Willy Martinez's Blog, page 49
August 21, 2022
Exploring the Black Decade of Algeria With Poet, Dihya Lwiz
Dihya Lwiz is a novelist and a poet who wrote in the Kabyle language and in Arabic, residing in Algeria. Marcia Lynx Qualey interviewed Lwiz in 2014 to discuss her exploration of the “black decade” in her fiction.
Dihya Lwiz passed away in 30 June 2017, aged 32, from cancer. She regularly published her poems on facebook, and her last publication was the below poem:
So Then We Have Not Yet Begun by Dihya LwizSo then we have not yet begunThe road toward wisdomThe road toward freedomFor those we always look onhow is it all so easyIt seems, for us it never isWe do not know whyWe refuse to leave yesterdayWe like habitsWe like destructionAmong all the good there isWe like the twisted things in which we liveWe fear we’ll changeBecause perhaps then it will changeTo honor the memory of Dihya Lwiz, several national newspapers from from Algeria republished this last piece in the days that followed her funeral, and readers published their translations of it to the French language. Arab Lit Quarterly translates it awkwardly to English here, to give a sense of the themes she explored in her novels and poetry.
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August 17, 2022
Where My Books Go by W.B. Yeats
Where My Books Go by W.B. Yeats.
All the words that I utter,And all the words that I write,
Must spread out their wings untiring,
And never rest in their flight,
Till they come where your sad, sad heart is,
And sing to you in the night,
Beyond where the waters are moving,
Storm-darken'd or starry bright.My Thoughts
As with a lot of Yeats’ poems, I find there’s real comfort and more than a touch of beauty in here; the idea of words spreading their wings and being a saviour of sorts, not only to sing (in itself a lovely thought) but to console, offer support and to be a kind of lifeboat in the waters (which are hopefully more starry bright than they are storm-darken’d), is one that I find really moving and uplifting.
If you are enjoying this article, check out our other Literary content at The Ritual
One of the reasons this poem is so pleasant to listen to is that it flows very nicely. It contains a very simple abcb rhyme and an uninterrupted rhythm that allows the words to roll off your tongue. My favourite line is ’till they come where your sad, sad heart is’. The repetition of the word ‘sad’ conveys how much the speaker laments this sadness and feels for the addressee.
Shockingly Accurate Wealth ForecastAbout Yeats
W.B. YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years Yeats served as an Irish Senator for two terms. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee described as “inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.” He was the first Irishman so honored. Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929).
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August 3, 2022
A Difficult Colour by John Glenday
Poem by John Glenday.
Shockingly Accurate Wealth ForecastIf you enjoyed this poem from John Glenday, please consider reading some of our other content at the Ritual, here.
Photographer is unknown
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July 27, 2022
Poem by Victoria Erickson
Creative Writing Coach, Victoria Erickson shares some beautiful poetry with us.
“Half of me is filled with bursting wordsand half of me is painfully shy.I crave solitude yet also crave people.I want to pour life and love into everythingyet also nurture my self-care and go gently.I want to live within the rush of primal, intuitive decision, yet also wish to sit and contemplate.This is the messiness of life - that we all carry multitudes, so must sit with the shifts.We are complicated creatures, and ultimately,the balance comes from this understanding.Be water.Flowing, flexible and soft.Subtly powerful and open.Wild and serene.Able to accept all changes,yet still led by the pull of steady tides.It is enough.”[ Cover Artist • Aykut Aydoğdu ]
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July 25, 2022
How Andrea Bonazi Easily Fooled The Masses With Art
No, The Viral Image is Not of a stone door Found In Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Here’s The Truth…
An image of a intricately carved artefact is going viral on social media with a claim that it shows an old stone door found in Samarkand, Uzbekistan in 1903.
We locked onto this thread because we found it to be somewhat Lovecraftian in nature, and we were correct!
The post is viral with a caption that reads somethinge along the lines of, “Archeologists discover ancient portal in Semarkant, with the portal now being owned in a private art collection, 1903.”
But the truth is that the image was uploaded by Instagram user Andrea Bonazzi on May 1, 2021. Apart from being a translator and non-fiction writer, Andrea also creates lovecraftian sculptures and photomontages which are a collector’s delight.
FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInGoodreadsHowever, the image has been shared numerous times, being used to either mislead or simply be put out of context.
Here’s how Andrea Bonazi fooled the masses … she is just that good. Check out some of her awesome artwork below!
©Andrea Bonazzi – “Disk of the Hyades”
If you liked this article, we have similar content studying communication from discourse theory, here.
Love, Money, Power, Success… Everything.
Andrea Bonazi fools masses with art Elevate my Thoughts
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July 18, 2022
Kurt Vonnegut Shares His 8 Secrets on Writing a Good Short Story
When it came to giving advice to writers, Kurt Vonnegut was never dull. He once tried to warn people away from using semicolons by characterizing them as “transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing.” And, in a master’s thesis rejected by The University of Chicago, he made the tantalizing argument that “stories have shapes which can be drawn on graph paper, and that the shape of a given society’s stories is at least as interesting as the shape of its pots or spearheads.” In this brief video, Vonnegut offers eight essential tips on how to write a short story:
8 Secrets on Writing a Good Short StoryUse the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.Every sentence must do one of two things–reveal character or advance the action.Start as close to the end as possible.Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them–in order that the reader may see what they are made of.Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
Vonnegut put down his advice in the introduction to his 1999 collection of magazine stories, Bagombo Snuff Box. But for every rule (well, almost every rule) there is an exception. “The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O’Connor,” writes Vonnegut. “She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.”
Now if you want to learn what Vonnegut thinks our purpose should be while living our lives on Earth, read here.
WARNING: Many people are shocked to see what their soulmate actually looks like.
Are You Ready to Finally Meet Your True Soulmate?The post Kurt Vonnegut Shares His 8 Secrets on Writing a Good Short Story appeared first on Mind on Fire Books.
June 22, 2022
The Dream Began to Dream – Poem
This wonderful Alice in Wonderland Interactive edition includes a whopping 101 quotations from the Alice In Wonderland saga! Each of these 101 Alice Quotes is linked to the stories. This means that you can easily and quickly find the quote in its original context.
Only $9.99 for a limited time!
The post The Dream Began to Dream – Poem appeared first on Mind on Fire Books.
June 14, 2022
The Story of Kundalini
“MahaShivRatri” – or The Story of Kundalini –
The dance of creation had sent out ripples across the new universe.
The Story of KundaliniForming the dense atmosphere, tectonic forces ardently sculpt the myriad earthly forms.
The sun is born and has taken to it’s elliptical path, the energy which moves it, is everywhere now.
What would become of this energy in the coming time, Oh Adinath, asks Parvati still in his embrace?
When the energy is not misused by arrogance, conflict, violence, vanity, then it will start to apprehend the true source of its being, it will rise up to illuminate the sun within. Celebrating the union of pure energy with pure Love.
When humanity will meet the sun within, it’s then the “Kundalini” will be truly awakened.
It will not be composed of colors or rings of power, magical substance or astral dimensions, which people by mistake would confuse it with. If you are enjoying this article, check out our other Literary reads, here.
This energy is removed from the emotion of malice, destruction and indulgent habits, devoted completely towards compassion and harmony.
It rises up to he mind’s eye and makes humanity see the oneness in all beings.
The Story of KundaliniShiva sees that Parvati is blooming with light, her forehead had becomes the rainbow and she had taken over Shiva’s heart.
The cosmic sahasra, thousand petal lotus chakra, which represented all of creation and its interwoven spirit, erupted in celebration like a fountain in their reverence.
With that moment melting into eternity, both losing their selves and leaving all divisions behind, becomes Love.
Story : Abhi.
Full credit goes to Abhi @abhiart. You can find him on Instagram!
zThe post The Story of Kundalini appeared first on Mind on Fire Books.
May 19, 2022
Book Review by Lea Ryan: Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
Book Review on Art and Fear, originally written by Lea Ryan, author of several books and stories, including the bestselling novella, What the Dead Fear.
Quick Book Review of Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted OrlandPublisher words: “Art & Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn’t get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. The book’s co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is experienced by artmakers themselves.”
The description is accurate in this case, and the book, in general, is pretty straightforward. If forced to boil it down to a central idea, that would be that an artist is never alone in their frustrations and insecurities.
