Post-it note Poetry – Friendships Found

Today is the last installment of the Post-it Note poetry challenge.  It’s not without some sadness that I compiled this last poem.  I will be continuing on writing poetry but perhaps not on this blog.  Though each post has sustained the same amount of hits as non poetry posts, they don’t seem to generate commentary and they don’t fall within the purview of the blog.

So to February I bid a fond farewell and offer you Friendship Found a poem dedicated to the wonderful and vibrant poets at Post It Note Poetry

 

Friendships Found

A pattern seeking hominid

my mind does seek some greater plan,

some great and noble path laid out

a gift from God, or some such being.

 

But though, my thoughts are lead as such

for at the centre, me, it places

it is but chance and choice that leads

to merry meetings, moments seized.

 

That I should chance to find my way

to minds and hearts as true as yours

without so much a guiding hand

makes friendships found, all the sweeter.

 

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More cover goodness – One Small Step and The Bone Chime Song

I’m so late on this news that Fablecroft are already taking preorders on the One Small Step Anthology and Jo Anderton’s The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories. You can check out the TOC of One Small Step here.  I think you’ll agree its a killer collection by the names alone.

The Bone Chime Song is one of my favourite Anderton shorts, so I’am pretty much predisposed to picking up this one as well.

 

 

 

 

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Splashdance Silver rereleased in eBook form

Splashdance Silver, the book that birthed the writing career of the talented Tansy Rayner Roberts is now available from a number of online stores.  Check out Tansy’s post here. 

So here’s a thing.

Fifteen years ago (YES REALLY) when I was not yet out of my teens (just), I wrote a book and entered a competition and by a blinding stroke of right-place-right-time I won. My fluffy comic fantasy adventure romp about a pirate queen in the making was published in 1998 and it and set me on the course of a writing career.

Now, thanks to FableCroft Publishing and the wonders of the internet,Splashdance Silver – Book 1 of the Mocklore Chronicles, is about to be officially back in print. Well, e-ink, anyway!

Thanks to Cheryl being more organised by Amazon, it’s currently exclusively available at Wizard’s Tower, though it should be on Kindle sometime later this week, and thence to other places.

[Read on dear friend read on]

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The Stars Like Sand: Australian Speculative Poetry - Call for Submissions

With serendipitous timing Tim Jones has announced a call for submissions for The Stars Like Sand, a collection of speculative fiction poetry.

The Stars Like Sand: Australian Speculative Poetry - Call for Submissions

They're heeeere! Cross-posted from my co-editor's blog, here are the full submission guidelines for forthcoming anthology The Stars Like Sand: Australian Speculative Poetry. Australians, and expatriate Australians, are welcome to submit up to three poems for the anthology. The closing date for submissions is 4 June 2013. Make sure to read the full guidelines before you submit, and have fun out there!

THE ANTHOLOGY
The Stars Like Sand is a planned anthology of Australian speculative poetry. Speculative poetry is poetry in the science fiction, fantasy, horror and related genres. (Please see below for a fuller definition.) It is intended that the anthology will include both new and previously-published poetry, and include a historical survey of the field. The anthology is intended for publication in 2014.
The anthology will be published by IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd) of Brisbane, a leading Australian poetry publisher. IP previously published Voyagers: Science Fiction Poetry from New Zealand in 2009 (see http://www.ipoz.biz/Titles/Voy.htm). Further information about IP is below.
The editors are New Zealand poet Tim Jones, who co-edited Voyagers, and Australian poet P. S. Cottier.

[Read on for details]

and if by chance you have missed my poetry (you lucky thing) you should be able to find February’s Post-it note poetry here.

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The Bookonaut interviewed by E-book Revolution

It’s not often you’ll get to hear me being on the other side of the microphone, so take you chance while it’s here.  I was interviewed by Emma Craven of E-Book Revolution awhile ago about …well a whole host of issues check the main page for the show notes. 

If you’d like to hear me ramble on stream the interview from the player below or Download it here:

Podcast Powered By Podbean

 

 

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Post-it Note Poetry- Summer Squalls

Ok, am really beginning to enjoy iambic tetrameter.  It will be sad when Post-It note poetry month is over as I have enjoyed the challenge.  This next one was a little too long for one post it so I present it without a picture, for your enjoyment.

Summer Squall

 

A summer squall is rolling in

A subtle draft, a pleasant breeze,

has turned into a broiling thing

of heated words and brimming tears

 

The pressure builds and peace is rent,

the squall pulls in a thousand thoughts

from petty showers not quite yet spent

and love is lost, as battle's fought.

