Pwoermds are one word poems, using the combination of  two or more words. This kind of experimental, minimalist poetry can be done whatever way you interpret it. This is what I did.

ecstatic + war = wecastaticr
lovely + poverty = ploverlty
miraculous + cruelty = miracruelousty
miserable + optimism = misoptimerableism
shameful + miracle = mirashamecleful
penis + vagina = pevaniginas
disgusting + honesty = hodisgustnestingty
sunny + destruction = sundestrunctiony
miserable + harmony = harmiserambleony
hello + world = whelolorld

Pwoermds were first done by Geof Huth who runs InterNaPwoWriMo (International Pwoermds Writing Month). That's right, a pwoermd a day. You can keep track of it on this website (http://napwowrimo.blogspot.com/).

I am totally obsessed with Japanese forms of poetry. Most of them thrive on brevity. Brevity is a perfect way to make sure that you always have time to write (though hard when there is a lack of inspiration). Brevity is also a challenge, especially with Japanese forms. You have to tell a story or a fragment of a story with only a few words, lines, and/or syllables. If you write real traditional Japanese poetry, you also have a theme to keep up with (nature for the most part, which I certainly have trouble with...thank goodness for Modern!). The most common form is haiku. After that, it's tanka and if you dig just at the surface, there is renga, haibun, and haiga.

What most fail to realize is that there are many more forms. The only problem is that most of them are “dead”. For instance, tanka was originally a form of waka which literally means “Japanese poem”. Waka had about five forms under its genre which were tanka, chōka, bussokusekika, sedōka, and katauta. As with most Japanese poetry, the common syllable count was 5-7 with these forms.

I partially understand why the other four forms died. They were all variations of 5-7 lines, but were longer. Why have five forms when you can have one? However, it’s their pattern variations and length that sets them apart and could make for good modern literature. There are modern attempts, but not a lot of awareness of the fact that they exist. In a regular poetry college course (a practicum, ideally), from my experience, you won’t hear about these forms. You probably wouldn’t even be asked to attempt one even if you did hear about them. I found about these forms via the internet.

Hopefully now that you have become aware (and have hopefully clicked the links within this entry to find out more), you might try out some of these on your own. I know I will. I might start with a chōka. I will leave you with a chōka by (I’m going to assume since it’s in article about chōka) Jack Huber:


Camouflaged

Suitably quiet,
he succeeds in blending in,
quite invisible,
while he waxes nonchalant.
Indeed, he'd rather be
anything but recognized,
just another sapling
camouflaged by the forest.
Every now and then
he is freed from his cocoon
and shows brilliantly
his talent for spectacle,
as crippling stage fright
releases its hold on him
ever so slightly.
Whispers become raucous songs,
telling the world, "Look at me!"

Here is another video from the Chase Greatness movement featuring Cliff Drouillard called "Who Am I?"

I would love to see more videos like this from poets. Come on guys, you need to follow Cliff's example!

Sidenote: I want a notebook like the one he has in the video!

I believe in promoting greatness when I see it. So coming across Chase Greatness aka Clifford Drouillard during my late night Facebook sessions is a treat. Cliff is a fellow BC Poetry Club member (back when I went) that I know. He is a great poet. While this is a little rough around the edges, this is a diamond in the rough and I know that Cliff will be bringing more greatness into the poetry world. Check out his video.

When I was looking for a picture of Marsha Ambrosius' album, I came across an ad to see The Floacist's new video "Let Me" on the Singersroom.com. The word controversial got my attention. So I clicked on the ad and saw this gem! She is topless with her nipples covered up. It's a very seductive and artistic video. After I finished watching it, I started to read the comments on YouTube. Most were compliments, but others were negative comments on her breasts. Some called her breasts saggy! 

Wow...when I read that, I was appalled. What woman with natural breasts doesn't have sag? Are we so use to seeing the girls in bras that when they are out and dancing in front of us (and a possible lover) that they become repulsive? The Floacist (aka Natalie Stewart) has a beautiful body. So imagine if I did a video like this? Then the critics would really have to talk about sag. And themselves because we all got it. Even if they are perky now, they will fly down south eventually. 

