simplicity inspires creativity

Often I’ll wander into my garden for inspiration. I clipped this peach gladiola right before today’s thunderstorm. Creativity sparks and snaps causing synapses to swirl in my head as I type.

But a few days ago, I came across a salacious source, YOU.

Readers’ comments spurred a new poem.

I was hoping to share it with my poetry group tonight, but I’m still way too tired from gluten gluttony earlier in the week.

Once they critique it, I know they’ll find some things for me to tweak and strengthen. But it can wait. Poems, with age, improve.

What’s inspiring your creativity today?

 

Top Twos-Day: Deadlines loom.

Nominations are open for those movers and shakers in the library sphere, “…who are moving our libraries ahead. The 2015 Movers and Shakers will be highlighted in the March 15 issue of Library Journal.” Details…

Speaking of open, ARTlines2 is a juried ekphrastic poetry competition accepting submissions between now and November 30, 2014, and may be made in one of two age categories: Adult (ages 20+) or Teen (ages 13–19). More information…

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Top Twos-Day: It’s Settled, NOT!

Apple reached a settlement, $400 million in a civil lawsuit to civilians. Wait, no, they didn’t…wait, court says they did! But they have an appeal, and they may be sent to a lower court for a lesser fine. Only Bingo needs more marks on the score card! “New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman called the potential settlement a ‘major victory,’ adding that ‘this settlement proves that even the biggest, most powerful companies in the world must play by the same rules as everyone else.’“ Don’t put your markers up just yet. More from NPR…

Did you hear about the controversy over the chosen North Carolina Poet Laureate? ‘Tis over now, she resigned. Just up the road from me, in Raleigh, NC, Governor Patrick McCrory appointed self-pubbed author Valerie Macon, a state worker, to the prestigious position, without consulting literati. “Critics had questioned the resume quoted in the governor’s news release about her appointment. The release said she had won an honor as a distinguished regional poet, when in fact, Macon later said she had only been mentored by such an award-winning poet.” McCrory claimed he didn’t know the selection process, and just asked his staff who they would consider viable candidates. Keyword: STAFF! Southern gaff or sound strategy? You decide, ABC has the story…

Can’t round out the threesy without mentioning the controversy at Kindle (you know there is one), with their competitive monthly reading program: Kindle Unlimited. NY Times states, “News of Kindle Unlimited was reported earlier this week, when Amazon accidentally posted a promotional video for the subscription model. The video was quickly taken down from Amazon’s website, but not before technology bloggers noticed.” Old news right? Publishers partnering with ebook services? What’s new? Absent are the big 5: Macmillan, Hatchette, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House (remember the merger? Refresher ). Digital Book World says, “Amazon is testing an all-you-can-read subscription ebook service to compete with firms like Scribd and Oyster, according to multiple blogs, citing Web pages on Amazon.com that have now been removed. The service…has over 600,000 titles for $9.99 a month, many from Amazon Publishing and Kindle Direct Publishing, the self-publishing arm of Amazon.” Read more…

Lastly, just announced: Free New Yorker content for YOU and YOU and EVERYONE! “Call it a summer-long free-for-all. Non-subscribers will get a chance to explore The New Yorker fully and freely, just as subscribers always have.” Details on their site: down six paragraphs for the announcement here…

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Sunday Funny: It’s the Dad Life!

Happy Father’s Day!

 

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Top Twos-Day: Writing Opportunities!

I’m so late in posting this that I can’t even say it’s Tuesday somewhere. However, after yet another trip to the vets in the early evening, and more meds, Hawthorne, our most expensive new adoptee, is home and we await bloodwork results.

Not Top Two, see how it pays to show up late and look fabulous? Do you hear the quartet, playing your song?

