The Frog and The Fiddle (by sarah)

Tuesday I went along to what is essentially a University of Gloucester (I think) event that has been opened up to the public. It is held at the Frog and Fiddle in Cheltenham in their 'barn'.

I really liked the evening though I had to leave early - but I did get up and read 🙂 I also put flyers out for WoPoWriMo 🙂

I was incredibly nervous about this night as it was full of people who like study poetry and things - again the only thing I could speak authoritively on was Interzone and their submitting process :/

100 Stories For Haiti (by sarah)

I found about four hours before the deadline that there was a 100 stories for Haiti book project asking for submissions to help raise money for the earthquake victims.

So I hurriedly altered one of my stories and sent it too them last night - I was first stuck with a feeling that I wouldn't have anything to give them as they didn't want anything with Death, violence etc... it was the death one that stumped me - all the stories I have with the nice happy endings are ghost stories which were obviously out.

Anyway I found something and sent it off!

I had actually already mentioned something like this project as a possible money raiser after an argument about writing stories about the crisis itself.

Now I would encourage writing about suck heavy subjects as I feel they all to often get swept aside but I also feel you have to be careful and think before you fictionalise such a thing. Why? Becuase it would be easy to trivualise it.

How can you fictionalise a crisis why it is still going on? Unless you have actually been being there helping and are fictionalising your own experience - you need to research it or you will just get it all wrong. And I feel uneasy about writing about it whilst it is still a crisis - Apparently people felt helpless and wanted to show they cared - my reaction to this was simply - make an ebook of other stories and sell it to raise money then.

I'm not sure why I had such a strong reaction to this but Alaric thinks the same way too - he thinks you can't really fictionalise something like this until a yr or so afterwards.

Anyway they have now extended the deadline so if you have a story under 1000 words you might want to donate it 🙂

WoPoWriMo – World Poetry Writing Month (by sarah)

I am organising and taking part in WoPoWriMo which means that I have been setting up the web-site and facebook group and newsletter sign up and what have you.

Why am I doing this? Because I was asked too! And it sounds like a fun project:)

What will I be doing and expecting others to do?

Write a poem a day for the whole of February!

There is a Pledge to sign too 🙂

So you going to join in? I've even go Alaric pledged and excited - yes you heard me Alaric writing poetry!

Poetry Cafe – Adam Horovitz (by sarah)

Last night at Poetry Cafe one of the main poetry thingys I have been attending we had a blinding headline poet called Adam Horovitz. During his reading I got the chill and the tingle and so actually parted with cash for a pamphlet containing a poem that made me want to cry.

The Great Unlearning.

Know if you know me - you also know that I basically don't buy poetry - unless there is a contributors copy where I don't have to pay postage and packaging I don't even have copies of my own poems - I don't buy the journals or anything. I am basically a culture thicky, the scientist ingressing and yes I don't read much poetry - this is because I will only bother reading something where I have heard some of the poems and have had the tingle.

Anyway I am digressing as I always do!

Basically I really liked this guys poems and I got to read too 🙂 In the open mic! I read Alphabet Soup and Summer Sale - though I felt very fatigued yesturday and had trouble not shaking which sucked big time and I felt it reflected in how well I read 🙁

I also got to announce WoPoWriMo (World Poetry Writing Month) which I need to do a whole post about but basically - February is the month of poetry and the month of poetry is February.

It's a writing challenge - if your intrested do click through to have a butchers 🙂

Also next month I am going to be doing a mini showcase at Poetry Cafe of my work. I am of course excited about this and hope that some peeps might actually want to come and see me 🙂

Burnt Face Man (by sarah)

I am actually married to Burnt Face Man it would appear!

Though the initially burns after the cooling water treatments didn't look too bad - half way through yesturday Alaric started to look really rough with some sort of ichor type stuff oozing from various places on his face.

So we made a sojourn out to get a cooling cream - mainly it is his hand that's hurting him though and hampering typing.

I am now wondering if I should have called him an ambulance when it happened as perhapse they would have given him more treatment and he'd be looking less rough :/ The other thing is I am alittle concerned about infection getting in but am hoping the cream will help with that.