I have been aiming to make another of these substacks. Frankly its intimidating how well-thought-out so many of these are. I considered airing my thoughts on private property vs. common spaces. I considered sharing poems, but I do that over at Patreon for paying patrons.
By the plan of a year ago I’d have am online poetry course up by now but that hasn’t happened. I have got a manuscript out to publishers, had 3 manuscripts out to test readers, did some manuscript editing, had manuscript editing done, coordinated a Haiku Canada haiku contest, chaired a meeting of a new year as president of Friends of Wakefield Library. I also volunteer at the charity shop, Rupert Treasures and at the Wakefield Library front desk. I’m a first reader at Arc and until recently was a membership committee person at the League of Canadian Poets.
Oh dear, I better stop. Listing it is starting to give me flashback fatigue. Ah, but in the energizing sector, I aim to walk or snowshoe for a half hour or hour a day.
And I’ve been collaboratively designing an app that I would want to use. Brian is doing the code for Writebulb, our app. As in games apps or exercise apps it tracks progress, time spent, and gives little digital candy to encourage.
I’ll loop back to that and tell you more.
3 Books
I’m reading about a book or chapbooks every 2 days on average this year, so about 44 so far, 8 of those read aloud and/or audio books. You can see my full book lists at Instagram as well as #TodaysPoem. Perhaps in a future post I’ll make my fav poetry picks but my overall favourites are these:
Oldie but goodie: The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. A man from the moon visits the old planet his ancestors left after centuries in a separate communistic society. Warning, it will make other novels kinda look like thin action & adventure episodes. This dislocates our assumptions about how people think of themselves within the society.
The Last Unsuitable Man by Louise Carson (Signature, 2022) is a cosy murder mystery like I’ve never read, firmly housed in the feminist. Each character, even the passing one, is complex and believable. It keeps going through my mind for weeks.
An Immense World by Ed Yong is the second of his books, this on the sensory worlds of other species. Unlike most biology book it doesn’t start from the premise that animals are automatons but creatures that perceive, react and learn. Best science for general readership I’ve read. Move over, Secret Life of Trees.
3 YouTube channels:
Following people’s slow and alternate life lives
Jonna Jinton painting in Sweden, making jewelry, playing with her dog Nanook, enjoying polar dips, northern lights and the holiness of life. (6 millions viewers)
Martin Doolaard is rebuilding a medieval stone house in Italy, remaking every item himself from wood or stone, cooking outdoors and living in his tent through winter. (nearly 5 million viewers)
Noraly at Itchy Boots has left BC and Alaska and has started season 7 motorcycling alone through west Africa (1.5 million viewers)
3 Podcasts
I’m still, and may always be, sensitive to screens post-concussion. Instead of having the phone effetively implanted and online at any time day or night 7 days a week, I have a couple hour a day when I use them and only weekdays. Everything has to fit in there. Podcasts are immensely helpful when the brain can’t brain yet doesn’t want to do nothing. Reliably interesting:
99 Percent Invisible with Roman Mars delights in sharing overlooked todbits of history and design, whether octagonal windows, when Women’s basketball changed for the worse claiming equity, or the practice of first errand of child in Japan.
Infinite Monkey Cage pairs 3 hard core scientists with 1 stand up comedian to talk about Black Matter or the Mars Rover or Exoplanets. Reliably high energy.
The Allusionist with Helen Zaltzman spackles in the cracks of language, whether about the Dickens Festival, the commonness of first names, or how the self-help movement became commercial.
3 Apps for writers
Hemmingway Editor helps you see awkward constructions, passive voice, adverbs taht snuck in from somewhere.
RhymeZone is a thesaurus rhyming dictionary but online. Great when you are stuck for a slant rhyme.
Writebulb for iPhone. [I agree, that’s not a link, yet.] With a choice of 3 unique fresh prompts for poetry (or fiction) from over 900, you can keep your writing going, keep inspired and win awards for time, streaks or word count. Build your writing discipline and skills. Email to try a pre-release app that Brian and I have building. Email and we’ll set you up.
Okay, give me a shout of what you’re up to and about, and if you might want to give Writebulb a try.
Pearl