Self Acceptance in Art FormsArt and Fear mentions other art forms, like writing, but the primary focus is visual art. The authors cover a fair bit of ground from self-acceptance and perfectionism to the many reasons artists give up and a few bits about the art industry in general.
One quote that I liked was this one: “Talent is a snare and delusion.”
I took a lot of art classes when I was in high school, and every art class had 1 or 2 of those kids that seemed to do everything flawlessly and naturally. I was never that kid. That younger version of me could’ve used that idea. It might’ve motivated me to work harder. Some of the teachers probably could’ve used it, too, because the “easy win” students were the ones who got the most attention. If you are enjoying this guest post, check out some of our other Literary reads, here.
This wonderful Alice in Wonderland Interactive edition includes a whopping 101 quotations from the Alice In Wonderland saga! Each of these 101 Alice Quotes is linked to the stories. This means that you can easily and quickly find the quote in its original context.
Only $9.99 for a limited time!
If you are enjoying this guest post, check out some of our other Literary reads, here.
Here are a few other quotes I liked:“Becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself.”
“To demand perfection is to deny your ordinary and universal humanity.”
“Those who challenge their fears continue. Those who don’t, quit.”
“Vision is always ahead of execution as it should be.”
That last one really got me.
The book is short. I think the audio was about 3 hours. But the length is perfect for the subject matter. Any longer would’ve been overkill and probably would’ve had the authors talking in circles
Art and Fear is a great read for an artist, aspiring or otherwise. However, another possible use for this book that the authors probably didn’t intend would be for a writer to use this as a form of research if they want to write an artist character.
Overall, the book was good, definitely worth a read or a listen if you struggle with creative insecurities.
z
Lea Ryan author of article for Art and Fear ReviewArticle originally published at Professional Stringer of Words by Lea Ryan.
Lea Ryan is the author of several books and stories, including the bestselling novella, What the Dead Fear. She writes about the strange and the dark, as well as the light and love, and strives to immerse readers in vivid fictional worlds. She currently lives in Indiana with assorted family members and various pets.
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May 9, 2022
17 Things Author C E Hoffman Would Tell Their Daughter
The following words of advice are a collection of life lessons learned by C E Hoffman, author of Sluts and Whores. Except, Hoffman has a specific person in mind that she shares these life-hacks for – her daughter. Take heed parents!
What I Would Tell My Daughter If I Were Raising Her1. Do not let smelly punks sleep in your bed.
Not without a shower/change of clothes.
I know smelly punks are charming in that weird way, but if you let them crash, your sheets, blankets, and possibly mattress will reek for a week. When allowed to house a smelly punk, you will likely be contending with coin laundry, or a laundromat, or have no laundry access whatsoever. Heed this warning!
C E Hoffman, author of sluts and whores lerans from her cat2. Let yourself fall for at least one bad boy (or girl.)
Only after cleansing through these hellish flames will you truly appreciate nice guys/girls.
Bad guys/girls are inevitable, and so are smelly sheets.
3. Be your own bad boy (or girl.)
Wear the leather. Get the tattoo. Smoke the cigarette, or pretend to. I wouldn’t endorse badness as a perpetual lifestyle, but it’s healthy to give your inner devil an outlet. If are you enjoying this light-hearted article, check out some of our other Literary content at The Ritual blog here.
4. Ms. Frizzle was right.
“Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!”
Live this ^ to the brink of religiosity. Take it literally. Play with it philosophically. Applaud your attempts. Recover from your falls. Get comfortable with mishaps. Failure is the only road to success!
As for a mess, make it. Splatter paint. Scatter leaves. Clean up thereafter.
Any time doubt encroaches on your thought process, wonder: WWMFD?
She’d probably go for it.
5. It’s better to bruise.
Your hair, clothing, and heart will mend. Trust your intuition; accept it will sometimes lead you astray. Take your time. Jump in. (See #4.)
6. Nerds are cool.Learning is how you make love to your brain.
Love your brain daily! Cuddle, kiss, massage it. Spoon-feed it juicy new tidbits that make it go “Mmm.” Practice, practice, practice!
Good learning equals a good life.
