Community Update III

Welcome to PoeticalCondition's Community Update III!

As new things arise, I will add them to this article with a sticker in front of them. As things end, I will simply remove them.


First of all, any well-connected deviant needs to know who their Lit CVs (community volunteers) are:
BeccaJS, neurotype-on-discord, and Nichrysalis
Watch them, and you are already headed in the right direction.

thorns - has recently stepped down. But she is not leaving us! Be sure to stop by and thank her for all of her hard work as a CV and encourage her in all future pursuits!


Now, let's dive in!

projecteducate had an extremely successful form poetry week! I am a strong believer in the importance of poets being well educated in their art, so if you are still a little confused about what "Traditional Fixed Form" really means (or you think if something has a rhyme pattern it must be a traditional form) then please browse the thumbs below. There is a ton of great information as well as a few awesome and informative interviews!
PE: Poetry Forms- An A-Z An A-Z of Poetry Forms!
Hello!
To kick start this week at projecteducate, we're starting off with a slightly lighter-hearted article listing just some of the poetic forms that exist out there. Lets be honest, there are hundreds and we can't list every single one. This is just a slice of the forms out there and if you are wishing to expand your understanding of different forms, do some research and don't take this as gospel!
Each form has a direct link to a site that describes the form in more detail, usually with examples too. I have also included some good examples from dA when I have found them.
Yes some of these link to wikipedia!
A
ABC- A poem where each word, line or stanza starts with the next continuous letter of the alphabet. Also known as an "Abcedarian"

<b> :thumb357778735: SonnetsSonnets
This article aims to give you an outline of sonnets, including what they are, their history and some examples of the different kinds of sonnet.  Hopefully along the way you'll pick up some tips to help you write sonnets (or write better sonnets!).
What is a sonnet?
Sonnets feature:
Fourteen linesFixed metreFixed rhyme schemeA shift in mood or perspective during the poem
Sonnets are short poems which traditionally have 14 lines, a fixed metre and a fixed rhyme scheme. Despite, or perhaps because of, the formal constraints of sonnets, they often deal with themes of emotions, love, and freedom. The name ‘sonnet’ comes from the Italian meaning ‘little sound’ or ‘little song’

Sonnets usually have two sections; a proposition or argument followed by an answer, solution, or a different way of looking at the original issue. In this, sonnets a How-to: The SestinaThe what?
The sestina is a fairly old poetic form, dating back to the 12th century or earlier. (This isn’t a history lesson, so we won’t delve into its creator and evolution.) It has seven stanzas, the first six of which have six lines each. The seventh stanza is a tercet (three lines) to tie it all together. All 39 of these lines are usually in iambic pentameter, although they don’t have to be (more on that later). That’s the basic structure - but of course that’s not all there is to it.
The real challenge of the sestina comes from the line endings. Rather than using rhyming words like many poems, sestinas contain six fixed line-ending words. That is, the words at the end of each line of the first stanza (six of them) are then used to end every line in the poem. Based on the original order they’re in (1 2 3 4 5 6), the words follow a specific pattern throughout the other stanzas:
First stanza:     1 2 3 4 5 6
Second:    6
The Ghazal: An IntroductionGhazals
The ghazal is a widely-used but poorly-understood poetic genre and style, originating in panegyric Arabic verse and adapted (approximately) into contemporary English poetry. In this article I will be touching on the history of the ghazal, its original Arabic form, and the various ways it's been adapted into English. I will also be spotlighting some great ghazals from deviantART and around the 'net. 
Please note that the English ghazal, like English haiku, has a handful of forms and aesthetics and no one is more "right" than others; for less confusion I am sticking to the better-known aesthetics in this treatment, and especially to those more frequently seen in literary magazines. Feel free to chime in on the comments with anything you'd like to add regarding other aesthetics.
The Arabic Ghazal
Arabic ghazals ( غزليات - ghazaliyyat ) have been around a long time, much longer t PE - SciFaiku Poetry FormWhat on earth is SciFaiku?
SciFaiku (science fiction haiku) is a minimalist science fiction poetry form similar to traditional haiku. According to Wikipedia (grain of salt guys), the earliest publication of SciFaiku was likely in 1962. It became known officially as SciFaiku in 1995 when the SciFaiku Manifesto was posted up by Tom Brink. (At the time of finalizing this article, the  website is down; however, I have seen it go down and come back up before, so it's worth saving. They may be having server issues.)


