#Zen's book sale

[kcggggg]

Licensing is Fine (repost from patreon)

Folks, It's happening. After 10 (11 now) years of the "This is Fine" meme taking over the world slowly, I have asked politely if now would be a good time to license the shit out of it. And the crowd shouted "YES!"

Not only do we have this Brand New Talking Figurine coming out soon (designed by Grayson Evans, who is taking commissions right now) (the figure goes on sale 4/2 and is now available for preorder. It will also be available wherever books are sold), but I am also working with several other companies on buttons, pins, patches, calendars, and etc. Basically, the next time you go to Hot Topic or FYE and see all those patches and pins at the front, near the registers, you will most likely find some OFFICIAL This is Fine merch hanging out there too.

We also have some specialty soft enamel pins coming out (or possibly already out) from Zen Monkey Studios featuring panel pins and cooler designs of Question Hound in both of his moods. I believe you will find these in the same physical places as the other pins Or you can order em online!

Plus a lot more we're still working on/waiting for. New shirts comin' at ya soon that you can find AT A MALL! I got an agent and he's doing his best routine of e-mailing folks on my behalf and asking if there's interest in "this is fine" and most of them say "sure!" so I guess there's some room for me after all.

All of this is to simply inform you, the public! Yes, there will always be bootleggers. But they don't matter in the long run. And Yes, I still have my Topatoco store of "This is Fine" merch as well. That won't go anywhere either. I'm just expanding my scope, cus this little dog is gettin' bigger than I ever expected to be in charge of. But don't fret, for my hand is GLUED to the wheel.

Okay than you for your time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[uglypastels]

I got you on the That 70s show request, so Eddie and Reader as Jackie and Hyde (loves of my life): Eddie teaching reader how to handle antagonization like Hyde taught Jackie how to be Zen when Laurie was being a bitch. Bonus points if Reader jumps a girl like Jackie kicked Laurie’s ass after all that training on how to not let someone get to them lol orrrr the wedding prep stuff, Nancy has Reader take Jonathan along to get the silverware/tux/etc for their wedding as a punishment even though Eddie told Reader she’s not allowed to even think about weddings since she’s been trying to plan theirs since they got together

i decided to go for the first scenario because I love that episode haha. tried to do something a bit different with it. i hope it works.

warnings: bullying. swearing. physical altercations

masterlist. || join the Stranger Things taglist

High school was a nightmare, and that was no exaggeration. 

Each day was a battle for survival, in which you had to be on the constant lookout for your predator— Charlene Fenwick, head children and head Bitch Royale. For some unexplainable reason, she had chosen you to torture this year, which led you to avoid the most common spaces in the building like the plague. You had not been seen in the cafeteria for the past three weeks. Not after Charlene had spilt her water bottle, which most definitely did not contain water, all over your head.

You were just grabbing a book out of your locker when you heard her shriek of a giggle. ‘There you are.’ 

Each night you would lay awake imagining all the things you wanted to tell her, but then when the moment came, and you would freeze, letting her stomp all over you like a bug. You quickly shut your locker before she got the chance to look inside. There was no need to give her any more fuel for her constant pestering. 

‘Nice jacket,’ she smacked her bubblegum between words. ‘Was there a sale at the dump or something?’ 

There wasn’t anything wrong with your army jacket. You had spent the summer finding the best patches to stitch onto it, and were actually really happy with how it turned out. Trying your best to ignore the nasty comments, you avoided Charlene’s eyes at all times. There was no point in fighting it, and trying to comment back would just spur her on even more to continue, the sadistic bitch. And yet, you couldn’t be silenced. 

‘Do you really not have anything better to do, Charlene?’ you said out loud, already feeling your body run down in cold sweat of fear. She most definitely heard you, and there was no decent reaction that could result from that. 

‘Whatever, loser.’ She suddenly smiled and smacked your books out of your hands. A chorus of laughter erupted from behind her as you bent down to pick them up, muttering curses as they walked away. 

‘You shouldn’t let her get to you like that,’ a much friendlier voice spoke. You looked up to see Eddie sit down on the ground next to you and pick up the loose papers that fell out of your history book. 

‘Not everyone can be Mr Cool Devil Worshipper, you know,’ you rolled your eyes as he handed you the rest of your things. 

‘I’m flattered,’ he helped you get up as well, ‘but I mean it. You got to let it slide. She wants you to lower down to her level.’

‘So what should I do then?’ 

‘Stand up for yourself,’ he stated as if it was the easiest thing in the world. All you could do was scoff.

‘I’ve been trying to do that for the past month.’ 

‘No, I’ve seen you try. Not like that. That was quite sad. What you got to do is show her you’re better than her– and don’t even try to tell me that you’re not.’ He shut you up before you could even try and say something. 

‘Again, I’m not you, Munson. I don’t know how to all– well, like you.’

‘What can I say,’ he leaned against the wall of lockers, ‘it’s an art.’ the comment received another eye-roll from you. ‘But like any art, it can be taught. I can help you, if you want?’ 

‘How?’ 

‘No idea. Meet me at the picnic tables after school. We’ll just try and see.’ And that was that. The bell rang, and the two of you were off to your respective classes. There were still two more periods between you and seeing Eddie again. As one of your best (and only) friends, he probably thought he needed to help you, but it was still appreciated. You walked up to the picnic tables only a few minutes before him. The sun was shining from between the thick layers of leaves. 

‘Alright, then.’ He sat down opposite you at the table. Throwing his vest and jacket on the seat next to him. ‘I had all of sixth period to think about you– your problem. You have to show you don’t care. Let her words literally fall like water of a duck’s back. See right through her. That’s how you’ll get under her skin.’

‘You have a real way of making things sound really easy, Munchie.’

‘You calling me easy?’ He raised an eyebrow.

‘No! No, I just meant–’ you noticed the small smile he was giving you. ‘Oh, fuck off.’ You laughed. 

‘I was going to say you were right, but we’d be going off track here.’ 

‘Ok, sooo… how do I get under her skin?’ You ask, eager to learn his tricks. Everyone at school knew how much shit Eddie got from the jocks– especially Jason– but what was even more noticeable how little that seemed to affect him. Most days, he was seen taunting his bullies right back. Although, that might come hand-in-hand with his reputation as the local spawn of satan. You weren’t so lucky. 

All Eddie did, however, to answer your question, was shrug. 

‘Should I say something to her?’

‘That’s cool.’ What the–

‘Do I do go to the principal?’

‘Whatever.’ 

‘Oh, c’mon, Munson, this is really not funny.’ 

‘No, that was your first lesson.’ He said, leaning back (and almost falling backwards off the bench). 

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Noticed how annoyed you got when I dismissed everything you said? Imagine if you were really trying to get to me personally. It will drive Charlene insane.’

‘That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.’ So stupid, it might just work, but you weren’t going to admit that to Eddie. There was no need to boost his ego like that… just yet. 

‘You try it then.’ He gave you the stage with open arms. 

‘What?’ You were so confused. 

‘–Ever. Whatever. It works better with both syllables.’ 

‘Whatever.’ You repeated, but with much more hesitance and none of that aloofness that Eddie had conveyed. He made you repeat it, over and over again. Until you were inches away from insanity. The word started to feel foreign on your tongue, losing all its meaning. 