Submissions for an anthology, Out of Many, Multiplicity and Divisions in America Today, is open and “will showcase emerging writers for an emerging generation. Possible multipliers or dividers may include ideology, religion, class, race, gender, sex, sexuality, ethnicity, culture, language, generation, color, nationality, aesthetics. This list is far from exhaustive, and could be seen as merely suggestive. What matters most is the power of your story: the bigness of its heart, the freedom of its language, and the beauty of its vision.” Call issued by City University of New York, deadline is July 23, 2014. Info…

Up for a fan fiction competition? Author Hugh Howey and eBook soundtrack company Booktrack have partnered with Wattpad, Writer’s Digest and Indaba Soundtrack to offer The Hugh Howey Booktrack & Wattpad Fan Fiction Contest. “Fans can write and soundtrack an original fan fiction story based on Howey’s novel Half Way Home, to be posted on both Booktrack and Wattpad, to be in to win from a $20,000 prize pool. Another way to win The Hugh Howey Booktrack Competition is through the Audio Contest, which gives fans the chance to soundtrack a chapter of Half Way Home.” Contest ends July 31, 2014. More…

Poet? “Cherry Castle Publishing seeks poetry submissions regarding songs for a passbook torch, an anthology dedicated to Nelson Mandela. All work submitted should have some relationship to Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, the Mandela family, and/or the past and present fight for racial justice in South Africa. Currently reading July through September 30, 2014. However note, “The submission period for this anthology is currently open ended. Decisions for inclusion in the anthology will be made on a rolling basis.” Details (on page, click on submissions at top right menu)…

Educator, or work in the field of education? The Teacher’s Voice: A Literary Magazine for Poets and Writers in Education is now accepting submissions: “We consider unpublished poems, flash fiction, flash creative nonfiction, flash plays, flash experimental. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but we must be notified immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere. Send up to 5 pages of poetry or prose pieces no longer than 1500 words (but think shorter! micro! prose poetry). A cover letter is very much appreciated: are you a teacher, administrator, parent, student, librarian, custodian, coach, security officer, etc?
[Writers and] Readers should note that because we produce theme issues that require enough relevant pieces to be compiled, our publishing schedule and format may vary from year to year.” Full post…

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Top Twos-Day: Reading Gift!

Saturday is free comic book day! Tips on how to best participate in the mad rush at Mediabistro…

‘Nuf said!

 

 

Speaking of reading, over at Bid4papers you’ll find helpful writing tips, quotes (like the one below) and this infographic…

 

”Many famous writers, singers, politicians, and even movie characters prove the fact of reading’s great influence on people’s mind: if you take a look at their bookshelves, you’ll definitely be surprised.”
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Top Twos-Day: Sunscribe and Freelance Opportunities!

Well the big day is here…Sunscribe has launched! We are in the midst of our campaign, and we’d love for you to help spread the word. Here’s a link to the newsletter, inSCRIBE. If you aren’t signed up to receive our next one, coming out March 30, you’ll miss our giveaway party! What are we offering? *Eyebrow raise* don’tcha know I can’t divulge the details yet, but soon! Who is Sunscribe¹? A traditional-type cutting-edge publishing company with three imprints: Dancing Squirrel Press™ our Children’s Picture Book through Young Adult imprint, Java Creek™ our Nonfiction and Poetry imprint, and Sandalwood Press™ our Fiction imprint. Are you interested in freelance editing? Find out more here. Artist, illustrator or digital graphics your specialty? Information and details…

Next up, another opportunity to freelance, for ladies only. No, we’re still talking writing, okay? This one is with a conglomeration of blogs about social subjects for women. Not just shoes, or baby clothes, but real issues. Blog Her’s motto is Life Well Said. And they offer paying affiliate slots for bloggers who maintain their standards for content and comments. “We are an organically grown community—reaching 100 million women each month, including 60 million blog readers alone*—based on trust, and built with handcrafted, custom content programs that celebrate women as well as brands.” Want to join their community? Word has it that the approval process has a waiting list, so don’t be discouraged. Application info…

*Nielsen Site Census, May 2013

¹Sunscribe and imprints are a division of Silver Sun Publishers, LLC – full disclaimer: I am the CEO, and owner of the company.

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