Poetry Fishbowl Open!
The 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 "Non-standard Identities." 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 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
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.
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
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Gothic Bingo Card 4-1-23
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).
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 "Non-standard Identities." 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. " Besa" has 9 verses and stands alone.
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 "Non-standard Identities." 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 " Besa." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Non-standard Identities." 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 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
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.
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
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Gothic Bingo Card 4-1-23
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).
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 "Non-standard Identities." 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. " Besa" has 9 verses and stands alone.
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 "Non-standard Identities." 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 " Besa." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.