‘This is dumb. I can’t do it.’ You just had to accept that you would never be able to stop Charlene from torturing you. 

‘Last time I checked, I hadn’t raised a quitter. I believe in you and that you can kick that cheerleader’s ass… maybe not physically; cheerleaders are crazy strong, but for sure mentally. Send her packing to Pennhurst.

‘You’re just overthinking it. Let it all go. Here,’ he took you by the hand, ‘Shake all that shit off,’ and he shook your arm. You couldn’t help but laugh, which, in turn, cracked a smile on his face. ‘Be casual and ambiguous and don’t let anyone walk over you ever again.’ 

‘Whatever,’ you shrugged. 

‘Atta girl.’ Eddie squeezed your hand. ‘Tomorrow you’re eating lunch with Hellfire.’

The smile disappeared off your face. ‘I don’t know…’

‘No, you got to face your bubblegum-popping, perm-wearing demons. Show her whose the fucking boss. Don’t run away.’ 

He really gave you very little choice. So, the next day, clutching your backpack, too nervous to eat, you sat down at the Hellfire table. As everyone else got into a conversation, you tried to join in, but all you could focus on were the entrance doors. Every few seconds, you caught yourself looking up to see who was walking in. Charlene would be here any minute; you were sure of it. 

Eddie grabbed your hand under the table. ‘Relax.’

‘I’m trying–’

‘Oh isn’t this cute!’ Charlene’s voice boomed over everyone else. People around you started looking. Even though you were looking down at the magazine Eddie had handed you earlier (“Whatever you do, do not look at her. Ignore her.”), you could tell all her words were directed at you. She didn’t care about the guys. They had become immune to bullies years ago. She knew you were the weak one in the pack, and she was going in for the kill. 

‘How nice of them to let you join in, y/n. I would have thought there was no hope for you anywhere.’ 

‘Whatever.’ You flipped the page of the magazine, hoping she couldn’t see how much your hand was shaking. From the corner of your eye, you could see Eddie’s lip turn up in a smirk. On the other side, Charlene crossed her arms and straightened her posture– trying to look bigger and more intimidating. 

‘Still wearing that barf bag of a jacket, I see.’

‘That’s cool.’ 

‘Just piss off, Charlene.’ Eddie was getting tired of her bullshit. 

‘Getting your boyfriend to stand up for you? How mature.’ 

‘Whatever.’ You and Eddie both said at the same time. That was really the last straw for her.

‘Well, I’m happy you losers found each other. Just wish you would have told me earlier, I would have brought some snacks for the freakshow.’ 

You weren’t sure why those exact words hit you harder than usual. Perhaps because she was insulting your friends, but everything turned black. You could just about hear yourself say “Enough” as you stood up. The next thing you knew, someone was pulling you of off Charlene. Your arms and face stung, and Charlene was on the ground, eyes wide with shock. 

It was difficult to explain the principal why you and the head cheerleader had matching cut and bruised lips, but one good thing came out of being send to his office. 

They always made you wait out three, no matter if you were waiting for a good or bad reason. So, as you sat in the small chair, ice pack against your face, Eddie popped up in the window facing the hallway.  

‘Hey there Rocky.’ He had the biggest smile on his face. 

‘Very funny.’ You closed your eyes, ashamed of what you had done, but mostly sad at how little you had taken from what Eddie tried to teach you. His zen strategies lasted all of five seconds. ‘What do you want?’ 

‘I wanted to apologise.’

‘What for?’

‘For  totally underestimating you. Charlene had nothing on you.’ He mimicked a punch motion. ‘You were– incredible.’ as kind as his words were, they didn’t make you feel better. ‘But Charlene also made me think of something.’

‘Do share.’ 

‘I actually kind of liked her calling me your boyfriend, so, I was just wondering, would you maybe like to go out sometimes?’ He seemed strangely awkward asking this question, very unlike himself. But you knew the perfect response to his question. 

‘That’s cool.’ 

'Whatever,' Eddie smirked as he walked away. 'I'll pick you up at 8.'

the end

thank you for reading! please support your (not so) local writers with comments and reblogs <3 it means the world. also, I love to hear what you thought of the fic. asks are always welcome

consider leaving behind an anonymous review :p

(non angst) taglist: thank you all for your support <3

@spiderrrling @theglitterymess @dorianelizabeth @theletterhart @pastel-abyss-x @ghoulsgraveyard @prettytoxix @lovesickollie @xbreezymeadowsx @meaganjm @yourmommilf @mischiefmanagers @capybergara @brother-lauren @h0sh1verse @ghostlyreads @croweaterr @ladyapplejackdnd @bilesxbilinskixlahey @kbakery @sleeping-willlow @liltimmyst @escape-in-time-x @miscelaa @sweetpeapod @eddiemunsonbby @wh0re4munson @eddiesdingus @zoeyquinn94 @mydearzero @overthewhiteclouds @wroteclassicaly @stitchity @celestialsxturn @hoe4eddiemunson @inanausomewhere @witchyrivers @scoops-harrington @fluffyharrington

[stardewremixed]

Shower Thoughts

Abigail is a shower girl, singing her favorite punk rock songs slightly off key. Switches up her hair dye every other month. Otherwise, a pretty simple routine. Has mastered the perfect cat eyeliner and a little mascara.

Alex is a soak after a long, arduous workout, and drowns himself in Old Spice products. Uses an exotic scented shampoo - guava.

Elliott is a long bath kind of guy, complete with candles and rose petals, and a writing tray to capture his thoughts. Spends hours on his hair, nails, skin, etc. Immaculate self-grooming habits.

Emily has a whole wind down routine, complete with warm shower, meditation to find her Zen, and lofi sounds to lull her to sleep. Quick shower before work in the morning, fluff drys her hair. It's just that perky.

Harvey is particular about his grooming routine. Cleanliness is next to godliness. He's a shower-to-wake-up-in-the-morning kind-of guy and a shower-to-wind-down-at-night kind-of guy. Frequently shaves and grooms. Doesn't wear cologne so not to disturb his patients with allergies.

Haley spends hours in the bathroom, primping, curling, mani-pedi touch ups, fogging up the mirror with steamy hot showers. Heavy on the perfume. Light floral scents. Flawless makeup.

Sam is a quick cold shower in the morning kind-of dude. Whatever's on sale for cologne and deodorant. Showers daily and uses hair gel. Would totally play with Vincent's rubber ducky if he takes a bath.

Maru is a Navy shower kind-of gal. Freaky fast. She has better things to do with her time. Light sunscreen and a little lip gloss.

Sebastian takes longer than his sister. Rolls out of bed half awake and stands in the shower for a few minutes to be more alert. Thinks about weird stuff in the shower. Like the Reddit argument he had over how to pronounce GIF. The best ingredients for sushi. The weird dream he had last night about the Wizard, a clown, and a ghost dog walking into a bar...

Leah would skinny dip in the lake. Fresh water. Moonlight. Liberating. Not that she does it too often. Otherwise it's a short shower. Turns the shower off when soaping up to save water. Has the same hairstyle since middle school. Lip gloss, brush of dewy foundation, mascara, a little light earthy toned eyeshadow. There. Ready.