7. It’s okay to say Yes.
8. It’s okay to say No.
If are you enjoying this light-hearted article, check out some of our other Literary content at The Ritual blog here.
9. Maybe is also valid.
(# 7-9 apply to any and all situations, social, sexual, or otherwise. Set boundaries. Keep them. Never compromise your soul for someone else’s, especially someone older, who should know better, but probably doesn’t.)
10. Stop to smell the roses. (Literally.)
And smile at the stars. And listen to birds.
We are not machines. We are flesh and soul, and Nature brings us into communion with both.
11. Be with someone who makes you laugh.
This includes friends, books, movies, and newsreels. Surround yourself with reasons to smile. Make yourself giggle. Have one corny joke in your arsenal. Play!
12. There is more to life than thrills.
Adrenaline is fun! And addictive. Wild sex, scary movies, drugs (illegal or otherwise), loud music, bright screens, refined sugar- all promise a buzz.
Yet, it is the simpler pleasures (see #10-11) that render life rich.
In such a vast, fast world, there is sometimes nothing better than sitting still.
By all means, get your kicks.
But find a reason to stick around after the ride ends.
13. Sweat.Garden. Dance. Box. Wiggle. Hike. Mosh. Do whatever it takes to make friends with endorphins/serotonin. These hormones remind you of your efficacy and capability. Sweat builds confidence!
Don’t fear weights. Strength is sexy, no matter your body type. Pace yourself. Have fun. STRETCH.
14. Accept your beauty asap.
You will only look back baffled by how beautiful you were, and baffled that you never knew it.
Skin will sometimes feel like the enemy. Burns, breakouts, dark circles, and rashes may be your bane until lines, sags, and stretch marks come to the fore. Your inherent attractiveness persists regardless.
Your body, too, may seem an adversary. Noses, breasts, thighs, and any other body part you can name are too often scorned.
If are you enjoying this light-hearted article, check out some of our other Literary content at The Ritual blog here.Waste no time wishing you had someone else’s form. Work with the one you’ve got. I guarantee it looks great with the right attire, posture, attitude, and self-care.
Skip the makeup. Opt for sunscreen, concealer, facial exercises, and a smile.
Sleep. Take vitamins. Discover collagen. Moisturize.
15. New does not equal better.
Shop vintage. Study history. Get into at least one author outside of your century. Embrace modernity, but avoid worshipping it. Engage in all content critically.
16. Learn the language of your soul.
This might mean finding God, or not, or something in-between. What matters is to seek purpose -a truly higher calling- and find it.
The world is wondrous, and so’s your life. Honor it, and the lives of others. Honor the earth. Question what you’re told. Prioritize ethics. Give a f*ck.
Determine your values, and commit accordingly.
17. Feel free to disregard any and all these points.
Even if I’d raised you, I could never understand what you need as well as you do. I can only trust that you are exactly where you’re meant to be, and that the same is true of me, even if we never meet.
FacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInGoodreadsMore about Sluts and Whores:Sluts and Whores, written by C E Hoffman is available for purchase at Amazon.
C E Hoffman author of sluts and whores learns from catA jealous girlfriend trips on acid. A traumatized mother attempts to masturbate; a spa worker is challenged to take control of her fate. A haunted jeep parks in front of student housing. A sex worker grows wings; a hitchhiker is picked up by someone she never expected. Welcome to the Big City, where anything can happen…and very often does. In this debut collection from C E Hoffman, explore the humanity of sex workers (“whores”) and people who are proudly sexual (“sluts”). Each story questions stereotypes that are long out of date, merging horror with heartache, and magic with the mundane.
If are you enjoying this light-hearted article, check out some of our other Literary content at The Ritual blog here.
What People Are Saying About C E HoffmanC E Hoffman is a fearless writer.
Jack Wang, author of We Two Alone and winner of the 2021 Danuta Gleed Literary Award
Neil S. Reddy, author of Cause for Concern
Jane Austen would read it in bed.
Justin Bookworm, Razorcake Issue #123
Hoffman’s writing style reminds one of Burroughs at his most straightforward or Irvine Welsh at his strangest, but with a presentation dominated primarily by women and queer characters- a refreshing change in this particular milieu.…Hoffman is definitely a writer to watch for, and I look forward to what they give us next.
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