs."
He rubbed oil over one of the candle holders
to remove the last bits of wax.

"You know how I came to be wisewoman,
for you said the service when my grandmother Carmela died,"
Fiorenza said.  "You never told me, though,
how you came to be a priest so young."

"I suppose it is because of my godfather,"
said Don Candido.  "There is a tradition in my family
that a thirteenth child is given Death for a godfather."

"A pretty conceit," said Fiorenza,
but Don Candido shook his head.
"It is the truth," he insisted.
"Death comes to the church for the baptism
and the confirmation.
Then there is a gift when the child reaches majority --
some use it foolishly, but I would never.
I respect my godfather too much for that."

"I wonder what sort of gift Death would give,"
Fiorenza mused.  "I do not know him well.
He and I are often at odds."

"When I became a man, Death showed me
a great cathedral all filled with blazing candles,"
Don Candido explained.  "Each candle was a life,
short ones for elders, long ones for children, and so on."
The priest took fresh candles from their box,
carefully trimming and shaping the wicks.

"When I visit the housebound, my godfather
shows me their candles, so that I know
whether they will live or will die soon.
Then I know what prayers to say,"
Don Candido said.  "It is a great gift.
Everyone was so impressed,
they assigned me a village despite my youth."

"Yes, I can see that," Fiorenza said quietly.
"It must be a precious thing to know,
however hard to bear."

"No harder than it is for you," he said,
"when the signs of a body tell you the same.
My godfather has always been gentle with me."

Fiorenza pondered that
as she fetched another box of candles.
"I have known Death to be gentle,"
she said, "but I have also
known him to be cruel as a cat."

"I think that Death is more compassionate
that most people realize," the priest said.
"It is merely that he knows things we do not."

"I have seen horrid old men
die peacefully in their sleep,
and little children die screaming,"
said Fiorenza.

"Have you never seen a horrid old man
give a coin to a beggar child,
or a children throw stones at a dog?"
Don Candido countered.
"It is enough for me to know when
a life will end, so I may choose my prayers."

Fiorenza finished her candle holder
and watched Don Candido
carefully fitting new candles into the cups.
"Why do you always hold candles with both hands?"
she wondered.  "It's not like they're terribly fragile."

"My godfather warned me
never to drop a candle,
nor spill the consecrated oil or salt,
nor leave my hat upon a bed,"
Don Candido said.
"I try to follow his advice."

"Well, I think we are done for the day,"
Fiorenza said as she wiped her hands on a rag.
They packed the supplies away.
Don Candido thanked her,
and Fiorenza said, "It was no trouble."

Then she paused at the door and added,
"Please give my regards to your godfather."

ysabetwordsmith: (Fiorenza)

This poem came out of the January 17, 2012 bonus fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from [livejournal.com profile] thesilentpoet, [livejournal.com profile] aldersprig, [livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, and [livejournal.com profile] ankewehner.  Fiorenza and Don Candido talk about their respective roles in the village.  You can find out more about this series on the Serial Poetry page.

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $.50 per line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses. 

So far sponsors include: [livejournal.com profile] the_vulture[livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, general fund

FULLY FUNDED
106 lines, Buy It Now = $53
Amount donated = $30.00
Verses posted = 11 of 22

Amount remaining to fund fully = $23.00
Amount needed to fund next verse = $2
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1.50


ExpandRead more... )
The Godfather

Once a month Fiorenza went to church
to help Don Candido remove wax
from the fixtures that held the herbal candles.
The wax smelled sweetly of such things
as rosemary or bayberry or our lady's bedstraw,
a hint of summer even in winter.

Fiorenza sighed,
blowing her black curls out of her face.
"What is the matter?"
Don Candido asked her.

"Ah, it is the old women again,"
said Fiorenza.
"Some of them still think
I am too young to be wisewoman,
though there is no one else to do it."

Don Candido nodded.
"They say much the same of me,
that I am too young to be the village priest,"
he said.  "Some elders will never accept
a different authority than the one
they knew growing up."

