On Vox: It's called an Update.
I'm starting a writing group. The most succinct description of it, in my brain, is: "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need." Which is my gender neutral, Marxist way of saying all are welcome and we're trying to structure things so it is flexible and beneficial to all, regardless of writing history or style. We require only that you be interested in writing & friendly, constructive discussion around the subject. And that you live in the Twin Cities. Email me to get more details, or go to sparklingrobots.livejournal.com to leave a comment if you're not a Vox person. No purchase necessary! (I know this is impersonal, but I don't know which of the people I know would be interested in such an endeavor.)
So, Mad King Thomas performed recently, which I mentioned briefly in a previous entry. There's a whole lot of ruckus at the comments section of the Walker Choreographers' Evening Blog, if you want to dig to the heart of the debate. It's pretty intense discussion about the nature of dance, audience expectation, artists' freedom and responsibility, plus whether or not we were dressed up as polar bears (we were). There's also a review up at mnartists.org. Overall I am pleased with the response. Even if some people need anger management classes.
Reading is pretty great. I'm slogging my way through The Lord of the Rings, but I've also been snacking on short stories. If you're looking for good free fiction, I have to recommend this amazing site I stumbled on called Fictionaut. It's the lovechild of facebook and literary mags. The recommended stories are unfalingly good. Like this story, Them, by Meg Pokrass. Or Caffeine-Fueled Revelation Machines, by R. Daniel Lester. Maybe you won't like them, but I sure do.
In other news, my life goes like this: Don't get enough sleep. Spend an absurd amount of time knitting, sewing, crocheting, cross-stitching. Plan long holiday vacations. Buy presents even though I don't mean to consume so much. Schedule schedule schedule. Take long naps. Pet the cat until my heartrate slows down. Ride my bike. Ignore the 4:30 pm sunset. Ignore the dirty house. Watch football. Run as fast as I can until we reach December 21 and the days get longer again. Wish I could/would take dance classes more often. Try to make up for it by dancing in my apartment. Write. Sing along. Have weird dreams about Einstein & the Beatles, or the Johns from They Might Be Giants.
The end.
Originally posted on sparkling-robots.vox.com