How does one write SciFaiku?
SciFaiku is written like traditional contemporary haiku, and as such, SciFaiku seeks a sense of immediacy. A capture of a moment. A directness of expression, avoiding abstractions. A good SciFaiku does not make any judgments. Conveying a feeling of immediacy is important. Here's an example:
     Digging up an ancient city,
     finding the print
France's Fancy Fixed Forms: Rondeau and FriendsFrance's Fancy Fixed Forms: The Rondeau (& Friends)
:iconlegaspplz: Ah, the French. Their proud romantic culture has provided us with a wealth of artistic innovation: a wide range of cheeses and pastries; the Louvre, Versailles, and the iconic Eiffel Tower; and some memorable poetic forms, including the ballade, the villanelle, and today's subject: the rondeau (ron-DOH).
While not as well-known today as the sonnet or haiku, these French styles have been around just as long, if not longer. The rondeau, like its cousins, has a restricted number of end rhymes (two, usually labeled 'a' and 'b') and a short refrain repeated throughout. This refrain, also known as the rentrement, comes from the first half of the poem's first line.
If you've heard of the rondeau before, chances are it's thanks to the World War I p Project Educate: Haiku, Senryu, Tanka, and RengaAs part of Poetry Forms week at projecteducate, we wanted to go into a bit of detail regarding some of the more well-known Eastern forms of writing. The same way there are many forms of Western poetry, there are many forms of Eastern poetry, and ultimately this article will barely begin to scrape the surface of even the forms that it actually touches on, but within this article, there are links to resources that delve further into the subject matter, and all are worth reading if the subject interests you.
Haiku & Senryu

Haiku, in the classical Japanese sense, is a small poem comprised of 17 characters known as on (sometimes onji). These characters each represent one unit of sound, and each unit of sound has its own meaning which then contributes to the overall haiku. The 17 on are split into phrases of 5, 7, and 5, which is where the most commonly kno
Why Form?Be not the first by whom the new are tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.
—Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism
The history of poetry reminds me of standing knee-deep in the water at the beach. Though you are continually in the water, you are able to feel movement after movement, wave after wave rolling in. You can feel the receding water sucking the sand from beneath your feet, but with the coming of each new wave, you need never fear being sucked into the miry ground. So it is with poetry. There's something intrinsic to poetry—the joy of prosody, of the delightful placement of words, and of the novel communication of ideas—that it keeps bringing wave after wave, generation after generation of poets and styles and forms.
Let me take you back...
I cannot say what came first: poetry or music or storytelling. But I do know that the day man found that he could piece together words evoking  Beauty in Structure: Form PoetryBeauty in Structure: A How-To of Form Poetry
There was once a time in which I despised free verse poetry for its lack of structure. It takes no talent to write this, I thought. Now, being an intelligent and rational adult I recognize that free verse has its merits. I even write in it occasionally, and it seems to be the default of many budding poets. But what is it about form poetry that makes beginning poets afraid of it? Perhaps the same thing that makes it so much better than free verse poetry, to me. And while many of you may understand the ins and outs of form poetry, especially as a result of this past week, it takes a little more work to apply it.
To that end, I wish to explain and explore some of my favorite methods of binding myself to structure--specifically meter. There is much more to writing form poetry than merely rhyming the words on the ends of the lines. And despite that "confine" and "bind" sound like negative wo Breaks: Slam and StyleTo some people, poetry is a quiet medium. It rests on a page. It lies there. It slumbers.
   Slam is different.
   Slam is about shouting.
   Slam, or spoken word poetry, is poetry that is... well... spoken. It might be poetry that doesn’t make sense unless it’s spoken out loud; it may be poetry that just, like Andrea Gibson or Shane Koyczan’s work, sounds better that way. Long poems are difficult; people tend to get tangled up in them. Slam poetry is, in my mind, the contemporary solution for epic poems – it breaks down five-minute sagas into swells of voice, and by doing so guides you through something that it might tire your eyes or mind too much to read.
   But slam presents a unique set of challenges to the writer, one of which is that, in writing for an aural audience instead of the usual visual one, the ‘traditional’ method of line breaks is eschewed. It no longer makes sense to break in the places that Poetic Meter: A Complete Reference ManualPoetic Meter: A Complete Reference Manual
Earlier in the week BeccaJS posted an A-Z of Poetry Forms which received a great response from the community. This time around, we're bringing you a comprehensive list of meter. Even later in the week, LaBruyere will be bringing you a guide on how to make your fixed form poetry a reality. This article is a (complete as can be) reference for reliable patterns of poetic meter with a widely-accepted method of scansion used to define them. This article is intended for those who have somewhat of a grasp on what fixed form is! So before we dive into the article know what you're in for (lots of terminology and patterns). Here are some terms and symbols you should be aware of:
Prosody Terminology
Caesura - A complete pause within a line of poetry, sometimes provoked by a mark of punctuation.
Cola -
PE: Interview with some dA Haiku MastersHello all
As part of this weeks projecteducate, we have interviewed two members whose work is almost entirely focussed on fixed form poetry- and in this instance Eastern Poetry. 
In my early deviantART days, Eastern poetry writing went through a popular phase. There were regular HaikuWriMo months, challenges and clubs; some of which still continue in their own ways. Two members who have continued that popularity and developed their skills in these forums are Jade-Pandora and moyanII- both owners of a huge collection of Eastern poetry, DD's and beautiful creative writing. Both these delightful deviants have taken the time to share their experiences in this interview.
 