 

But like, some old heroic tale

of Gods or Titans locked in war

This summer squall begins to fall;

cool tears, warm limbs, and love once more.

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eBook Review – Archangel Protocol by Lyda Morehouse

First published in 2001, Archangel Protocol has been brought back to life through the existence of a pirated electronic text. It’s now legally available through outlets such as Wizards Tower Books.

That techno wizardry of some description was involved in the salvage of Morehouse’s text is somewhat ironic given the post-apocalyptic tale that she gives us with the Archangel Protocol. Morehouse delivers a solid tale that has aged remarkably well.

  It’s largely detective fiction set in a hyper connected world living on after a third world war.  It draws strongly on cyberpunk themes( and I would probably classify it as such) – a hyper connected world, avatars running around in cyberspace, hackers etc., but also serves up some interesting ideas and commentary on religion and politics in an American context.

Morehouse’s vision of the future, its politics and the state of religions affairs, is plausible fresh and certainly still relevant 13 years on.  Even the technology, or more precisely the way social media is presented in the book doesn’t miss the mark by all that much.

Where it came a little unstuck for me was in the religious plot.  This is more a personal issue for me and not any real reflection on the author. Give me witch kings and wizards and I have no problem suspending my disbelief, the minute we start talking angels in a theological  sense and including them in a story I begin to lose interest.  Perhaps it’s because I view Archangel Protocol as more science fiction than fantasy, because the “world” is closer to our own, that I have a mental speed bump here.

That being said the metaphysical content in the book is fairly ecumenical, the thrust very liberal – the way I prefer my religions to be.

Another good point is its treatment of gay and transgender characters, the world may be harsh to those living outside the very strictly defined norm, but Morehouse presents sympathetic and strong characters from these minority groups. 

If you pine for cyberpunk but want to leave behind the mirror shades and the 1980’s then took a look at Archangel Protocol, I enjoyed the reading despite the speed bump. Would I read more Morehouse? Definitely.

This book was provided by Wizards Tower Books free of charge.

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Post-it note Poetry – Winged lives wagered

I know two poems in one day…no wait come back please.

Anywho, I was able to borrow Stephen Fry’s  The Ode Less Travelled from my local online eBook library.  It has one of the best sections on Iambic meter I have read in a while.  His first couple of chapters would make ideal material for a senior lesson in my view.  But on with the poem, written in iambic tetrameter.

Winged lives wagered

Two roosters crowed a dueling song
and mornings break still yet to come,
I lay and watched the stars explode
as with my hands I rubbed at sleep
that glued lids shut in pleasant dreams.
With fitful breath I did, it seems
up on the name of demons call
for plagues of mites or chicken flu.
For sleepless nights can lead a thought,
to winged lives wagered and souls bought.

 

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Booktopia Free Shipping

Ok folks, it’s that time again.  Booktopia have free shipping until tomorrow night ( Monday 25th Feb).  Scroll to the end of the post to get the instructions on how to implement the free shipping code.

There’s some bargains to be had along with their already discounted prices:

Joe Abercombie’s Best Served Cold is at an irresistible $4.95 – if only I didn't already own it.

Juliet Marilier’s Wolfskin is at a criminal $ 2.95

For the sci-fi feminists among you Booktopia also seem to be carrying more Joanna Russ than when I last checked.

 

 

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Free Shipping Code

The FREE SHIPPING promotion code is:BIRTHDAY

Simply place an order before midnight Monday the 25th of February (wherever you are in Australia) with the promotion code BIRTHDAY and you will receive free shipping on your order. The promotion code can be used as many times as you, or your family and friends, want on any orders between now and then.
To receive free shipping on any order YOU MUST TYPE the WORD:  BIRTHDAY

You can go straight to Booktopia here .

 

 

 

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Post-it note poetry – Pixel Friends

The weather is foul here today, high thirties humidity and no rain.  Still managed to coble something together for the Post-it note poetry project.

Pixel Friends

 

Pixels

dance on a screen

a circle of friends, or an

idea of such.

Do we

connect with friends

or with the idea of friends

in the end?

Does it

matter if they are

pixels or flesh, if the ideas

are the same?

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Get your Ditmar thinking caps on again

There’s been a few posts from authors already letting us know what they have produced that is eligible.

What iz teh Ditmarz?

