Speculative Poetry and Fiction
1. The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
2. Inkdeath, by Cornelia Funke
3. FEED, by Mira Grant
4. Feed, by M.T. Anderson
5. The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
6. The Company of Heaven: Stories from Haiti, by Marilene Phipps-Kettlewell
7. Gothic and Lolita Bible (v. 3)
If you want to read my reviews of each of these books, then click here to see my longer post over on livejournal.
While art — from sketching to painting to collage — is not my primary focus, it is something I rather enjoy. For a while now, I’ve been toying with the idea of creating an art blog, in which I would post artwork as I create it, good, bad or in between, as well as pages from my morning poetry journal, in which I have started to sketch as well as write poetry. I’ve also been thinking about the idea of creating art pieces that would incorporate both my poetry and some mixed media art.
To that end I have created a blog over on tumblr that will feature the art and poetry ideas that I’ve noted above. The goal is to post (ideally) everyday, but since I can’t seem to even post here everyday, we’ll go with as often as I can — preferably once a week at a minimum.I’ve already posted some older pieces up there, so if you feel to, then take a moment to check them out.
From livejournal’s writer’s block forum: Do you wish you had grown up in another time and/or place? If so, when, where, and why?
No. If I grew up in another time, another place, then I would be another person. For all intents and purposes, I like the person I am. I enjoy my life. I don’t really see the point in wishing for something that can’t be changed. That’s a form of arguing with reality, which seems rather silly to me. Right now, my life is imperfect, but then every life is. Exchanging my current reality for another would mean exchanging my current joys, sorrows, and challenges for a new set of joys, sorrows, and challenges. My life would not be better or worse having grown up elsewhere — just different.
I do enjoy imagining what it might be like to have grown up elsewhere and elsewhen. That’s is what writing and reading are for.
In books, I can follow a character into a different life. Watch them live and make choices, having grown up in places and worlds and times that are often very, very different from my own. I get to see them make choices that I might not choose to make.
In writing, I get to not just follow, but create. I get to imagine and invent a world and characters to fill it. I get to try on their skin and walk around in it for a while. In that way, I get to superficially experience lives that are quite different from my own, and for me, that’s enough.
What about you? Do you wish for a life that is different from your own?
What’s been Accomplished
— I have written, edited, and submitted a poem to the Bang Out Reading Series, which means I may or may not be participating in the even in August. Will let you know if I do.
— I also managed to get some more work done on a couple of other poems, and have made tiny, itty-bitty baby steps toward continuing the short story that seems like it will never be done. I’ve also been periodically been adding some sketches alongside the words in my morning poetry journal.
— My ass is sore. Seriously. Though I suppose that’s a sign that I’ve done something right, because it means that my workout went exceptionally well (or was perhaps slightly overdone) this weekend. On Saturday, I did lunges, squats, sit-ups, and push-ups, which was immediately followed by my 45 minute yoga routine, which was immediately followed by a 2 mile walk/run at the track. While I admit that I most probably over did it (I had a major headache Saturday night), I also know that my currently sore muscles are a contributing to my good mood this morning.
Relatedly, I’ve learned about a training program, called Couch to 5k, which is a plan for a beginner like me to get up to running 3 miles in two months. The plan will be slightly interrupted by my trip to Germany, which is now less than two months away (o_O). But I’m hoping I can pick up from there afterward, as I really, really would like to meet my long time goal of comfortably running a mile (let a lone three) and eventually running in some sort of marathon or race.
To Do in the Coming Week
– continue to make progress on the story (actually finishing = triple bonus points)
– write, edit and/or polish 1-2 of my current poems
— write a 500 word article to submit to Matador
– submit a set of poems or a short story for publication
– do 3 walking/running routines for Couch to 5k
— do 5-7 days of morning yoga
– post a youtube video
– art, doesn’t matter what, but something
Since I’m not keeping up too steadily with my writing posts, I’m going to start posting some book related posts here, too. Maybe some reviews, maybe some things like this book meme, which a couple of people are doing over at the LibraryThing forums, and I thought I would post it here, too. Just for the hell of it.
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
What ever is available really. Something salty usually, and easy to grab while keeping my eyes on the page, like pretzel sticks. If I were to go for something sweet, it would probably be peanut M&Ms.
What is your favorite drink while reading?
Water, since that’s my default drink. Though if I’m in the mood I’ll brew myself a cup of black tea with milk and sugar as a close second.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
While it doesn’t horrify me, I don’t mark my books for a couple of reasons. First, because I’m often reading a library book, and I would never mark something up that doesn’t belong to me. Second, because I usually don’t think about it. I’ve always liked the idea of marking up books while you read though. It helps you to think critically about what your reading, and would be very helpful in writing book reviews later. I would have to learn to develop the habit though, and I just don’t think it’s going to happen (unless I started to get paid for writing book reviews).
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ear? Laying the book flat open?
I strive to use a book mark each time, but the real answer is all of the above. I like using real books marks, ones that look cool or were constructed by me, but I’ll use whatever’s lying around, from envelopes to payment slips. I only lay it flat open when I’m reading at lunch and want to just pause for a moment in reading to either grab my food or some other necessity. And I dog-ear only as a last resort when there are no other means of keeping my place in the book.
Fiction, Non-Fiction, or Both?
Both! More Fiction than Non-Fiction, but I always enjoy learning about something new or seeing something discussed from a new perspective, which is a really great thing about non-fiction.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
My slightly OCD self definitely prefers to read to the end of a chapter, or at least a denoted section. If that’s not possible due to time (or that there are no chapters or sections), then I can stop in the middle, providing I at least get to the end of the paragraph, preferably the end of the last paragraph or the first paragraph on the page.
Are you a person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
Only on really rare circumstances. I have to hate, and I mean hate, the book, which doesn’t happen often. Crime and Punishment got close to being thrown, but is too much of a classic to disrespect. The novelization of the Stargate movie did get thrown (I still don’t know why I even bothered with it).
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Rarely. I just assume I’ll figure it out from the context of the rest of the sentence.
What are you currently reading?
What is the last book you bought?
I bought a stack of books when I last bought a book.
Are you a person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
As you can see from above, I have a habit of reading lots of books at a time. At least two, usually. Though if I’m feeling overwhelmed by life, the universe, and everything, I might revert to reading only one book.
Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
My favorite is reading late at night, laying down on the couch or in my new recliner. It feels like I’m skipping out of school or cheating or something if I read during the day – so I like to do that too! EDITED: Whoops! I copied this over from the other page, and so accidentally left one of the old answers in. My real answer: I read anywhere and everywhere. I always have a book with me. (My family mocks me for it.) I love finding a quiet nook to read in, though, especially if there’s a comfy chair that I can curl into.
Do you prefer series books or stand-alones?
I mostly reach for stand alones, as I’m not always willing to commit to a series. But from time to time, I’ll go for a series if it captures my fancy enough. I usually don’t read past five books or so, with the exception of Harry Potter and the Series of Unfortunate events, both of which had clear endings in sight.
Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Neil Gaiman, being one of my favorite authors gets recommended the most. Lately I’ve recommended Eat, Pray, Love several times. It all depends what kind of book a person is looking for, really.
How do you organize your books? By genre, title, author’s last name, etc?
At home, it’s by genre (poetry, speculative fiction, nonfiction, etc) and then it’s by the size of the book and how it can best fit on the shelf so that all my books fit and the room doesn’t look cluttered. Really. My organizational skills pretty much break down at the book shelf level. I always have a vague idea of where a particular book might be, but it’s always did through the whole stack for it.
How about you guys? What are your answers?