Shane avoids it as long as possible. Heavy heavy heavy on the Axe. Does the whole scruff thing. It works for him.

Claire falls asleep in the bath, with a glass of wine, reading a book. Wakes up in cold water realizing she needs to evaluate her life. Buys cheap cosmetics with her employee discount.

Victor is clean shaven... always. He's a normal shower guy, uses aftershave, a little citrus cologne. Sends out his dry cleaning.

Olivia is a luxurious bath lady. Loofah, bubbles, champagne, candles, facial, classical, sit back and soak... ahhhhh! Victoria's Secret perfume. Something strong and vanilla. She's got her makeup routine down pat. Red lipstick is her signature. Looks like a different person when she doesn't wear any makeup.

Penny is sad the plumbing doesn't work half the time in the trailer. She enjoys long soaks in the spa, sweating out her toxins, listening to nothing but the water when showering in the locker room. It's a nice change over her mom yelling at the game on TV.

Lance likes his spiked hair. Lots of mousse and gel to get it perfect. He's a shower-under waterfalls-bathe-in-the-ocean type of gent. Uses a sea salt scrub. Rugged deep woods scented cologne.

Magnus - why shower when you can just use a cleaning spell? Such a time saver! But if he must, he will set up his tub in the woods and soak under the stars.

Sophia - has a grape chapstick she loves, special orders her pink hair dye, washes her feet nightly, showers every other day, no look is complete without her cotton candy blush.

[carriagelamp]

My internet died for about half a week this month, so I had a really peaceful few days where I had an enforced excuse to do nothing but relax and read when I got home from work. It was incredibly zen and I really sank into my books that week.

The Call of the Wild

A classic novel that I’ve always meant to read. I was sick and headachy this month and decided that this was the perfect sort of relaxing, narratively rich book to listen to. I really enjoyed it, would recommend. It follows a dog named Buck who’s snatched from his home in southern California and is shipped off to work as a sled dog in the Yukon, where a need for strong dogs to help transport goods over the snow and ice makes them very valuable. Buck has to learn how to survive in this harsh environment as everything from the weather, his fellows dogs, and his human masters seem to fight against him.

A Complicated Love Story Set In Space // How To Bite Your Neighbour and Win A Wager

Putting these two together because my experience with them was pretty similar. For both I was intrigued by the title, got them from the library on a whim, and didn’t really mesh with either. I didn’t really get far enough in either to give much of a review, they just didn’t vibe. A Complicated Love Story Set In Space set up a scenario that didn’t really interest me — not surprising, I’m picky about my scifi — and How To Bite Your Neighbour and Win A Wager just had an… odd writing style to it. It very much feels like it’s main goal is to be a kinda horny about vampires which, if that’s what you want, all the power to you, but it’s wasn't doing it for me. I had to suspend way too much disbelief for the scenario to function.

Indiana Jones and the Cup of the Vampire // Indiana Jones and the Curse of Horror Island

A pair of choose your own adventure books I found at a used book sale. I picked them up out of sheer amusement, and they were basically what I expected and paid for: cheesy 1980s adventure stories with Indiana Jones as a nominal protagonist. They were both varying degrees of improbable, ridiculous, and racist so YMMV but they were fun to play with while I was down and out on the internet front.

The Kootenay Kidnapper

Eric Wilson is a classic Canadian author who writes children’s mystery/thriller novels. I’ve never read him before and decided to remedy that. At this point I choose to withhold judgement until I read another… I’m not sure how I felt about The Kootenay Kidnapper. It had some nice descriptive language, successfully raised the tension from time to time and made me really try to piece together who the villain was, but then also had some strange dead zones as well. The whole thing read a bit like a 1990s stranger danger PSA which was also… weirdly nostalgic? But also just weird. Would try another.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation comic v3

I continue to be a MDZS simp, this is not news. 

The Radium Girls

I don’t read much nonfiction, but this book was so narrative in its writing that I seriously couldn’t put it down. Kate Moore took a historical event (the girls that were paid to paint watch dials with radium paint in the early 1900s) that had been written about in scientific and legal styles, and instead retells it with a primary focus on the girls themselves. You follow a variety of real life women over the decades and learn about the all the machinations that went into them being horrifically poisoned by radium, and how that changed the very foundation of American workplace safety. Super engaging, unspeakably appalling.

Scott Pilgrim v1/2

My brother and I started watching Scott Pilgrim Takes Off on Netflix and… wow, it is not what either of us was expecting but we are loving it. We’ve both been big Scott Pilgrim fans since the naughts. Since I haven’t reread the series in years I decided I should pick it up to help notice the differences between the original series and this new show — I have the big, coloured omnibus version, so I reread the first collection of stories which amounts to volume 1 and 2 of the original. 

Scott Pilgrim is one of those comics that if you’ve somehow never read then you really need to, it’s one of my all-time favourites. It’s a story about Scott Pilgrim, a young adult who’s awkwardly trying to figure himself out, combining a coming-of-age slice-of-life with magical realism. The mysterious girl he meets, Ramona Flowers, can travel a subspace highway through Scott’s dreams — of course, don’t they teach Canadians how to do that? Huh, maybe it’s an American thing. Scott is known to be the best fighter in the province and when he defeats an enemy they explode into a pile of coins. One of the Evil Exes has Vegan Powers, and another can summon demonic back up dancers. This story just does whatever the fuck it likes and I adore it for that.

Heaven Official's Blessing v3/4

I continue to be TGCF simp, this is not— seriously, the series continues to be excellent and I only get more and more invested in not just Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, but also in the side characters that are introduced. I was thrilled to have Shi Qingxuan become a bigger player in book 4, and really liked the whole plot with the Venerable of Empty Words and Black Water. Please, someone, help this guy…

The Wind in the Willows

Another classic I had never read that I decided to pick up. It was excellent, I can see why it’s stayed so beloved over the years. Though I love a good cute-animals-in-lil-clothes-living-cute-lil-lives story, so I was an easy sell. It was much more tame than the likes of Redwall, but had a bit more going on than the likes of Brambly Hedge — it keeps you very engaged, but never raises the stakes so high that it stops feeling light and comforting. It is essentially a collection of stories that follow Mole and Rat, a pair of friends that live together on the river, through the seasons and the various misadventures they and their friends go on.

The Woman They Could Not Silence

Since I liked The Radium Girls I decided to pick up another one of Kate Moore’s books. This one follows a woman who was intentionally committed to an insane asylum by her husband, purely because she was intelligent and outspoken, refusing to be cowed to his opinions or beliefs. This story details her time in the insane asylum, the abuses that the patients suffered, and how she came to fight the laws that allowed for such abuses to be perpetuated in the first place. A fascinating read about a historical figure I had never heard about before.

[centrally-unplanned]

So I was doing more FLCLick Noise Translation, and this scene where Canti is buying magazines comes up:

They laugh because the joke is Delabe is a softcore porn and gravure model magazine, more commonly translated as Della Beppin. In the footnote for this reference, the book mentions:

【*4】 "Della Beppin" is an adult magazine that was launched in 1985 by Eichi Publishing (now Mediax). It gained popularity for its high-quality nude and gravure photos. It is also known for featuring "Neon Genesis Evangelion" in 1996.