The Ditmar Award (formally the Australian SF ("Ditmar") Award; formerly the "Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award") has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Natcon to recognise achievement in Australian science fiction (including fantasy and horror) and science fiction fandom. They are named for Ditmar "Dick" Jenssen, an Australian fan and artist, who financially supported the awards at their inception. (Source:http://wiki.sf.org.au/Ditmar_Award).

In essence our national Science Fiction award recognizing Authors, Artists, Academics and Fans.

The times they are a changing?

Fandom is changing, as is publishing.  Where once somebody would have sweated blood to produce a fanzine using the school  work  a photocopier and hand stapler, then posted them out to a mailing list.  Now, well now we have even seen professional magazines like Aurealis abandon print and much fan discussion has moved online.

While some may argue that since the barriers to publication have dropped, so have standards I'd counter with - access has improved and science fiction readers are a pretty diverse an sophisticated lot capable of sorting wheat from chaff.

Who’s eligible"?

You can check out the eligibility list here.  If any of your favourite authors are missing (remember the rules for eligibility though) feel free to make a suggestion in the comments and I can add it to the list.  The Ditmar rules are located here.

My eligibles are:

Best Fan Publication

• Galactic Chat, Tansy Rayner Roberts,Alisa Krasnostein and Sean Wright.
• Snapshot 2012, Alisa Krasnostein, Kathryn Linge, David McDonald, Helen Merrick, Ian Mond, Jason Nahrung, Alex Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Tehani Wessely and Sean Wright (Snapshot Roundup)
• The Adventures of a Bookonaut Podcast Episode 1, Sean Wright[4]

Best Fan Writer -

Sean Wright, for body of work including reviews in Adventures of a Bookonaut. (reviews index)

 

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review 

for 40 + speculative fiction reviews, pick your favourite.

 

Nominations

Nominations can be posted here. 

You will note it’s a fairly comprehensive form and you have to be known, or active in fandom to nominate. My physical attendance at fan events has been limited until recently owing to living very remotely. 

But my blogging and participation online I believe constitutes being active and so should it for you dear reader, who may never have been able to attend a convention, yet contribute to the conversation through forum discussions, comments and perhaps your own blog/publications.

There’s a swathe of eligible works, from people I respect and know, to people and publications I have never heard of.  The more the merrier, we want a robust field to chose from.

I won’t be at the Natcon this year, but last years ceremony was a blast with the co-comparing of Ian Mond and Kirstyn McDermott.  It was a shock and honour to be nominated twice.  This year I expect the competition to be stiff as there is just so much quality being produced in Australia from the professional to the fan writer.

Post-it Note Poetry – The Quill lays idle

With a little help from Herman’s Hermits, this one just popped into my head:

The Quill Lays Idle

No poem

today, my muse

is far away, the quill

lays idle still, this poet's lost

the will

 

and the inspiration:

 

Post-It note poetry – Slow Tattoo

I thought I should post some poetry since I hadn’t inflicted any on you recently.  The month is almost up so not much longer until we resume normal posting.

Slow Tattoo

A faint
and slow tattoo
of rising iron beats.
Hark! The heavenly harbinger
of rain

 

 

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Margo Lanagan’s Sea Hearts longlisted for the Stella Prize

Sea Hearts or as its titled in the northern hemisphere – The Brides of Rollrock Island, has been longlisted for the Inaugural Stella Prize. The prize will be awarded on the 16th of April and the winning author will receive $50,000 for their efforts.

So go Margo!

You can see the other longlistees here.

I reviewed Sea Hearts here.

The Stella Prize:

The Stella Prize will be an annual prize celebrating Australian women’s contribution to literature. It is named after Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin and is partly modelled on the very successful UK Orange Prize. Both non-fiction and fiction books by Australian women will be eligible to enter.

The prize will reward one female writer, the winner of The Stella Prize, with a significant monetary prize of $50,000. The Stella Prize also seeks to raise the profile and sales of books by women generally, and specifically through The Stella Prize longlist and shortlist. In doing so, The Stella Prize will encourage future generations of women writers by increasing the recognition of Australian women’s writing and providing role models. [Source: Australia Business Arts Foundation]

You can donate to the prize it’s tax deductable.  Just click the source link above.

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Yes I’m Still Alive

It’s refreshing to know that when you don’t appear online for 2-3 days that people start questioning what’s happened.  So nothing new to report other than I have a new computer, I knew computer which runs Windows 8 (Why Microsoft? Why?) and that needs all the flash little bits of software loaded on to be able to do the most basic of things (like write this post).

