crowdfunding | Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, June 7 2011

This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, June 7 2011 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "alternative sexuality and gender studies." I'll be soliciting ideas for characters of nonstandard sex/gender, odd couples (or moresomes), alien sexes, extra genders, sexual orientations and choices, cultures with more than two gender roles, ways in which sex/gender affects plot, scenes that highlight differences in the way each sex or gender handles a situation, locations where sex/gender is relevant or is declared by where someone goes, how cultures handle sex and gender, and poetic forms in particular.

If you're not familiar with alternative sexuality, that's all the stuff outside the middle of the bell curve in terms of preferred partner(s) and activities. Gender studies is the exploration of how sex, sexual orientation, and gender role influence individuals and cultures. What counts? If you have to ask, it probably counts. Queer characters, asexuality, nonhumans with different reproduction, deities with strange mating habits, all are welcome. I lean towards positive portrayals, but if you're itching to see an awesome LGBTQA villain or a scenario where norms are oppressed, I can accommodate that too.

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, June 7. I'll be soliciting ideas for thematic characters, objects, plots, 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.

Perks: I will post at least one of the resulting fishbowl poems on the blog for everyone to enjoy, and an extra one if there's at least one new prompter or donor. The rest will be available for audience members to buy, and whatever's left over will go into my archive for magazine submission. If donations total $150+ then I'll write an extra series poem after the Poetry Fishbowl, and post it for free. Everyone will get to vote which series gets a new poem. This month's donors will get some kind of input into the poem's content, such as prompts.

If you enjoy my poetry -- or if you just love poetry in general, or want to promote interest in alternative sexuality and gender studies -- 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!