Minerva Cerridwen's Blog, page 4
August 2, 2023
Flash Fiction: Rise!
Hi!
It’s that time of the year when the stories are being announced that will be part of the Queer Sci Fi Flash Fiction Contest anthology. The theme this year was “Rise”, once again prompting authors to write a story of 300 words, and I’m proud to say I submitted a story called “Ace-tral Projection” and it was selected. This is the fifth year in a row I have a story in the contest anthology! Everyone who’s friends with me on Duolingo knows I do love a good long streak.
You can read the full list of anthology picks via this link – and you may notice that my friend and co-writer LS Reinholt’s story “Flood” made it in there too! *high fives*
In other news, Fie and I posted the 359th edition of Paranatellonta yesterday—remember there’s a new post on the 1st and 15th of every month. Our next edition, on August 15, will be very special, and not just because 360 is a nice round number—we will celebrate that Paranatellonta will have existed for 10 years!!! Keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, you can go read the latest editions via the main page (click on the “[time] ago and x notes” line under a post to enlarge both its photo and text, or click the “Random post” button at the top to be catapulted up to ten years back in time). As ever, everything Paranatellonta is free to read. Enjoy!
Love from rainy Germany, where I’ve been having a very cosy autumnish holiday in the middle of summer (but also some sunny hobbit adventures on mountains),
Minerva
June 20, 2023
A Bookstr Interview and Lots of Art
Wow, have I really not written any blog posts since February? Oops…
Well, hello! Time sure is flying, and lots of things are in the works, though none of them have come to the point of any Big Announcements yet. If anyone is making lists of skills writers need, don’t forget to add “having patience”.
I’m writing to you today because I gave an interview! Book website Bookstr asked me and 4 other asexual authors all the same five questions about the reasons why we write and our experiences, and I found it very interesting to read the answers of the others as well. You can read the full interview via this link. Enjoy!
I also wanted to tell you that I participated in Workshop Week last week and made quite a lot of art! You can see all the results on my Instagram; I learned new techniques for handlettering, watercolour painting, portraiture, and sketching flowers, and had a lot of fun with all that! I’ve already been applying what I learned to some new cards today.
Tonight I participated in the end-of-schoolyear performance of my spoken-word Storytelling class, and I’m very happy with how it went. I can feel how much I learned and improved since we started last September, and can’t wait to see how our skills will evolve as the class continues. Even in my writing, I can feel its influence.
I hope to be back soon with some publishing news. Fingers crossed!
Love,
Minerva
February 1, 2023
Dutch Poetry Week – Poëzieweek
I’m writing this post in Dutch for once, to talk about Dutch poetry!
Hoi!
Het was deze week Poëzieweek. Op Gedichtendag leek het me wel leuk om heel snel een gedicht te schrijven en te posten op Twitter. Dat beviel me zo goed dat ik het de hele week volgehouden heb! Het was leuk om weer wat meer verbinding te voelen met het Nederlands en door mezelf te beloven dat ik de gedichten snel en ongepolijst zou posten, bleef ik er ook niet eindeloos over dibben. Een gedicht aan iemand tonen voelt veel meer als loslaten dan een verhaal, omdat de interpretatie nog zoveel vrijer is. We gaan mij dus allemaal heel dapper vinden omdat ik ze hier toch kom tonen! Hier is het resultaat van een week vol poëzie.
Dag 1 (Gedichtendag)Ik wil ergens heen
een punt maken
duidelijk zijn
Ik wil ergens heen
om nieuwe dingen te ontdekken
de horizon verkennen
Het avontuur opzoeken
zodat iedereen wijst van “Kijk,
díé heeft er niet omheen gedanst.”
Maar ik blijf thuis.
Waar ik naartoe werk
is geen helder reisdoel.
Koekjes met de post uit Amerika –
Dat leek ons wat onpraktisch.
Vriendschap was een veel mooiere beloning
Gesprekken over gebak en chocola
Ervaringen met queerness en neurodivergentie.
Vorige week wist ik nog niet dat je bestond
Vandaag maak ik jouw pindarotsjes.
Het schermpje op het keukenblok straalt
Je gezicht een goedkeurend kunstwerk
Van postpakketjes data.
Later krijg ik een cactusbaard
met hele lange naalden
Niet om iemand pijn te doen
maar omdat m’n haar steeds faalde
te groeien waar ik het graag wou
en ik daarover baalde
kwam op een dag de goede fee
en bracht me stekelgenen
Ze plantte ze in mijn gezicht
en is daarna verdwenen
Sindsdien wacht ik met ongeduld
tot de pinnen uit mijn wangen
ver genoeg gevorderd zijn
om er bloempjes aan te hangen.
