What the weather is doing in the Tries: From a relatively cool last week, to a pretty warm this week. The highs will be in the 80s and 90s. I am NOT complaining. 

May I Brag?:

Well, since it’s my blog, I guess I can, can’t I?

I haven’t done much in the fiction department since I’ve been back in town. However, I am in a fiction writing group, and have been submitting chapters of earlier novels. I’m pleased to say, their comments lead me to believe I just might have something in them, with minor edits and changes. Except where major edits and changes are called for. Fortunately, not many of those.

Poetry is my first love, and since I’ve been back in the Tries, I’ve been writing lots of it, taken a few classes, put together a couple books with more to come. Several of my poems are getting accepted. One gets rejected here, but accepted there. 

I submitted three poems to the Shrub-Steppe anthology, two were accepted, and I will be in Wenatchee the 19^th to read them at the book launch. I submitted five to the Fixed and Free Poetry Anthology for 2021, and all five were accepted! And Quill and Parchment (an online magazine) has accepted my ekphrastic poem, Leda and the Swan for their July issue. 

An author whose books I greatly enjoy, Tower Lowe, has just purchased Marking the Hours. I just purchased her latest, Don’t Come Back                

My Rant. My Vote:

One person, one vote. Right? Not so fast. If that were truly the case, the electoral college wouldn’t be able to overturn the popular vote. Okay, mostly one person, one vote. Well, unless one of the voters belongs to the dominant caste and doesn’t like the results, in which case the votes can be recounted, overturned, tossed out, however the dominant caste so desires. Yeah. Right. And it isn’t just limited to the two-party system and general/local elections. It is now fair game in high schools, too. 

So, if you aren’t a member of the dominant caste, and you vote against it, be prepared to have your vote ash canned. If your high school valedictorian and or salutatorian are members of the less than equal caste, expect there to be a hullabaloo and at best, two more students, members of the dominant caste, chosen as co-valedictorian and co-salutatorian. After all, those of subordinate caste need to remain in their place, and their place isn’t equal to the dominant caste. 

I found the NYT article, “Two Black Students Won School Honors. Then Came the Calls for a Recount.” to be particularly heinous. It’s caste, ladies and gentlemen. Caste and ignorance. According to the writings of the dominant caste, a bucket of white paint with a single drop of color can no longer be declared white. Well, I hate to be the bringer of sad tidings, but all of our ancestors walked out of Africa, some earlier than others. ALL of us are members of the so-called subordinate caste, we all have African blood/genes in us. Ain’t none of us “white,” baby. None.

This showed up on my Facebook feed the other day. I thought it worth the trouble to copy and place here. All typos are mine.

A white woman, race educator Jane Elliot, says to an auditorium full of people, “I want every white person in this room who would be happy to be treated as this society, in general, treats our citizens—our black citizens—if you, as a white person, would be happy to receive the same treatment that our black citizens do in this society, please stand.” Unsurprisingly, no one moves. She pauses. “You didn’t understand the directions. If you white folks want to be treated the way blacks are, in this society, stand.!” More marked silence and lack of movement. She continues, “Nobody’s standing here. That says very plainly that you know what’s happening. You know you don’t want it for you. I want to know why you’re so willing to accept it or to allow it to happen for others.” [emphasis mine]

End of rant. For now.

Photo of the Week:

Entertainment: 

Netflix: At some point they finally put the final episodes of Lucifer up, and I finally noticed. So I’m watching them, one a night at the most! I’m parsing them. Best series ever! Also caught an old Addams Family movie with several laugh out loud scenes, and a couple of new-to-me ones on Hallmark. 

Books: Remember, when I finish a book, I review it at Rainy Day Reads.

Have two new book up on Rainy Day Reads — Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim and Don’t Come Back by Tower Lowe. Both here:

Writing:

Have a couple more poems accepted. The Fixed and Free Poetry Anthology for 2021 accepted all five poems I entered. Wowser. I hoped for one, maybe two. Thanks Billy Brown!!! I will be attending a book launch for the Shrub-Steppe anthology in Wenatchee on the 19^th June (this coming Saturday). 

Also searching for a press who might be interested in my Smallbook (Chapbook, 19 pages) of 17 Petrarchan sonnets about my sojourns in the southlands, with one crown of 14. ideas? drop me a note.

Quote of the Week:

“The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.”  —Jean Cocteau

Auntie Lenora and Sammy Brave Dog hope you enjoy your coming week.