So this is a bit of a test post to …erm test that everything is going according to plan.

 

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Post-it note poetry–Expectant

The weather here is foul, 3 days of temperatures edging toward the high 30’s, lightning but no rain and great big moisture laden clouds.

So here is my poem for the day:

Expectant

Pregnant

clouds hang listless

and not yet come full term.

Expectant, I wait for the waters

to break

Note: Post-it note poetry was the brainchild of Jodi Cleghorn and Adam Byatt it runs until the end of February

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Cover Candy–Asymmetry by Thoraiya Dyer

Another beautifully understated cover by the talented Amanda Rainey and another wonderful collection from one of Australia’s talented crop of female writers.

I still don’t have a release date for it but it’s out sometime this year, coming in as volume 8 of the Twelve Planets Series.

Synopsis:

An Australian Air Force base patrolled by werewolves. A planet where wages are paid in luck. A future where copies are made of criminals to interpret their dark dreams. A medieval cavalry of mothers who are only permitted to take as many lives as they have created.

In every world, an imbalance of power. Something terribly askew between women and men, humans and wolves, citizens and constructs, light and dark.

In every world, asymmetry.

The TOC:

 

• Introduction -Nancy Kress

• After Hours
• Zadie, Scythe of the West
• Wish Me Luck
• Seven Days in Paris

You will be able to purchase this volume from Twelfth Planet Press shortly, but if you are interested in the concept of 12 volumes of speculative fiction from as selection Australia’s top female speculative fiction writers, go here.

It’s worth noting that Thoraiya is eligible for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

H/T David McDonald

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Scribe Book Giveaway - What’s your favourite AWW 2012 review?

If you participated in or just read some of the reviews posted for Australian Women Writers last year then this competition may excite you.

Scribe Publications are offering AWW readers a chance to win books by selected AWW authors in a special giveaway. All you need to do is to nominate your favourite review from the Australian Women Writers 2012 Challenge in the Literary and Classics, History, Memoir and Biography or Nonfiction categories.

Two entrants who nominate winning reviews, as well as the top three reviewers, will be invited to select a book by the following Scribe authors.

[read more]

You will be able to vote for your favourite reviewer/reviews.  And in terms of speculative fiction these folk have represented well:

Mark Webb

Jason Nahrung

Krissy Kneen

Marg

Tsana

and this chancer

Sean Adventures of a Bookonaut

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Adventures of a Bookonaut Podcast Ep. 2 Jodi Cleghorn

 

 

(Mp3 Download link)

 

Adventures of a Bookonaut Podcast Episode 2

In Episode 2 Sean interviews Jodi Cleghorn author, editor and co-founder of eMergent Publishing. They talk about Jodi’s work in publishing, running charity events, and growing new authors. Then they focus on Jodi’s burgeoning career as a writer of quality short fiction.

Note: There has been a format change to single author interviews to allow faster production turnaround and to ease time pressures caused by your hosts’s new job.

Links

Mentioned in the podcast were stories From Stage Door Shadows -"Indigo" and "Cocaine, My Sweet Heart." From Eighty Nine.

The novella Elyora is free at Rabbit Hole Special Issue Review of Australian Fiction (just view the sample it’s actually the entire book)

Jodi writes the Ella-Louise character at Post Marked: Piper's Reach .

Thankyou for listening, you may leave audio feedback at https://www.speakpipe.com/Bookonaut, or you may leave written feedback on Facebook, the Podomatic page, or at my blog.

Music

Music featured in this podcast is from the song Voodoo Machine by Lavoura downloaded from the Free Music Archive and Licensed under these conditions

Voodoo Machine (Lavoura) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

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A Post-it note poetry double

Who’d have thought doing a part time job would take full time effort.  Here’s my post-its from the last two days.

 

Ghosts of follies past
----------------------------
Endless
dry and dusty
unforgiving land, where
ghosts of follies past are blown upon
the wind.

 

 

 

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Burn Bright
____________

Dead Stars
Heavenly Messengers
What does their strobing morse
spell out - All will come to nought or...
Burn Bright?

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Neglected Night Creatures

Lisa L Hannet has released her second column over at This is Horror.  If you missed her first it can be found here. That was an excellent article lifting the lid in Australian Gothic. 