Een knuffel van een boek
Een blad langs links, een blad langs rechts
Ze vouwen om je heen
Een veilige cocon
Als nachtmerries tóch komen
Je wakker schrikt ver weg van rust
Verbeeld je je de vrede
Van weides in de zon
De stad der fantasieën
Verwarmt je hart met woordenthee
Je angst zakt weg in zacht
Een nieuwe droom begon
De grote oranje octopus
heeft hele lange armen.
Ze kronkelen steeds zo en zus
want hij wil de eindjes warmen
aan iemand met een zacht, droog vel
hij legt een koude zuignap
tegen de mensen aan, maar, wel,
zij delen niet zijn blijdschap.
Ze zetten zeven stappen terug
zo kan hij hen niet raken
en leert de octopus al vlug
dat zij de kou niet kunnen smaken
Dus wendt hij zich – na lang gedub
tot andere kameraden:
een beetje kou op dik geschub
kan vuurdraken niet schaden.
De zee klotst langs de kleurenboot
Het veel te blauwe water
Het grijs op weg naar later
De masten blozen rood
Een duikboot cirkelt door de lucht
Om onze tocht te stoppen
Het grijs kan hen niet foppen
Ons bootje zucht, maar vlucht –
Ooit zal de paarse wereld fier
Vol groene stippen staan
Het grijs vrolijk saffraan
Geen reis naar waar jij mag bestaan
De horizon een regenboog, te zien van elke pier
Geen land vol verf, maar overal, en zelfs gewoonweg hier.
Aftiteling
Wanneer een aarzeling weerklinkt
knikt het marktplein minzaam toe
Vrolijk om de mensen heen
weeft de klarinettist zijn avontuur
De toonladders, de dansers, de vlammen van het vuur
Alles hier beweegt op zijn ritme alleen
De lente komt, niemand wordt moe
Het lied een diep instinct
Diepzwart zakken de credits
Zijn feest kent nooit een eind.
Welk gedicht spreekt jou het meeste aan? Ik kom het heel graag te weten in de comments.
Liefs,
Minerva
P.S. Uiteraard is er ook een nieuwe post op Paranatellonta vandaag. Happy February!
January 1, 2023
Happy 2023!
Happy New Year!!!
This was my holiday card this year. Wishing you a year of creativity, cosiness, and inspiration!
The first edition of Paranatellonta for 2023 is already online – click here if you’re in the mood for some gingerbread or speculaas. On to a new year of stories!
Lots of love,
Minerva
December 6, 2022
Dawn Vogel’s Co-Writing Interviews
Hello!
Author, editor, and reviewer Dawn Vogel recently edited a co-written book, which inspired her to post a series of interviews with co-writing authors. LS Reinholt and I are proud to be the first of these authors! You can read our interview here on History That Never Was, and keep an eye on that website or subscribe to its newsletter (on the left side of the page) to see the next interviews when they appear.
Enjoy!
Minerva
December 1, 2022
Happy December!
Yes, it really is December already. And yet I’m here to talk about… the October drawing challenge that involves ink, generally known as Inktober. Oops?
Anyway, I can proudly say that I did finish Inktober now, as promised! It took me until yesterday, but that’s not what we’ll be remembering, right?
This piece holds the final week of Peachtober prompts: there’s a “castle”, a “robot”, “land” and “sea” coming together on the right, the ivy on the T is my “plant”, and the final prompts “whale”, “pet”, and “sleepy” all come together in this cute whale on its fluffy pillow, because who wouldn’t want to pet that?
You can find the original Peachtober22 prompts here, and my earlier Inktober pieces are all on my Instagram.
Yes, this piece is a tiny little bit ironic. And yes, I’m proud of it and will be putting it on my wall as a reminder. Thank you for following along on my Inktober journey, even if it was a little longer than intended.
Love,
Minerva
P.S. The first of the month also means a new edition of Paranatellonta! Meet our cute little ghost in number 343.
November 22, 2022
An Unsurprising Publication
When writers submit to an open call of submissions, there’s usually only a very small chance of the work being accepted. Even when your story is AMAZING, these magazines get loads of submissions, often from many different parts of the world, and have only limited places to fill.
Now, back in October, Unstamatic did something that—as far as I know—was unseen before. They promised to publish every story submitted (as long as it wasn’t actively harmful). After opening to submissions for only twenty minutes, they received over 400 stories, poems, and artworks. One of these submissions was my queer horror poem The Witches, and as this giant issue is now online on their website to read for free, you can also find my piece here. They have a very handy “Random” button on this page, so you won’t have to scroll through 400+ titles to find something that speaks to you, but can just sample these unselected pieces and get an idea of what writers submit when they feel they can get just anything published. You may be surprised!
Love,
Minerva
P.S. Mind that Atthis Arts’ Traveling Treasure Trove Kickstarter is still going until the end of November! YOU could be the one who pushes them to the minimum goal. It’s not too late to grab your treasures! Or just an audiobook + ebook for as little as $1.
November 6, 2022
Treasures to Hoard!
Hi!