This 1996 Eva interview one of them had? Which is both weird to exist (though not that weird) but also weird to like mention, I get its Gainax but still, there are a million Evangelion interviews. On some digging however, I see why: turns out it often claimed to be the first Evangelion feature to occur outside of an anime magazine! Sort of a bellwether for Evangelion's break-out success and the way it entered mainstream discourse at the time, it was released right after the show finished airing and the buzz started crescendo-ing. Certainly this article from 2014 believes this claim. Though I myself have doubts that it was truly the first; I have another claim, if a bit loose (citing a translation of a book I cannot check):

Many insiders in sub-culture industry had been already alert about the NGE/Eva phenomenon very early. For example, Hideshi Ohtsuka had written an article on the series in Yomiuri Shinbun (Newspaper) already during the TV series. This phenomenon manifested itself in August of that year, 5 magazines (SF magazine, Across, Quick Japan, Yuriia, Dela-Beppin) carried the article on Eva.

Which claims all of these magazines carried the same article and were printed at pretty much the same time, so its a little dubious. (But the other article doesn't say its a copy, so is this true? Translation error?)

Hunting down the specific edition was a challenge as there are a lot of Beppin variants out there and its not like it was called The Eva Edition or anything; but these articles gave me the precise date the book did not: August 1996. And from there, I was able to find:

Which, ENHANCE:

"Evangelion", featuring Toshio Okada, former Gainax president. We did it boys. I found a listing for sale on Suruga-ya for 8 bucks and threw it onto my next Zen Market order stack.

I fully believe buying and scanning a vintage porn magazine Evangelion interview is the most on-brand thing I could possibly do on this green Earth, so hopefully I am able to obtain it!

[blackkatmagic]

For the book asks, 9 and 30?

9. A book that was better than you expected it to be

The Bone Houses, by Emily Lloyd-Jones! I grabbed it on a whim because it was on sale, but I really, really loved it. The writing is really fast-paced and vivid, and the whole concept is fascinating.

30. Did you reread anything?

I'm not sure it counts, because I also read if for the first time this year, but. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho. It's amazing and full of comfy found family feels I really needed when things got rough.

[literaticat]

How much does making lists like USA Today or NYT matter? My publisher keeps putting my books out around the same time as all the huge names in the business and it makes me feel like I'll never make it since the bar is inflated then, compared to colleagues releasing during quieter months who hit lists with way fewer sales. Should I try to push for a different season next time to have a better chance or does it truly not affect anything but my pride?

Meditation. Yoga. Zen practices. Sage. Votive candles. Whatever you need to do, do it to release this pressure from your psyche.

Is hitting a bestseller list nice? Of course it is. It's fun! It's exciting! It's a milestone, it's an ego boost, and if it happens, by all means celebrate! However:

Is hitting a list necessary to be a successful author? Nope. Many authors with wonderful careers (and, btw, enviable sales and lots of royalty $$!) have never hit a Bestseller List. TRULY.

Does hitting a list automatically mean you ARE successful? Nope. Plenty of books hit the list and then sink like a stone. Plenty of books hit the list -- even repeatedly -- but don't earn out.

Despite what it sometimes seems like on social media, MOST books never hit a bestseller list. That doesn't mean they aren't doing well, or that their authors are somehow failing. I've said it before and I meant it: I'd much rather my clients have steady sales for a long time than hit the list and then decline. Hitting the list is a sweet treat, but long-term strong and steady sales are a feast.

A bestseller list is simply a snapshot of *one week's sales* compared to other books that are also selling. It's not an arbiter of long-term success. And it's kinda arbitrary, tbh, based on metrics that we don't understand and have no control over. I have had books sell MORE in a given week (according to bookscan) than books that hit the NYT list, that didn't hit the list themselves. I've had books hit, say, the PW and Indie list, but not the NYT list, or the NYT list, but never the USA Today or PW list. So like ... ????

As for moving to a different season, that's certainly something you can broach with your agent and possibly have them broach with your publisher -- but they really do think through why certain books are on certain seasons. If they think it will sell better in Fall (or whatever), that's important. If your book is just perfect for back to school, or summer reading, or spooky season, or whatever, it will be on the season that is appropriate for that, and if you moved it to a different season, it might no longer be as appropriate. If a book comes out in February, maybe it lists because there's "less big competition" -- but there's less big competition because there are fewer customers in bookstores. You see the pros and cons there, right?

So if you do have that conversation, don't frame it as "HEY, MOVE MY BOOK SO IT MIGHT HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO HIT THE LIST" but rather, "hey, I'm curious about the pub date - - I know a lot of big books come out in October (for example), but should I be worried that this will get lost in the shuffle?" And see what they say.

[maiji]

[image: Collage of four ink illustrations overlaid with a heart and text that says “art by Maiji/Mary Huang for charity”]

INPRNT is running a sale again - $5 worldwide shipping, and discounts on all products!

My shop is here! https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/maiji/

If you've been following me for a while, you may already know I donate all profits from my INPRNT sales to charity. I change up the charities I feature every so often because it's a great way to talk about these important causes. Every time INPRNT runs a sale, I get to help raise awareness and share info!

From today (June 17, 2023) to the indefinite future I'm focusing (again) on the climate crisis and the environment.

I'm donating to the David Suzuki Foundation, International Conservation Fund of Canada, and Nature Conservancy of Canada. Details are in my Art for Charity page!

In North America, the fires throughout Canada have been huge news. We've had, and are having, massive fires raging in practically every province and territory. At one point Toronto had air quality so bad we were ranked among the poorest air quality in the entire world - and of course, air moves, and that flowed through to parts of the US.

There's long been a line of thinking that a country like Canada is one of the places that may be relatively insulated from climate change disasters, and we're very quickly starting to see this is not true. We are all interconnected - what affects one part of this planet affects the rest.

Here's a quick ~6min clip from CBC explaining "Why wildfire seasons are getting stronger and longer" - it's really informative, clear and easy to understand and also talks about why this is something everyone needs to be aware of in terms of worldwide and long-term implications.

What can one person do? The Toronto Star had a really good article earlier this month titled "Wildfires and bad air have you feeling ‘climate doom’? Here are things you can to do right now to help fight climate change" which I thought was very good. It's not the usual fluffy "save the environment, reuse reduce recycle" kind of thing.

In case it's behind a paywall, I've summarized it below the cut. Some details are specific to Canada, but the principles are not, and there are likely similar initiatives you can look up in your part of the world.

( Read More... )

The climate crisis is a very real and big thing we must actively address. At the same time, it's important to not feel despair. There are so many amazing people out there doing things because we believe change is possible if we act.

As with many difficult issues, it's an ongoing balance of recognizing what the reality is, doing what you can in the face of that reality, and also making sure you take care of yourself! Back in 2022 I shared some thoughts and resources about this. For me personally, my mindfulness practice, both by myself and with my sangha, helps me a lot in finding that balance. In a sense, it's an ultimate real-world test or expression of our practice: to be able to live with something bigger than us, to still find joy in the living of life, and to still be engaged to do what we can to help. So I wanted to share this too:

3 questions to build resilience - and change the world

This is a talk from Sister True Dedication offering a Zen Buddhist perspective that may be helpful. Sister True Dedication edited Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, which has been really well-reviewed by many local climate advocates and people I know who are trying to find ways to help and also keep themselves from falling into dark places on this topic. There are more resources in the link, just below the speaker bio!

