#poems from an email exchange

[spiderversegf]

POEMS FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE by hanif abdurraqib [ID in ALT]

[haveyoureadthispoem-poll]

"we regret to inform you that Ohio is barely a state / we regret to inform you that the Midwest / is only Chicago / and other places that want to be Chicago"

Read it here | Reblog for a larger sample size!

[janeneighbor]

Hanif Abdurraqib, "Poems From An Email Exchange"

[havingapoemwithyou]

poems from an email exchange by Hanif Abdurraqib

[geryone]

Poems From An Email Exchange, Hanif Abdurraqib

[lunchboxpoems]

from POEMS FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE

Re: Your Submission 11:38pm

Me

to Editor

Respectfully,

Midnight is closing in / isn’t it funny / how only the darkness / is a thing that people say closes in / I come from a state / where there is grass everywhere / it grows out of the walls / it grows out of our hands / it spills from our mouths / any time we speak / I mean to say / that I am actually the garden you are looking for / I mean to say / that I have awaken in the brunch hours / and refused to eat / I am a man of boundaries / there is an hour for pancakes / there is an hour for pizza / in between / there is only hunger / and now we return / to the animal / my friend had an iguana / that would rest on his stomach as he slept / every night / for the sake of warmth / but never for the sake of love / I have had my face pulled away from this closing darkness / and into the light of a computer screen / once again / but this is also not love / I do not confuse necessity for love / I do not confuse hunger / with the need to fill myself / with anything that will have me / I am sorry about Brooklyn / I am sorry about everywhere that is not what it was once / isn’t that so American / I am so sorry about what all of this / has done to your heart.

HANIF ABURRAQIB

[angelofviscera]

on self sacrifice as love

I will mitski / love and pain (also known as vampire) edvard munch / snow and dirty rain richard siken / the kiss eva claessens / garden song phoebe bridgers / in blackwater woods mary oliver / the prodigal returns karen swenholt / rest energy marina abramović / red door julien baker / poems from an email exchange hanif abdurraqib

[jaime-brienne-fic-exchange]

Your enthusiasm continues to surprise and delight us!

For the fourth year, y'all wanted to close out the year with some lovely gifts to fellow fans. It’s a low-key, inclusive exchange meant to celebrate our favourite knights! All fanworks are welcomed (and encouraged!)–art, fic, fanvids, any creative endevour!

Already convinced? Sign up here!

Need more information? Read on!

Important Dates

Signups: November 23rd - November 30th Assignments out: December 1st Posting Window: December 21st - January 1st Stocking Stuffer Prompts Released: December 21st

Rules

This is a low stress exchange, and the rules are simple:

1. You create one (1) fanwork, and receive one (1) fanwork. 2. If you can't complete your gift on time, please let us know as soon as you do! Life happens, but the sooner we know the easier it is to deal with. 3. For recipients: no specific, detailed scenario prompts, only a list of general likes/tropes/vibes and your squicks and triggers. For gifters, we encourage you to sleuth out any questions for your prompter yourself (anonymous tumblr asks are a great option!). If you cannot, reach out to us and we'll do our best to get back to you. 4. Have fun! This is a short period exchange, meant to round out the year with a little extra joy. You don't need to paint the Mona Lisa or write the next Westerosi novel, we promise.

FAQ

1. Who can participate? Anyone! Artists, writers, vidders, poets, interpretive dancers are all welcome! 2. What do I need to do? When you sign up, you’ll provide three general ideas of what you like--tropes, vibes, nothing too specific!--for your creator to work from. Once sign ups close, you’ll be assigned someone and you’ll need to create a fanwork for them based off the information they provided. It could be a short fic, a piece of art, a poem, a vid, an interpretive dance, whatever you like! There is no minimum requirements, but as a rough guideline, think of it as something that would brighten your day if you received it. 3. When do sign-ups open? Signups run from November 23rd to November 30th. It's a short signup period, so make sure you don't miss it! 4. What if I can't finish something in time? Please send us an email at jbficexchange@gmail.com to let me know and we'll do what we can to either let your recipient know you'll be a little late, or organise someone else to backfill. 5. Does my fanwork have to be festive themed? Definitely not. You'll just be publishing it, or posting it, or uploading it in between December 21st and January 1st. 6. Will my prompts be private? No, they will be released to everyone on the 21st to allow for the Stocking Stuffers. This will be open for anyone to contribute to, not just the people who participate in the main exchange. 7. When is the posting window again? Between December 21 and January 1.