Surprisingly both men and women were criticizing her breasts. Are our views of beauty that distorted? Wait, that is a dumb question, of course they are! 

I could go on and on, but I won't because this is a Write Discovery and not a Write Rant...(uh oh, I think I just created a new category!!!), so I'll say just watch the video and enjoy. And I'll end with a question that you can leave your answers to in the comment section:

In arts and media, would you prefer to see a natural body or a made up one? Should more artists go for the natural look in music videos like in this one?

Hey guys,

Today's Write Discovery was found on a perfect day: Valentine's Day. Until I can prepare my own gift of love to show the world, I will post a short film featuring a poem by the lovely Rachel McKibbens. This is genius at its finest and I know this will stay with me beyond today. So enjoy and hopefully I will get to post later. Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey Write Queen Readers!

I have a new Write Discovery that will make especially poets and fashionistas very happy. I’ll even push it and say that typographers will love it too. I have discovered....POETRY ON CLOTHES!

Now before someone comes and tells me that is not new, I’ll tell you that I know. I’ve seen famous poems on t-shirts on Zazzle or on miscellaneous poetry sites. But this is original poetry here guys! And it has a purpose: to inspire!

I was wasting time on Etsy one night, looking and bookmarking all the things I would love to buy one day, when I came across Dawning Soul. Seeing words on anything other than a book always excites me because if I can wear words and look like a writing goddess, I will. And Dawning Soul is the perfect fit for a writing goddess. Here take a look:

Dawning Soul is t-shirts. It's earrings, necklaces, bracelets and journals. It's inspirational poetry done with eye popping typography. It's fashion, love, and all the great things a dream should be.

I felt good just reading what was on her products. After looking through her Etsy page, I took a look at the Dawning Soul website (www.dawningsoul.com) and I knew that I had to reach out. I had to find out how this wonderful idea came about.

So I sort out Ms. Jennifer Gabiola. After a few e-mails back and forth and settling on a date, I called her up on a Friday afternoon. We had a great conversation! I haven’t spoken with someone who has such a positive vibe to them in a while.

But before we get into that, another picture!

Now let’s break down Dawning Soul:

Who: Jennifer Dawn Gabiola (Dawning Soul comes from her middle name, Dawn among other things).

Where: Houston, Texas...and the internet of course.

What: Poetic Goods! So far she has an assortment of shirts, a hoodie, journals, earrings, bracelets, necklace chokers, tote bags, and a book of poetry.

How did it begin: Ms. Gabiola took a negative and made it into a positive. About a year and a half ago, she was working as a graphic designer. After 12 years of hard work, going with the trend of the past couple of years, her company laid her off. She took some time to refocus and figure out what to do next. She thought about the things she loved which are writing poetry, design, fashion, and empowerment. At some point, she wrote this:

I AM

I am flourishing
I am thriving
I am expanding
I am advancing
I AM

I am here nor there
I am everywhere
Pervading
Sustaining
My thoughts formulating
Into an infinite state
Of my own creating

Which is the center of this beautiful collection. She took baby steps and designed what I personally think can be an amazing new trend.

How is it done: Screenprinting! At least for the shirts (I forgot to ask about the jewelry). She does a few at a time. After she has the design printed on the material, she cuts up the shirt and just makes it look COOL!

Exciting Moments so far: An eco-friendly shop in Houston called One Green Street has displayed the “I AM Universal Collection” which is her “I AM” shirts translated into Spanish, Japanese and French. Her line was also shown at Houston’s first Fashion Week this last fall!

         Fun fact: To make her show stand out from the rest, she recorded her poetry so it can be played while the models walked out. Talk about art on top of art.

The Future: Ms. Gabiola has a lot of plans that she would love to carry out in the future for Dawning Soul. Right now for Valentine’s Day, she’s looking to have some cards made. She would love to put her work on more products where you don’t see poetry everyday like scarves and mousepads. She wants to do motivational speaking and hold workshops. She wants to showcase the stories of other Dawning Souls on her site to help inspire others. And she definitely wants to break some language barriers. She’s looking to have more of her items being translated into different languages.