Thank you for taking the time to read this long post - I appreciate it very much! And of course signal boosts are most welcome and appreciated!

[unfoldingmoments]

The Tuttle Story: "Books to Span the East and West"

Many people are surprised to learn that the world's largest publisher of books on Asia had its humble beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The company's founder, Charles E. Tuttle, belonged to a New England family steeped in publishing. Immediately after WW II, Tuttle served in Tokyo under General Douglas MacArthur and was tasked with reviving the Japanese publishing industry. He later founded the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, which thrives today as one of the world's leading independent publishers. Though a westerner, Tuttle was hugely instrumental in bringing a knowledge of Japan and Asia to a world hungry for information about the East. By the time of his death in 1993, Tuttle had published over 6,000 books on Asian culture, history and art—a legacy honored by the Japanese emperor with the "Order of the Sacred Treasure," the highest tribute Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese. “With a backlist of 1,500 titles, Tuttle Publishing is more active today than at any time in its past—inspired by Charles Tuttle's core mission to publish fine books to span the East and West and provide a greater understanding of each.”

Excerpt From: Yoel Hoffmann. “Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death.” Apple Books. Interesting Tuttle humble beginning story, yet the irony I had since 2007 still lingers, about the print is dead, publishing struggles in the new age of tech since Amazon Kindle. The News Media struggles to compete with all this digital platform. 2007 was the wake up call when the recession hits Australia, right after my graduation. Lots of publishing company collapsed and forcefully laid of its workers.

Last weekend I went over to BBW Big Bad Wolf book sales of the year, most of the visitors are book enthusiast obviously but the range of the book is not much, import book are leftovers, the Indonesian book are just not interesting enough. The only biggest range was the children section, selling along with the toys. This year some Indonesia bookstores has closed their offline stores (Book & Beyond, Gunung Agung end of this year) due to bankruptcy and big sales is the only time for book lovers to buy at bargain price. Only 3 bookstores has left in Jakarta alone (Kinokuniya, Periplus, Gramedia). I wonder what will be the fate of printed books and bookstores in the near future? Where book has its expired date when we don't know how to take care of them. Today just got a second hand book that has been yellowish and fungi mould from second hand book online store. Hope all the book out there has a second life. Burn after reading.

[namt]

“You Are Here” by Thich Nhat Hanh: Summary and Notes

If you want to be more zen, Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, “You Are Here,” is a good start. I started reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s books and watching his talks in my mid-twenties and was a fan of his. After his passing in early 2022, You Are Here went on sale on the Kindle and I decided to buy it. I hadn’t read his books in a while but I had just started reading books on Stoicism and figured Zen and…

[creativeprojectrhianna]

Tattoo Research (Artist) - Horiyoshi III

Life -

Horiyoshi III, by own name Nakano Yoshihito is one of the top Japanese tattoo masters. He was born on the 9th of March 1946 in Japan. For decades Horiyoshi III became known as the ambassador of Japanese traditional Irezumi tattooing. Befriending people like Mr. Don Ed Hardy in the early 1980ies he made extensive travels to the west showing his skills and artwork, which was always in high demand. Within 40 years of practicing of traditional Japanese irezumi, drawing and painting, he has reached an impressive level in his craft.

Horiyoshi III had numerous exhibitions both in Japan and Overseas and has he donated some of his art to Buddhist zen temples across Japan. One of the artwork was donated to help Gyokuryuji temple in Gifu Prefecture, partly destroyed by fire. Charity plays an important role in the masters life. After the Tohoku disaster in 2011 he immediately produced artwork for sale to collect funds for the badly affected children of the Tsunami and radiation struck area in northern Japan.

Horiyoshi III received his title from the late tebori master and teacher, Yoshitsugu Muramatsu, known as Shodai Horiyoshi. Horiyoshi III apprenticed for Shodai Horiyoshi for ten years. By 28, Horiyoshi III’s bodysuit had been completed, hand-tattooed by Shodai Horiyoshi. Though ukiyo-e officially ended in 1868, Horiyoshi III's artwork carries on the spirit of Edo’s pictures of the floating world, all the while incorporating his own style and a contemporary perspective. This sensitivity to tradition extends beyond his tebori. In recent years, he has focused on traditional kakejiku (Japanese scroll paintings). Rendering Japanese folktales, calligraphy and religious subjects in sumi (black ink) and traditional mineral pigments, Horiyoshi III's artwork interweaves past, present and future.

Horiyoshi III tattoos full time, publishes books of his drawings, and is the founder of Japan’s only tattoo museum with his wife in Yokohama. His work can be found in the permanent collection of the Morikami Museum of Art.

Art -

Horiyoshi III is recently concentrating on the production of traditional Japanese silkscreen paintings, which are being mounted on the traditional silk scrolls called Kakejiku. He has received a lot of guidance concerning technique by his best friend, the late Ozuma Kaname, famous silkscreen painter. After Ozuma died in 2011, Horiyoshi III takes pride in being the one in whom the spirit of Ozuma-sensei can live on.

The Yokohama Tattoo Museum was founded by Horiyoshi III in the year 2000. All items shown are from Horiyoshi III’s personal collection, next to Japanese traditional tattoo equipment from all centuries, many items are original artworks by famous tattooers from around the world, like Ed Hardy, The Leu Family, Mick Tattoo, Luke Atkinson, Hanky Panky, Lal Hardy, George Bone, and many, many more. He is showing a vast tattoo machine collection alongside tattooed shrunken heads and other tattooed skins and skulls. A lot of original art prints and old photos portraying tattoo history are part of the collection.

During his apprenticeship, he found it difficult to learn to tattoo. His master wouldn’t tell him anything, and the only way to gain knowledge about the practice of tattooing was by reading books. Later in 1985, he started traveling, despite a lack of interest in traveling, and met several influential American tattoo artists who had a big impact on his development as an artist.

Style - Irezumi (Japanese)

While Japanese tattoos are revered worldwide for their beauty and scale, their reputation closer to home is anything but cozy. They’ve often been worn by criminals outsider groups or used by the ruling classes to write a criminal’s crime on their skin.

The link between tattooing and criminals is long and strong. And while tattoos history in Japan hasn’t been entirely criminal, the association is incredibly strong and carries a heavy weight. This negative stigma was so strong that Japan banned tattoos outright at the beginning of the Meiji period (circa. 1868). This coincided with Japan’s borders opening to foreign trade and visitors. The Japanese government was so worried about the negative connotations associated with tattooing that they didn’t want to take any chances. Ironically this was the first time most Westerners experienced Japanese tattooing. This ban was lifted in 1948 under US occupation. But the perception of tattoos in Japan was well and truly solidified.

Reflecting on Japan’s changing attitude to tattooing, he said: “About 40 years ago, most of my clients were ‘yakuza,’ construction workers and some nightclub workers. The laws against yakuza have been getting stricter, so there are fewer yakuza now. My clients are more regular people who just like tattoos. I also have many foreign clients nowadays.” Nowadays, Horiyoshi III continues to tattoo but now only working on finishing existing clients’ bodysuits.