Important Notes:

You must have an AO3 account to participate. If you do not have an AO3 account, you can either request one via the AO3 website or email us at jbficexchange@gmail.com

If you have any questions, please email us at jbficexchange@gmail.com. This will be a tight turnaround for signups–about a week–so get in quick if you’re interested!

Signups close end of day November 30th!

[schuylerpeck]

(2/30: After Hanif Abdurraqib’s “Poems From An Email Exchange”)

instagram: hiitssky

[familyabolisher]

do you have any favorite quotes or passages from the locked tomb series?

mmm i don’t really think about prose in terms of “quotes” (not trying to sound like a snob i just find it difficult to make value judgments about a piece of writing when it’s isolated from its broader context!) but i think some of my fav bits of prose in the series are:

like, the whole of john 1:20, but especially the creation of alecto—’from my blood and bone and vomit i conjured up a beautiful labyrinth to house you in, i was terrified you’d find some way to escape before i was done,’ ‘adam and eve, galatea, barbie, frankenstein’s monster with long yellow hair,’ ‘i hid you in me i hid me in you’ etc. just a really really good sequence lmao.

the couple of parts of the john chapters where tm drops the monologuing conceit to have john & harrowlecto do some like rapid-fire dialogue (‘“[...] i couldn’t do a damned thing” / “so what did you do” / “a damned thing, didn’t i” / “i still love you” / “you always say that, harrowhark”’; ‘“do you remember what you said to me once i had done it? when we stood here together? / “yes” / “you said, i picked you to change and this is how you repay me?” / “what else did i say?” / “you said, what have you done to me? i am a hideousness” / “what else did i say?” / “where did you put the people? where did they go?” / “i still love you” / “you said that too”’) are really good.

the final few pages of nona before the epilogue where alecto’s memories start bleeding through into the present-day action (and the splicing of kiriona killing crux with the entry into the tomb + alecto’s memories of entombment … Screaming and throwing up) have some good turns of phrase—’the scrap of black-eyed meat had asked for it—the chain of a kiss: the ice that burnt the flesh of the mouth that had stuck to the mouth that was frozen. the teardrop on the hand. the hand that john had fashioned.’; ‘most human voices sounded alike, after all. they were not beautiful. the waters parted for her and it became possible to walk, crunching through the bones at the bottom. the bones at the bottom; what did they make her think of?’ ‘the terrible face with the terrible arms and legs and the terrible middle part, the terrible hair, and the terrible ears: the nose too short, the ears too brief. [...] her own edge had been pushed out, her swinging edge, her toy.’ walking a VERY fine line between lyrical and overwritten and actually landing it. 

really fond of varun the eater and nonalecto’s exchanges—’green thing, green-and-breathing thing, big ghost, the drinker, transformed, what will you eat now? where will your body go? what did he do to you to make you this way? [...] they are coming out of their tower, salt thing. i will pull their teeth. i will make it blank for you.’ REALLY goes. ‘what did he do to you to make you this way’ immediately after asking nona if she ‘loves’ and nona saying ‘ i don’t know what it means, did i ever know what it meant?’ and ‘john loves alecto, john needs alecto’ as the thing that forces alecto’s ‘return’ of sorts … every day i get emails

‘the shimmering white figure of the dead kiriona gaia’ is a very satisfying turn of phrase. i am fond of it

nona epigraph poem (‘you told me sleep, i’ll wake you in the morning / i asked what is morning and you said / when everyone who fucked with me is dead’ etc)

some of the language used in gideon to describe canaan house sets off my little fictional house sensibilities so bad. ‘castle that had been killed,’ ‘the look of a picked-at body [...] a beautiful corpse,’ ‘abandoned and breathlessly waited to be used by someone other than time.’ horrid horrid house i love her so much.

arm scene, obviously. incidentally—and this is present throughout harrow but i think i notice it more in scenes like the arm scene—i really enjoy how much harrow moreso than the other two is written in a voice similar to that of lolita, wherein you have a protagonist with an incredibly affected pretension which the narration pokes fun at them for but which also enables a kind of indulgence in pretension even whilst painting it as such. anyway—'an exquisite conglomeration of bone beneath skin and meat, pocketed in the middle with soft treasures of parenchyma and muscle [...] you were able to see her skeleton as though she had shyly undressed herself for you, as though in the orange hues of the daytime light she’d sloughed capillaries and glands off the budding rose of her scapula’; ‘prayed for a woman you loved to assist you in disrobing a woman you did not’ (insane line sorry); ‘the lovely cup of the radius, the forked embrace of the ulna.’ cowards will call it overwritten but not ME i love sex scenes