This article called On Behalf of Neglected Night Creatures briefly discusses the possibility of including less well known or well used night creatures in fiction.

 

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Havenstar Reborn at Ticonderoga

The wonderful Havenstar by Glenda Larke which I recently reviewed  is now being reborn in paperback form. 

Ticonderoga publications looks to have picked up the publication rights and they are planning to publish limited edition hardcover, hardcover, trade and ebook editions.

The hardcover and limited hardcover can be pre-ordered here.

The book will be published in May 2013

 

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Post-it Note Poetry -

This one almost didn’t make it, so long and obstacle laden has been my day.  Still itcame together fairly quick - about 15 minutes.  Not entirely happy with it but… it beat midnight

No overdraft on my time.

 

To take

a little break

from life, I sometimes wish

that I could do.

To place

life’s haste on hold

to spend a day wrangling words

or reading books

To have

No niggling

calls on my attention, no overdraft on

my time.

 

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Post-it Note poetry – Too heavy Peter’s mantle

Today I return to Adelaide Crapsey’s American Cinquain.  Still i tried to be a bit stricter with meter.  Tried to get it to conform to:

• the 1, 2, 3, 4, 1 stress pattern
• and the 2, 4, 6, 8 ,2 syllable pattern.

 

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Too Heavy Peter’s Mantle

A pope

has resigned. Too

heavy Peter’s mantle.

Too loud, the silent suffering of

children

 

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The Subjects–A reminder

Just a quick reminder to … erm remind you that a team of very dedicated creatives is undergoing a very wacky experiment in the name of science and entertainment.

The experiment proper has started and its interesting peering into the heads of Sean Williams and Jennifer Mills as they articulate feelings and relay observations of the effect of isolation and sleep deprivation.

Here’s a few choice snippets from Day 1:

I’m writing in my ‘free time’ between tests. These are checking my cognitive functions: response time, comprehension, and judgement. The tests are strange and very repetitive. There’s a device called a PVT which looks like it should be part of a 1980s robot. There’s a dinky little driving simulator (I crashed). Another test shows us the word Yellow coloured green, or the word Red coloured blue, and asks us to distinguish between the colour and the word. I already feel an estrangement between words and things. Partly in response to this, I have started to draw the objects in my room.

My ‘free time’ is neither, and soon interrupted for another test. Addition and subtraction. When my screen reads “2+2=” I think of Winston Smith, my imaginary companion in this dim cell. Should I put 5? Only the scientists have the answer.

Jennifer Mills

 

After our tour and intro, we settled in for a practice run. (Have I used “practice” right? This is something I always get wrong, and now I can’t check. Life without the web is going to be tough, particularly as the protocol kicks in and our brains melt into mud. As Jenn says, let’s have an embargo on typos, okay?) The tests are not especially riveting, but that’s not unexpected either. The first is a test of our response times (“PVT” it’s called, I found out later: Performance Vigilance Task). We hold a box and push a button when the screen lights up. A number tells us how fast we reacted. I already hate this test, because the box is heavy and it involves both my hands, and I have to sit grimly in place for ten minutes. It feels like an hour. At the end of the first run, my muscles were screaming. My results were slightly slower than average, but that could be because I was using my left hand. Or I was too distracted by the discomfort to pay attention properly. Or I’m just rotten at it.

Sean Williams

and from Day 2:

After an age, instructions come through the intercom on the wall above my bed: Keep your eyes open for thirty seconds (am I allowed to blink? I have to blink. I’m blinking. I’m not in trouble for blinking!); blink five times slowly (Ah, sweet blinking). Winston would remember this bit. At last, with much gratitude, the lights go down to “moonlight setting” and I sleep until Scientist Xuan wakes me. It’s long enough to dream a little. The only thing I remember about my dreams is that I played the role of babysitter. Waking, I feel more like the baby. Xuan tells me I will be put back to bed again after a short time. This means the electrodes stay in, and I rush to the bathroom to see what I look like. I look like this:

Jennifer Mills

 

 

 

The sound of air-conditioning could be fake. I deduced this while doing some stretches. The ever-present hissing sound is actually coming from what appears to be a speaker set into the ceiling, near the vent. My guess is they’re pumping in white or pink noise to cover up the sounds around us (the centre is on a very busy arterial road) and perhaps for some psychological benefit, too, as background noise helps the mind function under some circumstances. When I asked about, I got a weird reaction, like it was a big secret. Like I had opened the wrong door and seen THE ALIENS. I changed the subject immediately. Who wants to be put in the grinder for KNOWING TOO MUCH? (Alternatively, that “speaker” is an intake vent, which might explain why I can’t feel any air movement when I put my hand near it. That’s the sane explanation.)