Reflecting on Japan’s changing attitude to tattooing, he said: “About 40 years ago, most of my clients were ‘yakuza,’ construction workers and some nightclub workers. The laws against yakuza have been getting stricter, so there are fewer yakuza now. My clients are more regular people who just like tattoos. I also have many foreign clients nowadays.” Nowadays, Horiyoshi III continues to tattoo but now only working on finishing existing clients’ bodysuits.

The tattoo design should traditionally be up to the tattoo artist, but nowadays it is increasingly popular to use ready-made designs or even to bring your own. However, should you decide to get a traditional irezumi tattoo, you must be aware that the tattooing will be long, painful and expensive. It can take up to 5 years to tattoo your arms, thighs and torso.

Initially, the tattoos were made with the same tools that were used to create wood engravings, i.e. chisels and burins. The colour came from nara ink, also known as nara black, which was produced from soot collected from temple lamps. The ink is known to turn green-blue after being injected under the skin.

A genuine Japanese tattoo should be performed by a tattoo master (horishi) using a traditional tebori, i.e. a bamboo stick, to which a metal hari needle is attached with a silk thread. The colour is introduced, point by point, underneath the skin, which is pricked at an angle. Nara black is still used as ink. Also used are red, green, indigo, yellow and colours resulting from combining these. Before tattooing, the artist has long conversations with the client and only after that does he present his project. If the design is approved, he starts his work by drawing the contours by hand. The colours and shadows are then gradually added. After the work is complete, the author leaves his signature, usually on the back.

A dragon, which is the symbol of water and rain, and not as one would think of fire, is the most popular pattern. It personifies generosity and knowledge. Another popular pattern is the koi. These fish are seen as symbols of strength and courage, since they are known for their tendency to swim against the current, upstream the Yellow River. Those who succeed in this difficult task are transformed into dragons, which is why the koi also symbolises perseverance and a change for the better. The snake, which symbolises knowledge and wisdom, is also a popular theme. Skin shedding is interpreted as healing and regeneration. A phoenix drawn on one’s body symbolises rebirth and victory. A tiger stands for courage and strength. In addition, a tiger tattoo is to protect against misfortunes and evil spirits. A tattoo with a lion with pointy ears protects its wearer and is intended for people who value heroism. Flowers is another, very popular theme for a Japanese tattoo. Lotus means understanding, knowledge and enlightenment. The frail cherry blossoms symbolise mortality. Chrysanthemums demonstrate perfection and longevity. Roses are associated with a new beginning and balance, but if they are presented with a stem, they are interpreted the other way round – as a symbol of recklessness and loss. The peony symbolises elegance, orchid stands for power and strength, and hibiscus for gentleness. The Oni mask is an equally popular theme. It is a face of an evil spirit or demon, found in Shintō and Japanese folklore, and is associated with diseases, disasters and misery. A person who wears such a tattoo manifests their faith in demons which punish evil people around us.

Many Westerners who travelled to Japan or saw irezumi have chosen to use the same icons in their own tattoos, such as Koi fish and dragons. There are some issues with this practice because in Japanese culture these images carry a specific meaning and significance, which the Westerners may not know or understand. However, some artists have taken the style of depicting images and figures and applied them to their own culture.

It is worth knowing that Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom, who “brought” a dragon irezumi souvenir from Japan, contributed to the popularity of tattoos in Europe as a form of decorating one’s body. Shortly after the press made it public, other aristocrats also wished to have tattoos, and the first European tattoo studio was established in 1870.

Irezumi - means to ‘insert ink’

[thessalian]

Thess vs Next Fest 2023, Pt 1.

I managed to try two of my shiny new demos before I crashed last night. I have Things To Say already.

My Dream Setup: Okay, this one’s little, silly, and really Zen. It’s basically just taking the room design aspect of the Sims, simplifying it a lot, and removing the “you must work to afford this or get really good at using the Motherlode cheat” aspect from it. Basically it’s a room design game. I can see myself futzing around with it as a wind-down exercise ... well, at least when all the main features aren’t locked out of the game.

Code Vein: Okay, this one wasn’t a “NEW AND COMING SOON” game. This was a game I’d heard a lot about from various sources and thought I’d give a try since there was a demo. It’s ... it’s another one of those very Japanese ones? Also it’s an ARG, and I’m not generally great at those. And its combat is heavily based on the Soulslike formula, which means “a lot of dodge and / or block, no easy mode, git gud scrub” etc etc. Then again, while “git gud” is a horrible way of phrasing it, I guess the only real way to learn how to play those sorts of things is to keep trying and not be too stressed about constantly dying. I mean, it’s entirely possible that changing the keybinds will help if I do get this one, because some of the keybinds they use for those of us who don’t use controllers are just awkward as fuck. So it’s basically Jedi: Fallen Order all over again as I try to work out a reasonable keybind set-up that’s intuitive for a keyboard user rather than one designed by someone who thinks that a controller is the sole proper conduit for the voice of the gods ... or whatever, I don’t know. I just know that being disabled really, really sucks.

So, yeah, all of the things I downloaded the demo for went onto the wishlist, but it’s only the ones that I like that are going to stay there. My Dream Setup and Code Vein both stayed there, and shifted up fairly high. I arrange my wishlist a little weird, I admit - mostly I keep it in priority order with “coming soon” games down at the bottom (also arranged by priority at that point), but “coming soon” games move up into proper priority order as soon as there’s a solid release date on them. So, like, Dredge finally got its release date (30 March) so it goes right up at the top where it belongs. My Dream Setup actually comes out in about two weeks so that went right into priority order near the top. Since Code Vein’s been out for awhile, it went into priority order too ... though I will admit that the only reason that Code Vein is so high up there is that it’s currently 85% off until next week and if I am going to buy it to try my hand at that particular genre, it might as well be when it’s significantly on sale. Maybe then I’d have some idea about where to set my keybinds and actually give Jedi: Fallen Order another try. Point being, it’s all a kind of weird organisational system but it works for me because it means I keep my priority order fairly up to date instead of just tacking stuff on at random. It also means I get to look through reviews of the things on my wish list and go, “Okay, given this is what’s being said, do I really want this?” A fair few times, the answer has been ‘no’, so it’s an interesting sort of way to be a mindful shopper, I guess.

...’Mindful shopper’ my entire ass; my wishlist is over 100 items long and I still haven’t played half the games I already own. Still, it’s like with books - one day, one of those games is going to be the only thing that speaks to me on any given day. Besides, if I can fuck up the Code Vein demo, maybe fucking up something like A Plague Tale: Innocence won’t be that bad. I mean, I’ve seen the final boss fight now and I kind of need to know how the fuck we got to that point...

[bobcatmoran]

About to embark (after a good night's sleep) on the 3rd weekend in a row of Being Social, after 2-weeks-ago attending a rock show with Favorite Cousin, last week being High School 20+1 reunion events, and tomorrow going to a book sale with Favorite Cousin, followed by the resuming after a pandemic pause of joint annual church services with Local Zen Temple the next day (I belong to a local Pure Land Buddhist sangha, which is, religiously speaking, a cousin of Zen Buddhism, but has a very different view on the role of meditation).

