Sorry, We're Still Closed

I made a promise to myself... that I would blog more often... that I would read more often... that I would review more often.

Alas, the summer has passed by, and every opportunity I received to do all of the aforementioned tasks were swatted away like a fly on the hottest summer day.

Hopefully things shall change once the Fall semester begins... once I have stuff to write about... once I am inspired.

I plan to spend many of my days enjoying the peace of my apartment, the relaxation of parks, and the exhilaration of hiking. Perhaps nature, as the sublime, will empower and spark my imagination so that I can start writing again!

Currently Working on... Genetic Effect, on Loop

Below is an excerpt from a poem i'm currently working on. 

In Finas Res: Sword of Armageddon...

It's taken me about a week to get through Mathews last installment in the New Kid trilogy: Sword of Armageddon. I'm not sure why it is taking me so long. The other two books in the series took me approximately 2-3 days to complete.

According to my Kindle, I have 93% of the book complete. This means I am reaching what I would consider the climax of the book, as well as the series' climax. Even though I recognize this, there is no force motivating me to finish the book. For example, I'm sitting here now, typing away ABOUT the text on my inability to produce inertia and finish the book rather than actually doing so. The connection I once felt for this book, that connection that propelled me to continue reading even after reading those negative reviews about Mathews writing style and the book's endorsement of provincial cliches, has been subdued by indolence and distraction: i'd rather do nothing than finish this text; i'd prefer to do anything else rather than sit down and read what I am anticipating to be a prolonged disappointment.

Am I getting tired of Mathew's writing style?

Has the illustrious New Kid, low-key demon hunter, Will Hunter, become boring and predictable?

I guess you'll find out in my upcoming review!

P.S. Please forgive my Latin!

Starting....

The Sword of Armageddon (The New Kid) by Temple Mathews. 
I'm moving in for the home stretch! I am now starting the final installment of the New Kid trilogy. A collective review will follow my completion of this series.

father's neglect

check out my poetic (re)form in my peom "father's neglect!" more revisions to come!

Ode to Imagery and Form

Currently Inspired by:

Evie Shockley's The New Black

Imagery! Imagery! Imagery!

I scream these words at myself constantly whenever I review my creative work. Imagery is one of the most rudimentary elements of literary form. However, my creative writing endeavors have been lacking greatly in this department. My focus, when writing, tends to gravitate towards diction and its manipulation: utilizing wordplay, irony, and allegory in order to convey and negotiate particular thematic stances.

Form! Form! Form!

To be a radical and noteworthy force within the poetic community, one must take a number of liberties when creating their poetic form and style (poetic signature). Readers of poetry have increasingly become more fascinated with the mutation of classical form through the development of modern modalities and interventions, as well as contemporary formal aspirations. However, similar to imagery, I seem to continually overlook form.

---

Therefore, I shall be dedicating this summer to the exploration of creative license: 
my creative license. 
A goal of mine shall be to create a number new 
pieces, or work on revisions of old works, which will reflect my 
attempts at intervening in my own creative stagnancy. 
I wish to ensure that my form and tropes reflects the historical, 
social, and political context and content of my work. 
I wish for my rhetoric to be considered worthy.
Part of this 
will include doing lengthy research on the multitude of forms that 
currently exist and how writers use them; 

on the other                                                                          hand, 

this process 

will also require me to experiment with                                                                                       fo-

rm 

in 
my 

own 

individualized way. 

(poetic) stanzaic reform
allowing me 

to mirror what i see,
to digest it
--test it,
convert it,
 transform it.

(poetic) stanzaic reform! (poetic) stanzaic reform! 
(poetic) stanzaic reform! (poetic) stanzaic reform! 

I will either work on a new piece or a revision everyday. 

INTRINSICALLY, I simply am endeavoring to 


overcome 


overt obstinacy,  

the most difficult challenge I've faced 

as a literary artist. My triumph shall considerably 

improve my work, as well as my understanding 

of the creative writing process. I am confident 

that once this is achieved, regardless of the esteem 

that my writing does/does not evoke, I will consider 

myself a successful creative righter. 