Where to find: You can find Dawning Soul at the following links:

Website: http://www.dawningsoul.com

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dawningsoul

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dawningsoul

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DawningSoul

I hope that if you see something you like at Dawning Soul that you will support this lovely artist. As said on the Dawning Soul site, “Live your poetry.”

Personally, I would love to see poetry become something more than something you see on paper. And the ‘I AM’ poem makes me feel good inside. Ever since I have encountered it, I often take a look at Dawning Soul, daydream about the stuff I will buy when I get a job, and I read the I AM poem. Positive reinforcement shouldn’t be something you read just in books or online. It should be carried with you, you should wear it proudly through your journey. Jennifer Gabiola has found a way we can do that.

You should definitely check her out! And you should check out a special message she has for you guys that I agree with 150%!

Jennifer Dawn Gabiola: “If you really love something, if you have a true passion for something, then it's absolutely necessary that you pursue that to some degree in your life. Tapping into that somehow, maybe starting as a hobby, then seeing where it goes. Whatever it is you love, that's what your gift is. Once you start sharing it, there's going to be people who are going to appreciate it.”

It’s why I’m here folks. I love to write and love the internet, so I write this blog. She loves poetry, design, and fashion so she makes fantastic poetic goods. If you love something, don’t just say you love it. Do it. Don’t worry about people not paying attention. Someone will. You’ll never know where it goes. If we didn’t take chances, we wouldn’t have stuff like Dawning Soul.

So what will you do today?

Hey folks! If you are in New York, hope you are enjoying the snow. It wasn't as bad as the blizzard two weeks ago, but here we go again with more piles of snow. At least Bloomberg did a better job in clearing up the roads this time.

But the snow means a lazy day in bed with my computer and boy did I get a treat in my inbox! Before I get into that, I have to make a note of a change on the blog. I've added a new category called "The Write Discoveries" featuring music, books, and other miscellaneous things that I have discovered on the net and beyond.

With that being said, let me introduce this absolutely amazing artist who I discovered today. Earlier this afternoon, I got an e-mail from a stunning Puerto Rican House music artist named Mystina from Crown Heights. She wanted me to check out her video and let my readers know about her music.

I didn't know what to expect. I've encountered artists where they have claimed that I will like their music and sometimes...I was truamatized to say the least. So I was kind of scared when I got this e-mail.

I pressed play and...well, I have watched the video five times and listened to just the song eight times already! I absolutely love it!!!

With Mystina, I feel like I am a kid in the 90's again, listening to KTU while driving around with my dad. It feels familar yet it's so new and refreshing. Even the video, done by Scrapping the Tin Man Productions, is reminiscent of a video from the 90's, which I love.

Earlier today I was having a conversation with my boyfriend about music and I told him how the sound of the 90's and early 2000's probably won't come back into music until about another 20 to 40 years, just like some sounds from the 60's and 70's didn't make a comeback until the recent years (a trend I hate because some artists will make a whole album sounded like 1970...NO!). But I disgress.

It looks like I am wrong. Mystina, dubbed "The Darling of House Music", sounds like the 90's at its best. I adore house music so my ears are happy right now.

To make this long story short, Mystina's video "The Coin" is the 90's reincarnated. It's familar, but fresh. The video has such an indie feel to it and the ending was definitely a surprise. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. Check it out!

You can check out Mystina at:

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/themystina
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mystina/100329716248
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MystinaSound

You can also check out Scrapping the Tin Man Productions at:

Website: http://www.scrappingthetinman.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scrapping-The-Tinman-Productions-LLC/88863516937

During 2010, I read some pretty amazing books (in my opinion) that subconsciously helped me with my writing. These are talented poets and writers who have the ability to make language echo in your head for months after you have read them. I wanted to share part of my 2010 to maybe make part of your 2011. We got three collections of poetry, a verse novel and a novel translated from Portuguese. You can click on the pictures to get a description from Amazon or go to the author's website to see what they are about. Enjoy!