Jade-Pandora was born in Los Angeles, California. She started writing seriously in 2001, joined deviantArt in 2003, and in 2007 discovered dA’s literature community when she stumbled into the HaikuWriMo of October 2007. Her fascination with Haiku dre :thumb355353646: Project Educate: Free VersePoetryOD's interview of spoems and AzizrianDaoXrak in regards to Free Verse Poetry. Held on March 6th at 8:28 at Project Educate Studios, L.A.
[ begin transmission ]
PoetryOD: *taps the microphone* is this thing on?
spoems: I can hear you, loud and clear!
AzizrianDaoXrak:
PoetryOD: Oh. We’re on. Okay. Hello and welcome to Project Educate’s exclusive interview with Free-Verse brainiacs spoems and AzizrianDaoXrak! Today we are going to discuss free verse poetry, what that means and some great examples of it, and some of the issues it creates. We are also going to finally hear the latest news on Shane’s upcoming album “I never touched her” and talk about what it’s like backstage with One Direction and find out the exclusive gossip on Azi’s infamous Vegas wedding to Richard Armitage!
AzizrianDaoXrak


projecteducate is also hosting a small, but awesome contest in honor of form poetry! Great prizes, open to everyone. For info, click the thumb:
PE: Two Forms, One Theme Contest! Just a reminder there is only ONE day left to submit your poems! Entries are collecting fast so please ensure it is submitted in time if you'd like to be in with a chance! The prizes are FABULOUS so why wouldn't you?
Hello all!
I hope you all enjoyed our PE week on Poetry Forms! Before I begin divulging our grand finale of the week, I want to share my since thanks to everyone who wrote an article, supported, helped organise and got involved with this week, you guys are really awesome!
And since we’ve got such a nice collection of articles, it would be naughty of us to now ignore them! To celebrate poetry forms week, we have a contest for you!
TWO FORMS, ONE THEME
The contest challenge is simple: Write two poems of the same theme, but use two different fixed forms.
Things to consider before writing your poems
Do your research into the forms, especially if they’re new to you. Check Deadline - March 25th, 2013 So hurry!