These are my artistic shortcomings.
Lets see how this goes!

Breathing Genius into the Spectrum of Literary Excellence: George R. R. Martin Exhales

Artist: Bryan K. Stites

Winter is coming...
Notice the stab of the stag's antler.
Ours is the Fury, still.
--

I recently begun reading Game of Thrones. As an avid fan of the HBO television series, I have been waiting to peel open the pages of the written tale and engulf myself in Martin's genius. 

I have only completed about 15% of the first book of the series, or so my Kindle says, and I can honestly state that Martin MUST be deemed one of the Greats of contemporary fiction. Before this literary adventure, there was just Tolkien and Rowling. Now, as the realms of Westeros and the Free Cities latch themselves to my heart, I find myself chanting: Tolkien, Rowling, Martin... Tolkien, Rowling, Martin...

May their words forever immortalize their worlds.

Back at It: Short Story Production

One key fact about myself is that I have commitment issues. Lets face it: my relationship history proves this, my activity on this blog proves this, and my list of completed literary works proves this.

HOWEVER! I am determined to change.

As I type away at this short story I am writing for my Black Women Writers final project, I cannot help but become saddened by the fact that I have not completed any type of fictional work since I was a child, which I wasn't able to even write independently. Each work that I have started, other than poems, have been unfinished and poorly developed.

While I understand that writing is not for everyone, as well as that it may not be for me, I believe that I need to start anew and actually finish those projects that I begin, regardless of their effectiveness or if it is deemed unworthy of publication.

Therefore, I am making a promise to myself, today and right now, that I will finish every piece of literature that I have begun in the past. I also swear to myself that I will seek out new literary endeavors and complete them successfully. Lastly, I promise to make detailed and up-to-date posts regarding my experiences, discussions, issues, and review of the work.

Starting tomorrow, my social presence will be noticed, whether for the better or worst. Until then, I shall continue to recreate, dissect, and perpetuate the messages constructed and communicated by Toni Morrison in her novel Paradise. I am sure I will be working on this assignment for the remainder of the night in addition to some time tomorrow. As soon as I am finished and have submitted the final project to my professor, a new entry will be posted both here and at A Readers Cavern 

Ruby's Harvest: a Literary Response to Toni Morrison's Paradise

I decided to continue the story created by Toni Morrison by examining the way in which the Disallowing had changed over the town’s history in my short story "Ruby's Harvest." Taking place in Ruby 50 years after the massacre at the convent, the story focuses on three girls who meet a similar, untimely demise because of their inquisitive natures. Nevertheless, these characters are used solely to provide a deeper analysis of the violent nature of the Morgan family and the consequences for a "Rubian" not behaving obsequiously.

After reading Morrison’s novel, I could not help but question why a "family" previously determined to keep everyone safe—a family that underscored communal responsibility—was able to destroy those who their ancestors previously sought out to protect. Moreover, why no one aimed to help protect their neighbors. My story projects Ruby as a town no longer under the influence or protection of its founding fathers but a town of oppression that enforces Steward’s influences and expectations of conformity.

My story also aims to highlight the immortality of the Haven mission. Where Steward Morgan becomes the guardian of Ruby, Oklahoma, Ruby Morgan becomes the protector of Haven, keeping it alive for those in the afterlife, anchoring Haven to the land in which it was originally founded on. Ruby preserves the original mission and reopens Haven as a sanctuary for those souls that were harmed by the wayward actions of the Morgan family. As a result, I believe that I demonstrate Ruby to be a town that abandoned its original vision and submitted to Steward’s reign and influence, which is what allows all of the murders to go unchecked and un-investigated. The people submit and continue to submit until they lose their sense of individuality and their capacity to stimulate change. Essentially, the community’s submission sanctions Steward’s actions in Paradise and Joey’s in this short story, making each person in Ruby an accessory to murder and the cause of the town's stagnancy.