I’ve just returned from Copenhagen, where I spent a marvellous week—LS and I got to see Hannah Gadsby live!!! The show was absolutely brilliant. Other than that we also had a lot of fun, finally meeting up after such a long time, and I got united with my author copy of Skulls & Spells!
Are you also intrigued by this gorgeous full-colour publication of queer horror stories, poetry, and art? Read all about it on the Skulls & Spells page of my website.
Now, in true dragon fashion, I actually wanted to talk to you about even more treasures. Literal ones, from the house of Atthis Arts (publisher of my novella The Dragon of Ynys as well as anthologies Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove and Community of Magic Pens). A True Travelling Treasure Trove!
What’s this all about? Well, Atthis Arts has set up a Kickstarter with the main goal of funding an audiobook for The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus by Alanna McFall. This book sounds like so much fun and has been on my to-read list literally since it came out in 2019—but since I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, I think this will be the moment I’ll finally get to it, whether on page or in audiobook form. Either way it sounds amazing, with a road trip, theatre, ghosts, and a really fun writing style from what I’ve heard. Add to that the fact that the audiobook will be performed by C.S.E. Cooney, who hosted the Atthis Arts Reading last September, and this will be reason enough to go have a look at the Kickstarter. But. BUT!
Before you think this is just another Kickstarter, I have to tell you about these treasures. Because Atthis Arts hasn’t gone with your average rewards, but set up an entire set of actual limited-edition (metaphorical) gems to go with each of their 2022 publications. The one I’m personally most excited about is the Alia Terra colouring book—I mean, wow!!! Have you seen the Alia Terra art? Can you imagine getting to colour it yourself with whatever media you prefer? And not only that, but the colouring book will contain the original text, so you can enjoy the stories while you unleash your own creativity! I really love that this is a thing that will exist.
But it’s not just that: Gigi Ganguly has provided the campaign with actual-treasure tassels from a market shop in Delhi to represent her book One Hand Shorter than the Other (very much recommended to sci fi fans!), there’s an enamel pin of the assassin’s dagger from Gregory A. Wilson’s Grayshade, an exclusive scarf for the 2022 Origins Game Fair anthology Rogue Artists, scented candles for E.D.E. Bell’s own Night Ivy, and huggable squid friends matching Brandon Crilly’s Catalyst. (I wasn’t going to buy more plushies for myself, but we all know that when they have tentacles, I’m going to have to break that promise.) And, of course, you can also add the books themselves to your rewards (there will be an add-on window after you’ve picked your pledge level). There are also some digital jewels for those who are now, understandably, gritting their teeth at international shipping and duty.
And for those of you who think “sure, that all sounds fun, but have you noticed it’s 2022 so where would I get the money for all that?”, mind that the audiobook & ebook combo starts at $1 (!). So, really, go have a look, and please consider supporting the publishing house where I would very much love to get some of my future projects published! (
) Extra link to the Kickstarter so you don’t have to scroll up: CLICK!
Good luck picking your treasures, and have a nice Sunday!
Minerva
P.S. Those of you who have been following my Inktober attempt on Instagram may have noticed that I missed a week of drawings. Some of the ones I did make took a little longer than a quick Inktober sketch. Feel free to leave a reply if you can spot which ones! But I am planning to do a catch-up sketch this week to represent the missing days (19 and 26-31), so stay tuned for that. Thanks for following along on this journey!
October 5, 2022
Clarity: Release Day!
The Clarity anthology is out today!
This anthology is packed with 120 stories under 300 words each, all with a speculative element and queer characters. One of these stories is my little piece “Secundum Artem”.
You can buy the book in ebook, paperback, AND hardcover format, via: Amazon – Apple – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Smashwords – Scribd – Vivlio, or add it on The StoryGraph or Goodreads.
Congratulations to the winners, judges’ picks, and honorable mentions of Queer Sci Fi’s Annual Flash Fiction Contest!
The winner announcement can be found here, judge’s picks were announced here, honorable mentions here, and the full list of stories in the book is on this page.
Enjoy all the queer flash fiction!
Love,
Minerva
P.S. Inktober is going well! I managed to draw something every day so far, and am happy with my result today, so I’m throwing it in here as a little extra:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Minerva Cerridwen (@minerva_cerridwen)
October 1, 2022
Clarity Cover Reveal
Hi!
Not long now before the Clarity anthology will come out – Wednesday, the 5th of October is the day! That means I’ll put up another post to celebrate that day – but for now, I want to show you all the cover.
You can preorder your copy via the links on this page. The winners of the contest have also been announced: short summaries of the winning stories can be found here!
And if you want a little flash fiction appetiser, you are of course most welcome at Paranatellonta, where we’ve posted the 339th photo + story combination today.
Now it’s time for me to go draw something – happy Inktober to all of you who are joining the challenge! If all goes well, my first sketch of the month will appear on my Instagram by tonight.
Have a great weekend!
Minerva