Fiorenza twisted the little dull knife,
prying loose a piece of beeswax
streaked red-brown with cinnamon.
"I barely remember Don Angelo,"
she said.  "He was just the man in the church.
Then one day, Grandmother took me to the door
and you were there instead,
so nervous in your new vestments."

"I remember you too," Don Candido said,
"all knees and elbows behind that basket of herbs."
He rubbed oil over one of the candle holders
to remove the last bits of wax.

"You know how I came to be wisewoman,
for you said the service when my grandmother Carmela died,"
Fiorenza said.  "You never told me, though,
how you came to be a priest so young."

"I suppose it is because of my godfather,"
said Don Candido.  "There is a tradition in my family
that a thirteenth child is given Death for a godfather."

"A pretty conceit," said Fiorenza,
but Don Candido shook his head.
"It is the truth," he insisted.
"Death comes to the church for the baptism
and the confirmation.
Then there is a gift when the child reaches majority --
some use it foolishly, but I would never.
I respect my godfather too much for that."

"I wonder what sort of gift Death would give,"
Fiorenza mused.  "I do not know him well.
He and I are often at odds."

"When I became a man, Death showed me
a great cathedral all filled with blazing candles,"
Don Candido explained.  "Each candle was a life,
short ones for elders, long ones for children, and so on."
The priest took fresh candles from their box,
carefully trimming and shaping the wicks.

"When I visit the housebound, my godfather
shows me their candles, so that I know
whether they will live or will die soon.
Then I know what prayers to say,"
Don Candido said.  "It is a great gift.
Everyone was so impressed,
they assigned me a village despite my youth."

"Yes, I can see that," Fiorenza said quietly.
"It must be a precious thing to know,
however hard to bear."

"No harder than it is for you," he said,
"when the signs of a body tell you the same.
My godfather has always been gentle with me."

Fiorenza pondered that
as she fetched another box of candles.
"I have known Death to be gentle,"
she said, "but I have also
known him to be cruel as a cat."

"I think that Death is more compassionate
that most people realize," the priest said.
"It is merely that he knows things we do not."

"I have seen horrid old men
die peacefully in their sleep,
and little children die screaming,"
said Fiorenza.

"Have you never seen a horrid old man
give a coin to a beggar child,
or a children throw stones at a dog?"
Don Candido countered.
"It is enough for me to know when
a life will end, so I may choose my prayers."

Fiorenza finished her candle holder
and watched Don Candido
carefully fitting new candles into the cups.
"Why do you always hold candles with both hands?"
she wondered.  "It's not like they're terribly fragile."

"My godfather warned me
never to drop a candle,
nor spill the consecrated oil or salt,
nor leave my hat upon a bed,"
Don Candido said.
"I try to follow his advice."

"Well, I think we are done for the day,"
Fiorenza said as she wiped her hands on a rag.
They packed the supplies away.
Don Candido thanked her,
and Fiorenza said, "It was no trouble."

Then she paused at the door and added,
"Please give my regards to your godfather."

ysabetwordsmith: (Fiorenza)

This poem came out of the January 17, 2012 bonus fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from [livejournal.com profile] thesilentpoet, [livejournal.com profile] aldersprig, [livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi, and [livejournal.com profile] ankewehner.  Fiorenza and Don Candido talk about their respective roles in the village.  You can find out more about this series on the Serial Poetry page.

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $.50 per line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses.  So far sponsors include: [livejournal.com profile] the_vulture[livejournal.com profile] marina_bonomi

106 lines, Buy It Now = $53
Amount donated = $30.00
Verses posted = 11 of 22

Amount remaining to fund fully = $23.00
Amount needed to fund next verse = $2
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1.50


ExpandRead more... )
The Godfather


Once a month Fiorenza went to church
to help Don Candido remove wax
from the fixtures that held the herbal candles.
The wax smelled sweetly of such things
as rosemary or bayberry
or our lady's bedstraw.

Fiorenza sighed,
blowing her black curls out of her face.
"What is the matter?"
Don Candido asked her.