& finally, the descriptions of alecto in harrow (which, incidentally—something to be said for the text of harrow referring to alecto predominantly as the Body and the text of nona referring to kiriona pretty heavily as the corpse prince—anyway) but especially the ‘that night the body consented to embrace you’ bit spliced in with john bringing up annabel fucking lee for the first time. deranged.

[noa-nightingale]

✨ Gay Oars Project 2024 ✨

I am bringing it back! :D

I started the Gay Oars Project in 2021, continued in 2022 and had to take a break in 2023 for mental health reasons. Now here is the updated version.

What is the Gay Oars Donation Project?

It used to be this: People requested fan art from me, and in exchange donated some money to one of two GoFundMes.

I like drawing but I am always and forever a word person first. So, this time, instead of art, there will be short stories and poems! <3

What do you write?

Anything Watcher and Buzzfeed Unsolved. I specialize in puppets and anthropomorphic foodstuff but I will accept other requests too. Keep it clean, though!

Where are the donations going to and how much do I donate?

Like last time, these are the options:

Tonya Kay’s GoFundMe

GoFundMe for @queerunsolved​‘s mom

You decide how much you want to donate. I am okay with any amount and I won’t judge you for donating a small amount. This is completely up to you.

BUT! If you have another person or charity in mind, please tell me!

How will you know that I really donated?

I would like to think of this as a gentlemen’s agreement, so to speak. I don’t want to ask for excessive proof. When you get a confirmation email for your donation (or similar), a screenshot will be okay (with your personal info blocked out, of course). I really don’t want to make this more complicated than it needs to be.

Is there a minimum age I have to be?

Apologies in advance but you have to be at least 18.

Text first or donation first?

Please don’t donate right away! I probably won’t be able to tell you exactly how long I will take with writing your request - I don’t want anyone to donate and then have to wait for their text/poem.

I will let you know when it is is done, please don’t donate beforehand.

What happens with the text?

I will post it on my tumblr, and you will have permission to re-post it on your own social media (with credit!). Other people do not have permission to re-post it.

Why are you doing this?

I want to help people, and I can’t give a lot of money on my own. The idea here is that we come together to support others.

If you have questions, ask me! I want to keep this as barrier-free and informal as possible. I am not a professional and this is not meant to be a big scary thing, just a little project to help some people out.

Here are some examples of my work:

Gay Oars Poem

Gay Oars Haiku

We're Meant to Be

Gay Oars Fanfiction

But wait! There is more!

I have told Team Watcher about the Gay Oars Project via their p.o. box - I am fairly certain that at least Shane is aware of the project. At the end of the year, I will compile a list of people who participated and send it to the p.o. box again. So here's your chance to be on that list! (Or to tell me not to put you on that list because you don't want to be perceived lol.)

Thanks for reading. Reblogs are very appreciated! 💖

[breaniebree]

Writing Fanfiction in the HP Fandom

Hello All!

This is not something I usually do (i.e. post anything outside of fanfic updates), but I wanted to write a little something about Fandom.

I recently finished reading a book called "Family Don't End With Blood" which was a wonderful collection of essays about people who came together over a love of Supernatural. It included personal moments about the fandom from some of the cast, some of the fans, and some of the people involved in charities or organizations that have stemmed out of the television show and I found it absolutely inspiring! I even teared up a bit (especially reading Jared's chapter). You can find my review on my personal bookstagram brie_reads if you're interested in learning more.

But, I decided that I wanted to just reach out and say something about the idea of fandom and what it means to me because this collection of essays truly inspired me.

I started reading Harry Potter in September of 1999. I was (not to age myself here) 12 years old and my stepmom bought the first three books for my younger brother in an effort to get him more interested in reading. It worked, but I also devoured the books alongside of my brother. I couldn't wait for The Goblet of Fire to come out and fell immediately in love with the characters of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, and Ron Weasley. There were of course other characters I loved, but those ones just meant something to me. I still don't think I can fully explain what it was that first drew them to me, but I was hooked. I began writing fanfiction in 2004/2005, but never really got into publishing my work until almost 2006 after reading Half-Blood Prince and being furious at Harry for breaking up with Ginny (the noble git).