Sean Williams

Please do go and read all the entries(start here).  It’s interesting comparing the subjects observations which often parallel each other.  And it’s amazing how quickly thoughts seem to edge slowly toward paranoia.

Note: “The Subjects” experiment is being run and the participants observations published by the Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT).  The material quoted here is published under a Creative Commons licence CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. 

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Dr Who 50th Anniversary Special going 3D

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Post-it note Poetry–Gold to withered grey

This poem was born out my attempts to wrangle something in iambic pentameter, still not sure if I have it down right technically but I like it.

I composed it on my evening walk, which usually would have been easy, as I walk with an mp3 player that has a record function.

I have, however, been doing longer walks, the end result being zero battery.

So I had to hold each line in my head as I worked out the words and metre for the next .  Not as hard as I thought it would be, and perhaps testament to the power of patterns to help in memorising oral compositions.

Anyway I'll stop blathering.

 

Gold to withered grey

The fields have gone from gold to withered grey

The sky’s a rainless dome of pastel blue

Eucalypts loose their limbs with sweet regret

Clench-toothed, hard-lipped, the farmer breathes her curse

And the wise Elect, reign from feathered nest

Fiddling fools, their Get must learn to live on dust

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Post-it Note Poetry – Sea-wife

Inspired by Sea Hearts and the Secret of Roan Inish

Sea-wife

Sea-wife

Cloak dowry paid.

To husband ever yields.

Tormented by the salted spray.

Seal-wife

 

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Post-it note poetry–A prayer to the god of runied weekends

I had visions of attempting a longer poem in iambic pentameter but a migraine has prevented me from being able to think well enough to fashion it today.

So I offer you A prayer to the god of ruined weekends in cinquain(sort of) form:

A prayer to the god of ruined weekends

Ill-luck

god, the curs’ed

patron of ruined weekends.

I offer in humble sacrifice my

migraine to

your end.

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Night Creatures to go live on Amazon

The excellent Night Creatures series by Marianne de Pierres – Burn Bright , Angel Arias and Shine Light will be available in eBook form on Amazon at the end of March. 

Previously its only been legally available in electronic form in Australia and New Zealand.  Which I am sure has been frustrating for Marianne and some of her international fans.

 

I have read Burn Bright, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I found it to be a fascinating mix of teen Goth culture, social comment, sci-fi action and adventure.  It’s one of those books that can be enjoyed by adults and mature teens. A boo that has something to say without beating you around the head with it.

For more news about the series hang out over on Marianne’s page here.

 

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Post-it Note poetry–Tiny Box

This poem was inspired by a friend on Twitter:

Dear Humans of the World, Identity is fluid and personal. I find your constant desire to fit others into specific tiny boxes exhausting.— Holly Kench (@StuffedO) February 7, 2013

As such it is dedicated to Holly.

Tiny Box

Tiny box

you place me in.

Nice and neat, squarely done.

Who are you to place me so?

Box yourself.

Let me go

 

 

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All your Space Marines belong to us

Post-it Note Poetry–The Cant of Pines

I was walking along one of the country roads that border our property – a limestone base that’s been compressed to the consistency of concrete. 

I was enjoying the cooler temperature and the audiobook of A Canticle for Leibowitz.  The road is well used and it pays to keep your wits about you.  The air was fairly still and I could hear a low murmur over the audio form my mp3.

An approaching car perhaps?  No.  As I got closer to a vacant property I realised it was the pines, seeming to whisper in a breeze I could barely feel.  And so The Cant of Pines was inspired.

 

 

The Cant of Pines

Twilight
in pink and blue.
Needles sibilate in soft wind
As I pause to learn the cant of
pines

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Post-it Note Poetry–Well

Today's poem inspired by the participants of the Post-it note poetry event.  I haven’t written poetry, even bad poetry for quite some time. So thank you.

Well

A well

of words, boarded.

Small ripples in the dark,

friends work the rusty nails, dropping

pebbles.

 

For those interested I am using a type of form poem called a Cinquain.  There’s a multitude of variations.  Give it a go yourself and participate.

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The Subjects – an experimental and experiential project

 

I was made aware some time ago of a project to place some creative folk under duress, in this case sleep deprivation, and then see how that effected creative outcomes.  That project is begins on the 9th of Feb.

