To make sens of the world as it stands right now, we must look at it slantways, sideways, and upside down, I think. And what better way to achieve that than by immersing ourselves in the most bizarre representations of the world? It also just so happens that these bizarre representations are post-apocalyptic, as well. …
‘Stuck at home’ day 4: Wicked dreams
On this the fourth day of our enforced isolation, I am given to queer musings, so I have chosen an equally queer theme. Thus, I give you... Day 4: Wicked dreams. Book: Catherynne M. Valente, Palimpsest This novel, originally published in 2009, tells the story of those whose one heartfelt desire is to reach and live in Palimpsest, …
‘Stuck at home’ suggestions day 3: Dystopia
It's looking increasingly like dystopia from where I'm standing, so I will honour this mood by marking my theme for day 3: dystopia. Today, I'm sticking with yesterday's book, film, and computer game combo, and I'll bring you an amalgam of scenarios of how things can – and, historically, have – gone wrong. Book: Yevgeny Zamyatin, We …
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‘Stuck at home’ suggestions day 2: Dreaming of the sea
I love the sea, and I also happen to live by the sea, so all of my suggestions for today revolve around the seaside. Perhaps this is also due to the fact that I'm currently reading another book in which the sea is a central figure: Death and the Seaside by Alison Moore. (So far …
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‘Stuck at home’ suggestions day 1: Modern Gothic
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold, and I'm stuck at home for the most part, like most people hereabouts. Cabin fever threatens to take over, so I've decided that, for as long as I'm able, I will try to contribute something positive by starting a series of "daily culture suggestions". How this works: every …
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NaPoWriMo/ GloPoWriMo 2019: Day 29
I can't believe that I have almost reached the end of this year's poetry-writing challenge! Tomorrow, I'll have to find a way to celebrate, but for now, here's my next-to-last poem of the month! Once more, I followed the daily prompt, which suggested that we write a meditative poem. Mine is inspired by my uneasy …
NaPoWriMo/ GloPoWriMo 2019: Days 25–28
Playing catch-up again, because this is my life. 😀 Sometimes it feels like a juggler walking a thin rope through fog. Anyway, here's my "debt" of four poems! For day 25, I wrote a poem about stained glass, for which I have a very healthy (I do assure you!) obsession. Stained Glass Whom do these …
NaPoWriMo/ GloPoWriMo 2019: Day 24
Today, the optional prompt suggested that we get inspired by an encyclopaedia in writing our poems. And since this is the very Encyclopaedia Vanitatum – the encyclopaedia of worthless, transient things – the prompt fit like a glove. And so today's poem was written sub specie aeternitatis – considering timelessness. Sub Specie Aeternitatis Gromphadorhina portentosa Dionaea muscipula Achatina …
NaPoWriMo/ GloPoWriMo 2019: Day 23
Today's prompt encouraged us to write a poem about an animal, which was an excellent excuse for me to to write about a cockroach for the first time! I dedicate this one to my patient hissers, Kafka and Rilke. The Cockroach He burrows, searching for the trail left him by his ancestors, alive with the warning …
NaPoWriMo/ GloPoWriMo 2019: Days 19 to 22
Hold on tight, fairies and sprites! Today, to catch up on my NaPoWriMo backlog, much neglected after three full days of travel and uproar, I give you four poems born out of a sleep-deprived brain! For day 19, a poem about states of emergency. Emergency Measure This is not a drill: gather your thoughts and …
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Encyclopaedia Vanitatum 