crowdfunding | Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, September 8 (Reply)

This is an advance announcement for the September 2009 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "folk tales." (Traditional folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, legends, etc. from any culture count. Alien or fantasy cultures are eligible if you can match them to this theme somehow or suggest what their folk tale poetry would include.) I'll be soliciting ideas for folk heroes, scoundrels, symbolism, notable weapons or tools, apcryphal history, social rules or gaffes, morals, traditional plots, modern retellings, pastoral settings, modern analogs of traditional settings, and poetic forms in particular.

If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog.

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.

I'm going to host a Poetry Fishbowl on my blog on Tuesday, September 8. I'll be soliciting ideas for folk heroes, scoundrels, symbolism, notable weapons or tools, apcryphal history, social rules or gaffes, morals, traditional plots, modern retellings, pastoral settings, modern analogs of traditional settings, and poetic forms in particular. Chances are I'll spend a good chunk of the day, from afternoon to evening or more, alternating between this site and doing stuff offline so my back doesn't weld itself to the chair. I will post at least one of the resulting fishbowl poems on the blog for everyone to enjoy. The rest will be available for audience members to buy, and whatever's left over will go into my archive for magazine submission.

If you enjoy my poetry -- or if you just love poetry in general, or want to promote interest in folk tales -- please mark the fishbowl date on your calendar. Drop by and give me some ideas, comment on the posted poetry, encourage people to come look, whatever tickles your fancy. I hope to see you then!