"Ah, it is the old women again,"
said Fiorenza.
"Some of them still think
I am too young to be wisewoman,
though there is no one else to do it."

Don Candido nodded.
"They say much the same of me,
that I am too young to be the village priest,"
he said.  "Some elders will never accept
a different authority than the one
they knew growing up."

Fiorenza twisted the little dull knife,
prying loose a piece of beeswax
streaked red-brown with cinnamon.
"I barely remember Don Angelo,"
she said.  "He was just the man in the church.
Then one day, Grandmother took me to the door
and you were there instead,
so nervous in your new vestments."

"I remember you too," Don Candido said,
"all knees and elbows behind that basket of herbs."
He rubbed oil over one of the candle holders
to remove the last bits of wax.

"You know how I came to be wisewoman,
for you said the service when my grandmother Carmela died,"
Fiorenza said. "You never told me, though,
how you came to be a priest so young."

"I suppose it is because of my godfather,"
said Don Candido. "There is a tradition in my family
that a thirteenth child is given Death for a godfather."

"A pretty conceit," said Fiorenza,
but Don Candido shook his head.
"It is the truth," he insisted.
"Death comes to the church for the baptism
and the confirmation.
Then there is a gift when the child reaches majority --
some use it foolishly, but I would never.
I respect my godfather too much for that."

"I wonder what sort of gift Death would give,"
Fiorenza mused. "I do not know him well.
He and I are often at odds."

"When I became a man, Death showed me
a great cathedral all filled with blazing candles,"
Don Candido explained. "Each candle was a life,
short ones for elders, long ones for children, and so on."
The priest took fresh candles from their box,
carefully trimming and shaping the wicks.


[To be continued ...]

ysabetwordsmith: (Rose-Bay)
 This award recognizes excellence in cyberfunded creativity aka crowdfunding. Remember that we have the 2012 art now. Visit the 2012 Rose & Bay Award landing page for full details.

The nomination period is open through January 31, which means that tomorrow is the last day to nominate projects or patrons. Here are the nomination posts for all six categories and their current numbers of nominations:

Art: 7
Fiction: 12
Poetry: 2
Webcomic: 2
Other Project: 5
Patron: 12

Nominations are still on the low side. I'd like to see the nominations surpass what we got in 2011, which were Art (6), Fiction (18), Poetry (4), Webcomic (11), Other Project (10), and Patron (12). Art has met that goal, yay! Fiction still needs 7 nominations, Poetry 3, Webcomics 9, Other Project 6, and Patron 1 toward that end. Poetry and Webcomics are the lowest. Try looking for poetry book projects on Kickstarter if you need ideas. Webcomics are really popular and there's a list of archives on the nomination page. Fiction and Patron are doing much better. Thanks to all the creators who have raised Patron!

You can also help by boosting the signal. Post about the award and encourage your audience to come nominate projects.

Watch for the voting posts to appear on or near February 1.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Microfic by Rix_scaedu
Update: "Cast List for Fiorenza the Wisewoman"
Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon
Read "Horses as a Plot Device"
Read About Were-Thylacines
Torn Tongue: Verbs Beginning with "R"
Read "Friendship" by Rix_scaedu
10 Writing Rules to Consider
Update: Plunge Magazine
How America Loses Jobs
Read "Snake on Duty" by Skjam
An Attack on the Arkh Project
Read "Slang and Swearwords" on Torn World
More on Ebooks and Libraries


The most exciting news from the past week is that my poem "The Cathedral of the Michaelangelines" has been nominated for the 2012 Rhysling Award in the long poem category. Woohoo!