The Literature Gallery is getting a makeover! Say goodbye to mis-cats, this should solve a world of problems. But it's not finalized yet, and they are still looking for your input! To read all about it and share your thoughts, click the thumb:
:thumb358297376:


Nichrysalis is looking for your thoughts on discrimination, as well as any help you would be willing to offer with his new project. Info can be found here:
Performance Poetry - The Seven Deadly IsmsIn my latest poll I asked people that watched me what form of discrimination they have endured and what has affected them the most personally. I decided to do a journal as I reduced the number of options down to seven. At the end I will explain what this is all about, and if you would like to help me out on this project, I'll let you know the details. Here are the ten options as they stand now:
Weightism
Sexism
Ableism
Ageism
Racism
Ethnicism
Linguicism
Vocationism
Colorism
Religious Discrimination
Some great points that were brought up
Stuff we noticed:
[Bullet; Orange] Religionism is not the proper term. HaveTales-WillTell and ArtisticallyLiterate
[Bullet; Orange] Sexism does not encompass Gender and Sexual Orientation discrimination. :dev


CRLiterature is hiring! If you have some extra time, great ideas, lit experience (on and off the site), and are looking to get more involved with the community here on dA, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for! Check out all the details and submit your application here:
Looking for more backroom contributors! Thank you everyone who applied! We have review the applications and would like to welcome ShadowedAcolyte, MotleyDreams and fyoot to our contributors group!
Hello all!
THREE* NEWBIES REQUIRED!
Are you interested in the literature community on deviantART?
 Are you keen on helping the community, voicing your ideas on projects and getting involved in your own projects?
 Do you have time to commit to an active backroom?
Do you like working in a team of passionate, honest, vocal people? 
Can you handle the banter of the great Pie-Cake debate?
If you have answered "yes" to most of these, read on. If not, read on to spread the word!
What do CRLiterature contributors do?
Support the Lit CVs with Community Relations based projects.
Help organise projects, events and chats with the team.
Share t


The Review Project is back for the month of March! It's not difficult and it's a wonderful way to show your love for fellow deviants. All you have to do is write a short 45+ word review of one or more of the writers you love here on dA. And there are great prizes! The deadline is March 31st. In the spirit of the season, show some love! For all the information on how to participate, click the thumb:  
The Review Project MarchThe Review Project, Competition... Thing
60 entries so far (we had 143 last month Deadline: March 31st, 2013 (this will be an on-going project with a deadline at the end of each individual month)


NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) is right around the corner (April)! I hope you are all gearing up to write your butts off! I'm sure there will be various group events surrounding it here on dA; I will post links to those as they come up. For more information off this site, click the link: www.napowrimo.net/


Brainchild of lovely senior member vespera - the basic idea of this project is to write every day for a year. But you don't have to write a full poem or story everyday to qualify. Twitter poems, fragments, prompts, ideas and editing older works are all accepted. Although, we are already almost a month into the year, it's never too late to join in! You can start now, without needing to catch up for the days you've missed. Lots of big name writers on the site are taking part, and every one is having a blast. For more information, please click the icon above. The group itself is constantly posting prompts and helpful writing tips, they even do fun activities like this:
Glory Be! Day 14 JANUARY RENGA TREEI see again that we have new arrivals!    Hello!  
I hope the New Year has started out well for everybody.  How's the writing going?  I haven't missed a day yet, although, some days are... well... you'll see.  I also see that after :iconbeccalicious:'s last blog that several people have sent in their prompt journals.  So give that gallery a glance if you haven't -> http://glory-be-project.deviantart.com/gallery/41604109
AND NOW FOR OUR FIRST GROUP GLORY BE! PROJECT! January Renga Tree, which I hope will be added onto throughout the end of the month.  I know renga trees have gone around dA before, but they're likely new to many of you.  For the sake of not potentially spamming dA like crazy - as I hope you will all join in and go bananas - I'm going to set it up here.  Of course, if you end up with a little something you want to submit to the group at large, go ahead - but this way, you can feel free to do as many as you
So check them out! (There is no deadline, this is an ongoing, year long project)


My Prompt Journal! First of all, that is a collective "my" not a personal one. As in, this is something fun you are meant to do for yourself. Brainchild of lit CV BeccaJS - chances are you have seen a few people around doing this already. I have one, myself!
They are fun, relaxed and a great way to share and recieve prompts and interesting ideas with fellow deviants. Not to mention a great way to collect group prompts and contests all in one place. If you have time, stop by mine and drop me a prompt: fav.me/d5rlkdy For more info on the project, click the thumb:
My Prompt Journal (Lit Community Experiment cont.)Hello All and Welcome to 2013!
Not that many people have picked up on this yet! Come on guys, lets get involved