By writing Harry Potter fanfiction, I became involved in a fandom community and it was something I'd never really ventured into before. Sure, I had a chat group about Buffy lovers on ICQ and AOL, but a true fandom was something different. By loving Harry Potter and sharing my love for the stories (and my own fanfic stories) I've made incredible friends. One of my oldest online friends I met through communication boards on Sink Into Your Eyes that delved into email sharing, instant messaging, and more. I've made friends of all ages, some older than me, some younger, and from all over the world.

I've exchanged story ideas with people, discussed possible scenario changes, and laughed and cried over things we loved from the books themselves to other amazing fanfics. I've made some incredible friends and I've unfortunately lost some incredible friends along the way as well -- people who cut me out of their lives due to disagreements or miscommunication -- and I've gained new friends in people who not only love what I write, but actually care what I have to say about funny and pointless things like how I think Harry would react in ridiculous situations.

I joined Harry Potter facebook groups (way back for us oldies when you had to have a university or college id to even have facebook) and followed Harry Potter fandoms on Twitter. I joined Tumblr (and have recently gotten over 1300 followers which is mind blowing to me so thank you) to share in my love of the fandom and have seen the most incredible artwork, read the most beautiful stories and poems, and seen things that make me wonder if we read the same books at all LOL.

But the pure joy of being in a fandom of people who love the same things is unlike anything I've ever experienced anywhere else. Now, as a woman in my mid-30s, I look back and think of how much it has impacted my life. It's opened my creativity. It's helped me grow into myself as a person and accept who I am. It's watched me grow up. The Harry Potter fandom has become something I love even more than the original novels that drew me in.

Like everything, there are toxic parts as well. People who are toxic in their views, in their comments, and in their reviews. People who get close to you, only to break you down. But there are also amazing people who fight back against those toxic vibes and remind all of us why we love the Harry Potter fandom. It's the Harry Potter fandom that made me branch out into liking other fandoms, to show off my inner nerd, and most of all, to come to the realization that even if I don't know your real name and even if we've never met, it doesn't mean we can't bond over a shared interest.

You are appreciated.

You are respected.

You are valid.

You are loved.

That to me is what a Fandom represents.

Be positive. Keep smiling. And most of all, know that this fandom means you are not alone.

Share the love. Thank a creator. Tag a friend who you met because of the fandom and appreciate.

Thank you.

Breanie aka Bree

[the-angriest-author]

Beta Readers?

Hi guys...

I'm looking for someone to read my poetry manuscript. Because the poems are chronicles from my life I can't be objective and I'm not entirely sure how other people will perceive/ take it.

I'm not necessarily looking for in-depth critique, I want to know what 'the people' think. Like just a regular Joe not a professional. If you can't but you know someone who can LET ME KNOW!

I'll forever be in your debt. Or if you wanna do like an "exchange" where I read yours and you read mine I'm willing.

My hope would be to have people of different genders, ages, and races so that I can see how each demographic responds.

The poetry book is called To The Stranger Who Stumbles. And It's 5900 words and 45 poems.

Here's an excerpt:

I Am But a Character for You to Pity

I like to pretend you’re here with me, The reader of these poems.

I like to pretend you stand behind, And your eyes skim the words That my fingers patter onto the keyboard.

I like to pretend I hear your reactions I think your voice drowns out The critical mother That must have things perfectly arranged Or the passive father That must be hard enough to endure But soft enough to be molded.

I like to think I hear your whispers, How does that heart beat so delicately in her chest? What are the words trapped behind the veil?

I like to pretend you’re here with me, So that I might feel less lonely.

Lemme know if you can!

I'll send you an email with the manuscript as well as a Google form to fill out. Even if the feedback is as simple as "It's pretty good I liked it" I'll appreciate it!

PS The book is copyrighted so don't even try to steal my shit

ok luv u

[authorivyljames]

Sapphic poetry ARCs available

If you're interested in reading my sapphic poetry chapbook but can't swing the preorder, I have ARCs available!

Reply here or send me a DM, and I'll email you a free digital copy of The Orange and Pink Sunset in exchange for an honest review.