Poetry in Microfunding:
"The Inescapable Agony of Being" is a $20 poem about aliens masquerading as human.  It only needs $2 to be fully funded!  "The Morose Mascot" follows Horace the porcupine as he flees his horrible mistress.  It belongs to The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia, and needs $46.50 to complete.  New today is "The Godfather" in which Fiorenza and Don Candido discuss their respective roles in the community.  It belongs to Fiorenza the Wisewoman, and needs $38 to be fully funded.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," (fiction), "Courtship Displays" (poetry).  Back to me for edits: "Catch and Release," (fiction), "Seafoam Fashions," "Hide Away," "Red Glass, Green Glass," "Bitter Herbs" "Getting the Goat," (poetry), "Half-Leg," "Northern Game: Bola-Ball," "Northern Game: Ice Gliders," (nonfiction). Currently in front of the canon board: "Unlicensed Dreams" (poetry), "Grapejelly," "Wild Herbivores of the North" "Dolls of the Empire" (nonfiction), "Dusting Off the Green Speech" "Doing the Work," (fiction).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Breaking the Ice," "From Dark to Bright," "Beached Fish," (fiction), "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow," "How Skycat Got Her Name" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," "The Bones of Need" "Raining Kittens," (fiction).  Currently writing: "Catch of the Day," "Reaching for the Moons" (fiction).


Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Rose & Bay Awards which honors crowdfunding excellence in the categories of Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron.  Please visit the nomination posts to browse projects and nominate your own favorites.  Full details for this award are on its landing page, and the nomination pages have category details.

Nominations are also open for the Rhysling Award recognizing exceptional speculative poetry.  The SFPA has posted some Rhysling eligible poems online and mine are also available on my website.  If you're a SFPA member, please nominate your favorite poems for this award.  Also, this award now accepts crowdfunded and self-published poems!  So all of my 2011 fishbowl poems are eligible -- look under the "poem" tag to find them.


Weather has been variable here -- rain, ice, flitters of snow, clear days.  Today is breezy and clear.  I've seen more mourning doves and cardinals at the birdfeeders recently, in addition to the sparrows.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Microfic by Rix_scaedu
Update: "Cast List for Fiorenza the Wisewoman"
Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon
Read "Horses as a Plot Device"
Read About Were-Thylacines
Torn Tongue: Verbs Beginning with "R"
Read "Friendship" by Rix_scaedu
10 Writing Rules to Consider
Update: Plunge Magazine
How America Loses Jobs
Read "Snake on Duty" by Skjam
An Attack on the Arkh Project
Read "Slang and Swearwords" on Torn World
More on Ebooks and Libraries


The most exciting news from the past week is that my poem "The Cathedral of the Michaelangelines" has been nominated for the 2012 Rhysling Award in the long poem category. Woohoo!

Poetry in Microfunding:
"The Inescapable Agony of Being" is a $20 poem about aliens masquerading as human.  It only needs $2 to be fully funded!  "The Morose Mascot" follows Horace the porcupine as he flees his horrible mistress.  It belongs to The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia, and needs $46.50 to complete.  New today is "The Godfather" in which Fiorenza and Don Candido discuss their respective roles in the community.  It belongs to Fiorenza the Wisewoman, and needs $38 to be fully funded.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," (fiction), "Courtship Displays" (poetry).  Back to me for edits: "Catch and Release," (fiction), "Seafoam Fashions," "Hide Away," "Red Glass, Green Glass," "Bitter Herbs" "Getting the Goat," (poetry), "Half-Leg," "Northern Game: Bola-Ball," "Northern Game: Ice Gliders," (nonfiction). Currently in front of the canon board: "Unlicensed Dreams" (poetry), "Grapejelly," "Wild Herbivores of the North" "Dolls of the Empire" (nonfiction), "Dusting Off the Green Speech" "Doing the Work," (fiction).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Breaking the Ice," "From Dark to Bright," "Beached Fish," (fiction), "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow," "How Skycat Got Her Name" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," "The Bones of Need" "Raining Kittens," (fiction).  Currently writing: "Catch of the Day," "Reaching for the Moons" (fiction).


Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Rose & Bay Awards which honors crowdfunding excellence in the categories of Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron.  Please visit the nomination posts to browse projects and nominate your own favorites.  Full details for this award are on its landing page, and the nomination pages have category details.

Nominations are also open for the Rhysling Award recognizing exceptional speculative poetry.  The SFPA has posted some Rhysling eligible poems online and mine are also available on my website.  If you're a SFPA member, please nominate your favorite poems for this award.  Also, this award now accepts crowdfunded and self-published poems!  So all of my 2011 fishbowl poems are eligible -- look under the "poem" tag to find them.