(Original Gif too trippy for words!)
I hope everyone had a lovely break and are fully in the swing of the New Year! 
Now this journal isn't a personal one, despite the title- in fact it is a journal I am challenging all of you to write and all of you to help others write. At this time of year, we've made resolutions and I expect half of you have included "write more" as one of those resolutions. This experiment is to help you fulfil that resolution so by 2014 you are sat here feeling achieved.
The Experiment
Prompts. Prompts are awesome. Why are they so awesome- because they get you writing! There are times when you feel unmotivated, wanting to write but not sure what to writ Deadline: There is no deadline!



For regular updates on these kinds of contests and projects, as well as all kinds of other lit community goings on, I recommend watching the group:







*If you have some interesting news, a contest or a project going on and want to be featured here, please drop a to either the group or RiseandBe




Free-Verse-Poetry is hosting a Super-Duper Interesting Flash Contest! It will only last a week, but the premise is simple. Check it out here: fav.me/d5y4o5h Deadline is March 21st, 2013


HumanConditions is hosting a Self Portrait Contest, for both Literature and Visual art. It does not have to be a realistic interpretation, entries can be entirely based on self perception. Some points up for grabs! All pertinent information can be found here: fav.me/d5y5gop Deadline: April 30th, 2013.


Heart-of-Poetry is hiring! Note the group if you're interested.


We-Poets is voting on a new logo, as well as hosting a prompt challenge! Check it out here: fav.me/d5y3zti


My-Soul-Bleeds-Ink is hosting their monthly poetry forms challenge: March - The Kyrielle. Information can be found here: fav.me/d5wll0t Deadline: March 22nd, 2013 (if you miss this one, there will be another one next month!)


SixWordStories is hosting a free theme contest! Open to everyone, great prizes up for grabs! For more information: fav.me/d5wmezs Deadline: March 31st, 2013


vicious-verse is still hosting their contest. Theme: "Mea Culpa" For more info: fav.me/d5pslyu Deadline: April 1st, 2013


PoetryVSTheWorld will be hosting a writing tournament in April. Sign up is going on now! Information can be found here: fav.me/d5xkq1c


thelifeofwords is hosting a haiku contest. Information here: fav.me/d5xqc92 Deadline: April 12th, 2013


Written-Imagination is still hiring! Info can be found here: fav.me/d5whb73


Write2liveCancerFree hosts a contest every month to support finding a cure for cancer - fav.me/d5te10f


*If your group has something going on that you would like me to include here, please drop a by the group or RiseandBe. If you would like to become an affiliate, just send us a request!


For more extensive news about the lit community at large, go watch:
HugQueen - a lovely lady who writes super extensive articles including news from the community, as well as a ton of groups. A little overwhelming at first, but every thing you could possibly want to know can most likely be found there.
Her most recent article can be found here:
Love dA Lit: Issue 119Welcome to the one-hundred nineteenth issue of Love dA Lit! Every Sunday this article will aim to promote volunteer opportunities, various resources, prompts, challenges, and workshops, as well as highlighting various contests, and spotlighting a specific group every week. This is by no means a complete list of all the literature going-ons, merely a tool to help you get involved and stay informed.
Note: Hug your thorny coconut empress, thorns as she has hung up her CR hat in order to acquire more gorgeous Minotaur man-servants! Give her your thanks. Also, it is Poetry Forms Week at projecteducate! All of the project educate articles have their own little nifty section and will remain there for at least a few weeks.
The bi-weekly group spotlight is StoriesAndPoemsClub!
LITplease's Comm

*If there is anything I have missed or you would like me to add, just point it out to me in a comment or note and include a link. I will add it asap!

Happy Writing and Exploring!
- Mo

P.S. I know I was supposed to post the contest winners yesterday, but there was some confusion amongst the judges. I promise we are working it out and will have the winners posted asap! Hang in there, lovelies!
Also, don't forget our prompt "Superstitions" going on now! fav.me/d5xwsq2