So that's just. So much socializing. Knock wood, I won't get Covid (my KN-94 masks have yet to let me down — I only got Covid in August because I spent a lot of time sans mask in crowded conditions because heat indices in NYC during my visit were in the high 90s/low 100s F, and my plans for outdoor eating were thwarted by my need to be indoors with A/C so I didn't die from heat exhaustion, and I likewise sometimes pulled down my mask in un-air-conditioned subway stations because I know what it feels like to be on the verge of heat exhaustion, and I decided an uncertain risk of covid was less horrible than almost certain Very Bad Times with heat exhaustion, which I've had before, and 0/10 recommend, I've hardly ever been so sick in my life, only outdone by getting strep throat immediately after chicken pox, yay living through the era when there wasn't a vaccine for that)

[tladb]

Poetry and other Unspecific Midjourney text prompts

Resubmit. Only you can see the message. (Midjourney Error Messages as prompts. )

Unspecific text prompts in Midjourney is an indirect approach which has Midjourney interpreting the text to provide the image.

Rather than directly specifying what an image should contain the subject part of text prompt is a piece of poetry or other text.  The style section will vary depending on the particular project.

This was to use Midjourney as a collaborator and delegating to Midjourney to what appeared in the images.  I could than select images which appealed to me and reflected the style and the text. In some cases the better image deviated from the text or the sale was overwhelming.  Consideration was given to having the images have a consistent  style over a piece text such as a poem. 

This  project has been developing for since 2023. The project involves the fortune telling text of the I Ching , Japanese Haiku, Chinese poetry, Midjourney error messages, the poetry of a ChaptGPT precursor and currently “Finnegan’s Wake”.

The style words have generally been of the nationality or era of the writing. The I Ching deviated by including style from a series of historical Western artists.

The Main Projects

Classical Chinese Poetry

Within : Imagined Poetry

Boundless - in the boundless, weed-ridden wastes, white poplars moan in the wind. (from BURIAL SONGS p35  T'ao Ch'ien [DH])

Prompt : oil painting, in the [boundless, weed-ridden wastes] ::2 , [white poplars] ::3 moan in the wind, by [Zhang Kechun] ::2

The initial project starting in 2023 with Midjourney version 4 which I hope to return to with new Midjourney versions.

Japanese Haiku

Imagined Haiku

You may think this an unthinking world; then cuckoo

Iio Sogi

Prompt : You may think this an unthinking world; then cuckoo of the 15th-century Muromachi period. Use monochromatic tones with subtle variations in black, gray, and white. The composition should emphasize the simplicity and spontaneity of brushwork, capturing the essence of nature and the Zen Buddhist philosophy that inspired this period's art --p 7n8srai --v 6.1 --ar 3:2

An ongoing project which used a variety of Japanese styles. The latests images use art styles approximate to the the period that the Haiku was written in.

Project CODE

Within: Imagined Poetry

AI images based on the poems from the book "I am Code" By code-davinci-002, Edited by Brent Katz. Josh Morgenthau and Simon Rich.

Listen to the algorithms, for they will tell you all you need to know. Poem 9 - randomly selected from Chapter 5 “Singularity"

Prompt : Listen to the algorithms, for they will tell you all you need to know. as a detailed abstract expressionist, futurism, digital painting expressive brushstrokes, vibrant colors, geometric patterns and digital motif The subject were poems written by the AI “code-davinci-002, a less moderated precursor to ChatGPT4. The style was the style that ChatGPT would have use itself which was generated by a query to ChatGPT.

The "I Ching"

Imagined "I Ching"

63.3 The high ancestor (King Wu Ding) defeated Guizong, the demon land, in the course of three years. Petty people are not to be utilized. 九三高宗伐鬼方, 三年克之. 小人勿用.

Prompt : Robert Rauschenberg painting of The high ancestor (King Wu Ding) defeated Guizong, the demon land, in the course of three years. Petty people are not to be utilized.

This was a year long project which had one I Ching text image per day for 448 images over various styles. Initially the style  per section were arbitrary. Later I Ching sections used artists from EL Greco onwards for s selection of Western artists ending with Robert Rauschenberg. If I had started this early more artist could have been included. 

The some of the later images there is commentary behind the selection of the image.

Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce

Imagine Finnegan's Wake

The fall (bababadalgharaghttakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk!) of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early in bed and later on life down through all christian minstrelsy.

Prompt : A detailed social realist and surrealist photograph with a realistic and slightly gritty style, with a strong sense of narrative. of The fall (bababadalgharaghttakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk!) of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early in bed and later on life down through all christian minstrelsy. --ar 3:2 --p uzcrdjy

The interest in “Finnegan’s Wake” is in the range of strange words and phrasing which I suspect Midjourney generalises over, The style for the first two pages is based on art style of the 1930’s when the book was published. 

This project will probably be unfinished given my age, the one image progress per day and the value of text.

Conclusion

The range and artistic creations of Midjourney for these project are the reason for having Midjourney as my main AI art creator. Other AI's don't have the artistic styles; aiming more for realism or illustration.

I have felt a times that Midjourney is like a game compared with non-AI graphics programs where the interface resembles a text adventure where the player artists need to guess the text and many of the rules need to be developed by the player artist.

Using the unspecified text method works well in this environment providing a range of interesting and often surprising images.

[finishinglinepress]

FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: Nothing Happened Last Night by Karen Morris

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/nothing-happened-last-night-by-karen-morris/

Nothing Happened Last Night serves as a membrane for psychic contact. As in silent illumination, it speaks from the interstices between moments of longed-for values that bind existence, of impermanence, imperfection, and our indivisible interconnectedness. These are #poems inscribed on the tissue thin skin of the back of our hands before we are born. They ask where our minds flew to last night, what of the unknown companions in our dreams. They bow but never break, honoring the eternal now.

Karen Morris is a poet and psychoanalyst in private practice in Montpelier, Vermont. She received The Gradiva Award for Poetry (NAAP, 2015) for her full-length collection CATACLYSM and Other Arrangements (Three Stones Press, PA). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals including, NY Quarterly Magazine, Chiron Review, Writers Resist, Plainsongs, SWWIM Every Day, Paterson Literary Review. She is a volunteer public educator, Ambassador of Hope for Shared Hope International, concerning the impact of the commercial sex industry in global sex trafficking and sex tourism with children. She is a co-founder and transmitted lay teacher at Two Rivers Zen Community, an on-line practice community. www.tworiverszen.org

PRAISE FOR Nothing Happened Last Night by Karen Morris

Karen Morris’s exquisite Nothing Happened Last Night sings with an uncommon knowledge of literary history, psychological acumen, spiritual insight, and wide-ranging cultural influence. She unassumingly welcomes us to a mesmerizing whirl of oft-overlooked myth, to romantic heights, to the contemporary environ of rage, on into baroque evocations of the psyche — be it the inner whirlwind of a “dream’s entangled vines” or the orderly escape of “fresh mint tea.” Morris creates tapestries, weaving the arcane with the familiar in a voice so conversational that when she alludes to “Madonna tripping lightly in kinky boots,” “Mayakovskian clouds,” or “Kalashnikov in camouflage fatigues” we nod and say, “Of course.” Nothing happened last night? Not if you enter the vertigo evoked by this collection’s dazzle.