Weather has been variable here -- rain, ice, flitters of snow, clear days.  Today is breezy and clear.  I've seen more mourning doves and cardinals at the birdfeeders recently, in addition to the sparrows.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Microfic by Rix_scaedu
Update: "Cast List for Fiorenza the Wisewoman"
Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon
Read "Horses as a Plot Device"
Read About Were-Thylacines
Torn Tongue: Verbs Beginning with "R"
Read "Friendship" by Rix_scaedu
10 Writing Rules to Consider
Update: Plunge Magazine
How America Loses Jobs
Read "Snake on Duty" by Skjam
An Attack on the Arkh Project
Read "Slang and Swearwords" on Torn World
More on Ebooks and Libraries


The most exciting news from the past week is that my poem "The Cathedral of the Michaelangelines" has been nominated for the 2012 Rhysling Award in the long poem category. Woohoo!

Poetry in Microfunding:
"The Inescapable Agony of Being" is a $20 poem about aliens masquerading as human.  It only needs $2 to be fully funded!  "The Morose Mascot" follows Horace the porcupine as he flees his horrible mistress.  It belongs to The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia, and needs $46.50 to complete.  New today is "The Godfather" in which Fiorenza and Don Candido discuss their respective roles in the community.  It belongs to Fiorenza the Wisewoman, and needs $38 to be fully funded.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," (fiction), "Courtship Displays" (poetry).  Back to me for edits: "Catch and Release," (fiction), "Seafoam Fashions," "Hide Away," "Red Glass, Green Glass," "Bitter Herbs" "Getting the Goat," (poetry), "Half-Leg," "Northern Game: Bola-Ball," "Northern Game: Ice Gliders," (nonfiction). Currently in front of the canon board: "Unlicensed Dreams" (poetry), "Grapejelly," "Wild Herbivores of the North" "Dolls of the Empire" (nonfiction), "Dusting Off the Green Speech" "Doing the Work," (fiction).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Breaking the Ice," "From Dark to Bright," "Beached Fish," (fiction), "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow," "How Skycat Got Her Name" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," "The Bones of Need" "Raining Kittens," (fiction).  Currently writing: "Catch of the Day," "Reaching for the Moons" (fiction).


Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Rose & Bay Awards which honors crowdfunding excellence in the categories of Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron.  Please visit the nomination posts to browse projects and nominate your own favorites.  Full details for this award are on its landing page, and the nomination pages have category details.

Nominations are also open for the Rhysling Award recognizing exceptional speculative poetry.  The SFPA has posted some Rhysling eligible poems online and mine are also available on my website.  If you're a SFPA member, please nominate your favorite poems for this award.  Also, this award now accepts crowdfunded and self-published poems!  So all of my 2011 fishbowl poems are eligible -- look under the "poem" tag to find them.


Weather has been variable here -- rain, ice, flitters of snow, clear days.  Today is breezy and clear.  I've seen more mourning doves and cardinals at the birdfeeders recently, in addition to the sparrows.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Microfic by Rix_scaedu
Update: "Cast List for Fiorenza the Wisewoman"
Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon
Read "Horses as a Plot Device"
Read About Were-Thylacines
Torn Tongue: Verbs Beginning with "R"
Read "Friendship" by Rix_scaedu
10 Writing Rules to Consider
Update: Plunge Magazine
How America Loses Jobs
Read "Snake on Duty" by Skjam
An Attack on the Arkh Project
Read "Slang and Swearwords" on Torn World
More on Ebooks and Libraries


The most exciting news from the past week is that my poem "The Cathedral of the Michaelangelines" has been nominated for the 2012 Rhysling Award in the long poem category. Woohoo!