ABOUT THE CHAPBOOK

The sun has set on what my life used to be, there’s no going back, but that loss allows the stars to shine, and I’m more at home in the moonlight anyway.

In The Orange and Pink Sunset, Ivy L. James weaves a tapestry of her life as a queer woman, from childhood crushes to the labels she’s tried on to religious discrimination. Her raw words express agony and joy in equal measure. She provides a refreshing perspective with an understandable voice, and her narrative style feels like sharing a pot of tea with a close friend. This impactful poetry chapbook is a vulnerable discussion of what it’s like to find herself as a lesbian, and in the end, James chooses love over hate, even in moments of pain.

Content warnings: Some poems touch on the author’s experiences with familial homophobia and religious homophobia. This collection also includes mild adult language, sensual content, and brief violent imagery.

ADVANCE PRAISE

“James’ writing is sweet, candid, and necessary. Her poems tell tales that will undoubtedly be relatable to the queer reader, provoking feelings of sorrow and solidarity both, and gradually fostering a sense of bright, palpable hope. Fresh yet enchantingly familiar, The Orange and Pink Sunset bleeds with authenticity.”

- Rose McCoy, author of When the World Didn’t End

“Exquisite joys & sorrows are laid out before you, like rare gems on an offering table right from the jump.

Bodyblows & massive hooks to the soul & spine on every page, snatching the air out your lungs, bringing you to tears a time or two on moments that hit so so so near to home, but instilling a craving to keep reading.

It ends so sweet, so subtle, so perfect, you go back and read it again. 

In short: Ivy L. James offers here a rapturous sermon in the chapel of Sappho, and we should all be ever so grateful for the privilege to take in The Orange and Pink Sunset. 

Just make sure to bring an offering for Saint Sailor Neptune, won’t you?”

- Clem Flowers, author of I Know Nothing But The Night (Bullshit Lit) & KUDZU (Cowboy Jamboree Press)

[geryone]

Poems From An Email Exchange, Hanif Abdurraqib

[michaeldemiurgossociety]

Reminder about Secret Sword 2: Even Pointier sign ups!

Also, last year we had 20 sign-ups. So far, we have 10, and we are taking applicants/sign-ups until next Friday the 24th, So please, think about signing up and please boost the signal/share!

So, here are the dates first:

Sign ups - From November 12th - November 24th

Assignments sent out on November 26th

Assignments Due on January 6th

Works posted for all to enjoy in the collection on January 13th

Master reveal list on January 20, 2024

**

Second, this is the sign up link:

Please answer EVERY question. Do NOT skip questions in the form. Thank you!

**

Third, rules:

*This is a Michael-centric gift exchange, as a result this is going to have Michael as the primary character or focus in fic, art, videos...etc.

This is an all ship zone. The only exceptions are for ships that might be seen as promoting inappropriate adult/underage relationships or bestiality. Everything else goes. If you don't like it, don't request it or add comments to it when works are revealed.

*The sign up list will ask everyone what their squicks/triggers are. If you have them, please list them. This helps us to appropriately make sure you're paired doing work for someone who matches you and also so you don't have to make something that makes you feel uncomfortable.

*The exchange has two hosts, myself (Legendarytobes) and Dtaina. You need to save our email when we reach out to you with assignments and be open with if stuff comes up. We don't mind, we just want to have enough time to let possible pinch hitters know.

*This is a very golden rule place. If you can't say something nice about a work, then just don't say anything and respect all types of Michael appreciation.

*Yes, if your giftee requests something with AU or crossovers you can do that. If they don't specifically request a crossover or AU michael idea, then you need to try and honor their prompt/request as closely as possible.

*Also, honor ratings requests of your giftee. If they want something to stay PG, then please do that. We will try as hosts to pair people who have similar heat level requests together as well.

*You will provide three prompts. The gifter who makes your gift only has to fulfill one of the three. They can do more but one out of the three prompts fulfilled is all that is required.

Please feel free to spread this all over the internet and social media. We love to have new people participate too. Even if you've never made a fanwork, you can feel free to start now!

*FINALLY, in case you feel overwhelmed by being a new participant---and we love new people---but a story only has to be 500 words minimum and a vid only has to be 60 seconds and art only has to be one drawing/image. And, yes, we'll also take poems if that's your kind of fanwork. So, if you're on the fence about trying it, this is a great way to try creating in fandom too.