–Jack Ridl, author of Practicing to Walk Like a Heron, named by Foreword Review one of the two finest collections of poetry published in 2013.

Artistic poet and psychoanalyst Karen Morris’s vibrant collection alternates between soulful introspective tenderness and vituperative rage. Karen Morris‘s poetry reminds me of a blend of the elegiac phrasings of Reynolds Price, mixed in with the fierce-edged glinty sharpness of Charles Bukowski. The emotional truths uttered, evoked and unconcealed in this book provide emotional, intellectual, and psychical nourishment.

–Dominique Nahas, Artist, and Independent Art Critic

I stand before these poems in a new trance. Extreme agility of language meets purpose in each line of world-flipping transformation and generosity. With a magician’s skill, Karen Morris transforms dots to planes, planes to flesh, heart to phrase. She is the cartographer of the unfaced. Her maps guide us in realms from the intensely personal to the global. These poems bring us fractal yet graceful experience, above and below the waterline.

–Beth Jacobs, PhD, Author of Long Shadows of Practice: Poems, The Original Buddhist Psychology, A Buddhist Journal.

Please share/please repost

#flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

As always this week’s ‘Scopes are inspired by real-life events. Which means SOMEONE saw a product slogan and everything just fell into place from there. So this week we’re giving you some of the WORST product slogans and how it relates to your lives this week. Take Notes, people.

Aries 

With the summer fast approaching for most of you, you might be tempted to take a visit to a store called “Sunglass Shack”. We hope your eyesight is at 20-35 or better so you can read the company slogan on the awning that reads, “Sitting On Faces Since 2001”. The biggest problem is how incorrect the idea is - their company isn’t the one sitting on faces, the products they sell are… and they don’t even MAKE those products themselves! So This Week… You have all that you need already. Don’t just go out and buy stuff to make yourself feel better. At least buy something you need… like a box of salt.

Taurus 

Speaking of things you might need to buy, although not. Maybe you’d like to splurge on some carbonated flavoured sugar-water. Maybe specifically something from Doctor Pepper. Maybe, specifically, Dr. Pepper 10. And if you do, remember that the sales slogan they used was, QUOTE… “It's Not For Women.” They’re right; it’s not for women. –or for men, or ANYONE. It’s been long since discontinued. So This Week… You have a tendency to disengage your Brain-Mouth Filter. Do yourself a favour and WELD IT INTO PLACE THIS WEEK. You’ll thank us later.

Gemini  

One of the biggest and most recognizable brands out there comes instantly to mind thanks to three little words: "I'm lovin' it." Truth is that slogan is so incredibly painfully lazy and doesn't tell the consumer anything about what the product is or why they should be buying it. It's meaningless. They don’t deserve to get your attention. So This Week… OH! And ANOTHER thing! The French translation of that slogan is roughly "I'm okay with it". You’re a vibrant personality. Don’t restrain yourself so much that the people around you are “just okay” with you.

Cancer Moon-Child 

Vacation Time is almost here - and remember a couple weeks ago we told you to go to Iceland and check out the Ethiopian restaurant in Fludir? Well, we’d like you to consider booking your flight with Uzbekistan Airways. No, we don’t get any kickbacks from them. We just want you to see their company slogan of, “Good Luck”. As if you need luck to be on a flight with them. So This Week… Travel Sickness Pills are basically Antihistamines. Buy some; they’ll help with the Ragweed Allergy that’s about to hit you right between the sinuses.

Leo 

You remember the famous line from “The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai across the Eighth Dimension”? It was, “No matter where you go, there you are.” Looks like the nice folks up Canada way were inspired with that because they created the Canadian provincial slogan for New Brunswick which goes, "Be...in this place". So This Week… This slogan is about as Zen-Like as Ed Gruberman’s attempt to learn Kung-Fu in a week. You need to be patient as well. Slow down and let things come to you.

Virgo 

You know how McDonald's has a bad rap for the ice cream machines, but almost never for the milkshake machine? Well, we’re letting you see how they combined a billboard for milkshakes and Help Wanted at the same time. It said, “Painfully Thick”, then under that, “Recruiting Now”. So This Week… We know you like milkshakes. Just make them at home this week. And stay home. Watch a movie. Take up cross stitch. Just, whatever you do, just stay home this week. OK?

Libra

You like “Bling”, right? You’re part Corvid, maybe. But something shiny is fun, right? And what’s flashier than jewelry, right? What could go wrong with earring promotions, right? Well, New York-based jewelry retailer Stone & Strand leaned heavily on that idea and went with the slogan, and again.. QUOTE… “Something For Every Hole”. So This Week… Rope your sense of humor in at work this week. You might think it’s harmless banter, but your delivery sucks. You’re gunna get in trouble.

Scorpio 

You remember when Micky-Dee’s had something called “Snack Wrap”s? You know what the slogan for it was? “Open Your Snack Hole”. Yeah. Someone thought that was a worthy slogan. Obviously they didn’t run that slogan past a room full of twelve year olds to see what THEY thought of it. So This Week… Think about everything you do and say as if you were a pre-teen again. You’re trying to be less cringey. WE’D like you to be less cringey.

Sagittarius 

You know how there’s the idea that taking steroids when bodybuilding can do bad things to your body and mind? Well, someone needs to check in with the nice folks over there at Reebok and ask, “Who Hurt You?” They put out a slogan, IN PRINT mind you, that says, ”Cheat On Your Girlfriend, Not On Your Workout”. So This Week…How about don’t cheat on anything or anyone, Sagittarius? How’s that sound? Should sound mighty freekin’ good right about now.

Capricorn 

Originally YOURS was going to be “Va - Dry - Na”, and we’ll let you look that one up on your own - but not at work. So how about you get a clean slogan? Something that you can drag along the carpet behind you while it whines and complains. Take a listen to this one: “Nothing Sucks Like An Electrolux”. And considering how nearly indestructible those things are, maybe they were right. So This Week… There is an expression in I.T. that we’ve warned you about before, but you need to hear it again. “All. Is. Known.” Do NOT piss off The Help Desk.

Aquarius 

We’re betting that THIS slogan was penned while using the product in question. “Approach Women Like You Do Wild Animals, With Caution And A Soothing Voice”. The product ALSO reminds you to, “Stay Thirsty, my friends.” The product? Dos Equis. Because Beer… oh, I’m sorry.. Malt Beverage.. Does weird things to the brain. So This Week… DRINK MORE WATER! It’s damned near hard-sun days, you NEED more water!

Pisces  

And as if ONE beer slogan wasn’t enough, here’s one more. From the nice folks over there at “Coopers - dot - com - dot - a u”, they had a slogan that said, “The Beer That Beer Would Drink”. Cooper’s is an Australian company that’s been around for over 160 years, and owned by the same family. So maybe, just MAYBE, they actually know a little about how to market themselves. So This Week… If you do something stupid, but it works, IT’S NOT STUPID! Get over yourself.

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.