Poetry in Microfunding:
"The Inescapable Agony of Being" is a $20 poem about aliens masquerading as human.  It only needs $2 to be fully funded!  "The Morose Mascot" follows Horace the porcupine as he flees his horrible mistress.  It belongs to The Adventures of Aldornia and Zenobia, and needs $46.50 to complete.  New today is "The Godfather" in which Fiorenza and Don Candido discuss their respective roles in the community.  It belongs to Fiorenza the Wisewoman, and needs $38 to be fully funded.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," (fiction), "Courtship Displays" (poetry).  Back to me for edits: "Catch and Release," (fiction), "Seafoam Fashions," "Hide Away," "Red Glass, Green Glass," "Bitter Herbs" "Getting the Goat," (poetry), "Half-Leg," "Northern Game: Bola-Ball," "Northern Game: Ice Gliders," (nonfiction). Currently in front of the canon board: "Unlicensed Dreams" (poetry), "Grapejelly," "Wild Herbivores of the North" "Dolls of the Empire" (nonfiction), "Dusting Off the Green Speech" "Doing the Work," (fiction).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Breaking the Ice," "From Dark to Bright," "Beached Fish," (fiction), "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow," "How Skycat Got Her Name" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance," "When the Wind's Teeth Sing," "The Bones of Need" "Raining Kittens," (fiction).  Currently writing: "Catch of the Day," "Reaching for the Moons" (fiction).


Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Rose & Bay Awards which honors crowdfunding excellence in the categories of Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron.  Please visit the nomination posts to browse projects and nominate your own favorites.  Full details for this award are on its landing page, and the nomination pages have category details.

Nominations are also open for the Rhysling Award recognizing exceptional speculative poetry.  The SFPA has posted some Rhysling eligible poems online and mine are also available on my website.  If you're a SFPA member, please nominate your favorite poems for this award.  Also, this award now accepts crowdfunded and self-published poems!  So all of my 2011 fishbowl poems are eligible -- look under the "poem" tag to find them.


Weather has been variable here -- rain, ice, flitters of snow, clear days.  Today is breezy and clear.  I've seen more mourning doves and cardinals at the birdfeeders recently, in addition to the sparrows.

Being Poor

Jan. 30th, 2012 12:39 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
The post "Being Poor" describes some of the challenges of living in a country that neither guarantees the basic needs, nor the means to obtain them.  It's mostly luck and what your parents had and who you can beg favors from.  Which I happen to think is reprehensible in a society that has the means to meet everyone's needs, but consciously chooses not to do so.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
K.A. Jones is hosting a call for prompts on the theme of Imbolc / New Year from now through February 4.  You can attach that to any of more than a dozen established story settings.  (Check out the World Walkers collection, which is relatively new.)  Stuck for an idea?  Leave a random number to select a theme or character.  

Basic prompts get 500 words written, which can be extended with donations and/or credits.  Posting a link earns you an extra 500 words on any prompt you select.  For every 5 people who post links, there will be an extra story of at least 1000 words.  There are other perks for donation thresholds, and participating gets your name entered in various draws to create characters or locations in the settings.

Drop by and join the fun!
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
The first of my crocus are sprouting now.  When I was little, they appeared in March.  Then it was February.  Now January.  Le sigh.  Global warming means they tend to sprout early and then get buried in snow.  Crocus and snowdrops can survive that.  Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths not so much -- freezing tends to kill their flower buds.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
The first of my crocus are sprouting now.  When I was little, they appeared in March.  Then it was February.  Now January.  Le sigh.  Global warming means they tend to sprout early and then get buried in snow.  Crocus and snowdrops can survive that.  Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths not so much -- freezing tends to kill their flower buds.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
The first of my crocus are sprouting now.  When I was little, they appeared in March.  Then it was February.  Now January.  Le sigh.  Global warming means they tend to sprout early and then get buried in snow.  Crocus and snowdrops can survive that.  Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths not so much -- freezing tends to kill their flower buds.
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
The first of my crocus are sprouting now.  When I was little, they appeared in March.  Then it was February.  Now January.  Le sigh.  Global warming means they tend to sprout early and then get buried in snow.  Crocus and snowdrops can survive that.  Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths not so much -- freezing tends to kill their flower buds.

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