The Australian Network for Art & Technology (ANAT), in partnership with Central Queensland University’s Appleton Institute, is running The Subjects.

The participants are

• Artists Thom Buchanan
• and Fee Plumley
• Author Jennifer Mills
• and  New York Times best selling novelist Sean Williams

They will be spending a week in residency at CQU’s Sleep Research Centre.  Their sleeping patterns will be disrupted and they will be under constant surveillance.

And considering we live in a Big Brother future (though not quite the same one Orwell was thinking of) we can peer into the experimented minds and interact with the test subjects.

You can read about the experiment here

You can view the bios of the test subjects here

You can ask them questions here

I plan to follow this next week.  I know two of the participants and know they are excited by the prospect of participation.  Good luck folks

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Post–it note poetry–Sentinel

 

Today’s poem was inspired by the ruins of soldier settlers farm houses that can be found with in 50km of my farm. 

The story as I have heard it told was that on returning from war in the Middle East soldiers planted date palms.  In remembrance or as symbol of victory I am not sure, but for many of these houses all that remains are palm trees and the ruined remnants of limestone cottages.

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Sentinel

Date palm

stands sentinel

o’er scattered stones, and dreams

long dreamt of boneless soils well tilled

by settled soldiers

 

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If you want to monitor the rest of the crew participating in the Post-it note poetry thang search the #postitnotepoetry tag on twitter.

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Moarrh post-it note poetry–Love

Ok I’m at work today so this is a scheduled post.  Feel free to comment critique etc.  The ide behind the post-it note poetry  thang is for the poet to not be constrained, to not have too much attachment, to not worry too much about getting it perfect but just enjoying letting the words flow.

So without further ado I give you Love. (and yes I still don’t have post-its)

 

Love

Love.

A heart made,

hand made thing, of quiet looks,

selfless actions, and needed things,

unasked for

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Post-it note poetry–Burnt

Jodi Cleghorn and Adam Byatt have got a post-it note poetry thang going on for the month of February. 

So yes, poor reader, I am going to inflict bad poetry on you.  The rules are that it must fit on a post it note and ability and skill are optional. 

Unfortunately I have no post-its at my disposal so you’ll just have to imagine my underdeveloped handwriting on paper and make do with the pixels.

So here’s my first, get your rotten tomatoes ready.

Burnt

Burnt.

A hint of smoke

wafting on gentle breeze.

Gum and wattle share a funeral pyre.

Summer.

My Apologies.

FYI – Time taken to construct 5 minutes arranging words, 10 minutes thinking about them while hanging the first load of washing.

EDIT: Post it and penwork provided by Jodi Cleghorn

 

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Readercon Releases a Safety Update

Folks new to the broad speculative fiction community may need a little background on what occurred at Readercon last August.  I did two posts here.  In short though the con had a Sexual Harassment Policy in place, an incident occurred and the organisation failed to follow though on its policy with the offending member.

After much discussion and good work from members within the organisation the situation was resolved and pledges were made to help improve future cons.  Readercon as released an update on where they are up to in meeting those pledges here.

Well worth a look for other convention organisers and for those thinking of attending conventions, for an insight into what should perhaps be best practise.

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Book Release–Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Anneque Malchien

 

Western Australian Publisher Winterbourne Publishing has Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Australian  author Anneque Malchien. 

I have only read one of Winterbourne’s titles, Bus Stop on A Strange Loop ny Shaun Webb Lafferty in late 2011.  It’s good crunchy, time travel scifi, in a very well put together paperback.

I haven’t heard of Anneque but here’s the blurb on the book and some information about her. 

 

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Tearing the world apart will be their pleasure
Haru is a refugee from another world, who has devoted his new life on Midgard to mending rifts and trying to help fallouts like him. Tenma is a young girl dying of the Fade, whose desperate fiancé will do anything to save. Their destinies entwine in this Manga-inspired doorstopper, by turns funny, thrilling and touching — but always full of adventure.

 

About the author:

Anneque Malchien lives in the Snowy Mountains where she enjoys a variety of escapism techniques, including writing, painting, video games, music and occasionally actually leaving. Her next holiday will be around Mongolia on horseback. When she returns home she intends to write a saga about giant robots roaming the post-apocalyptic Mongol steppes.

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Going direct to the Winterbourne store will get you discounted prices.  But I believe they are also available for purchase through Amazon

 

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