The Weekly Word

vesper   /ˈvɛspər/
–noun
1. the evening star, esp. Venus; Hesper.

2. Also called vesper bell . a bell rung at evening.

3. vespers, ( sometimes initial capital letter ) Ecclesiastical .

a. a religious service in the late afternoon or the evening.

b. the sixth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it, occurring in the late afternoon or the evening.

c. Roman Catholic Church . a part of the office to be said in the evening by those in major orders, frequently made a public ceremony in the afternoons or evenings of Sundays and holy days.

d. evensong.

4. Archaic . evening.

Published Poems Page

I've just added one of my poems to the Published Poems page, so go check it out! The title of it came from one of my dreams and a it's a complete nonsense poem.

Open Mic Night

Last night I went to my first open mic night. Ever. Strange for a writer, right? It's really hard to believe that I had never been to one of these before last night. But there I was, pressed between sweating bodies under the dim glow of colored lights, listening to young lesbians singing about heartbreak, English majors reading poetry, prospective students giving anecdotes about their experiences.

The crowd was wildly enthusiastic, cheering with abandon before and after every act, encouraging the nervous ones and feeding the total hams' sense of applauded joy. Holding my scalding cup of mango tea, watching each act and the happiness everyone exuded, I was inspired to read something of my own.

But I had none of my work with me.

So I wrote something on the spot. Something I wanted to perform as the last act, as a conclusion to the wonderful night, as my tribute the loss of my Open Mic Night virginity. It wasn't the best thing I'd ever written, but it was heartfelt. So here it is:

Café Hoop

Fluorescent murals dimly lit
by Halloween lights
violet and vermilion
mingling with plush sofas
inflatable turtles
and a pacman machine
still beeping with rusty determination.

The place where rainbows frolic
and no one is afraid to taste them
tangy and sweet on their tongues
like the mango tea
and Swedish Fish
girls eat at lacquered tables,
mugs resting on worn collages
of long-forgotten memories.

On Open Mic Night it fills
like a heart,
pulsing with love,
for the community it holds.



Unfortunately, the multiple acts ran late, and the Open Mic Night had to finish before I had a chance to step up to the mic. Oh, well. I'll just have to wait till the next time I go to an Open Mic Night there. I wouldn't miss another Open Mic for the world.

Rosi and the Ghost Train

I just recently wrote a short play based on a German picture book, and I'm currently in the process of editing it. It's called "Rosi and the Ghost Train". I'll post the final version on the "Short Plays" page.

Be sure to check it out, and if you want to perform it, just let me know. I may be directing a production of it this summer, so I'll keep you updated on its progress.

Denied!

Today I got my poetry submission to Devil Blossoms returned. . .apparently the magazine doesn't exist anymore. Awesome. One magazine down, three to go.

Missing

Today I went looking for two new books to read: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown and Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue. I read about them on the Lesbrary ( lesbrary.wordpress.com ) and thought they sounded pretty interesting, so I went to my town library to find them. I wasn’t surprised to hear that they didn’t have Kissing the Witch, but when I found out they didn’t have Rubyfruit Jungle, I was astonished. Such a classic work of literature, by such a famous author, should be owned by most libraries, especially one that has four extensive floors of books like the one I visited does.

So I went to the bookstore in my town. Before directly asking for the books, I decided to do some investigating on my own. I found Rita Mae Brown, and guess what? They had almost every book by her EXCEPT Rubyfruit Jungle. I would be lying to say I was surprised. More like angry. Because it made me wonder. . .was this book missing on purpose? Were they censoring its content by choosing not to sell it?

Then I wondered if the library was doing the same thing. Despite its inclusion of several lesbian fiction books, it seemed odd to me that it would have Annie on My Mind and Fingersmith, and not Rubyfruit Jungle, a novel by a much more well-known author. Of course, my library also has no DVD of Titanic, so I don’t feel so offended. Maybe it was stolen, or somebody lost it.

But the bookstore is a different story. It’s not the first bookstore that lacks any lesbian fiction. You really have to make an effort to find any, and if you don’t know the titles in the first place, it’s nearly impossible. I don’t know if this is just because it’s not that popular, or because most people self-consciously order online, or if it’s a form of subtle discrimination that’s still lingering in the minds of even the most literature-oriented. But these are books that should not be missing. Especially not from a library shelf.

Tales from Dreamland Update

Part I of my first story in the "Tales from Dreamland" series is up. It's called "Scaredy-Cat" and it's based on a dream I had a few years ago. Check it out!