Y.I. Washington's Blog, page 2

NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

As many of you know, I am not just a science fiction author.

My first published work, is a poetry collection that I’d worked on for over 20 years titled “Freedom: Poetry From A Life”.

I’ve had a love of poetry since I was a kid. My adopted Grandfather, Allen Horwitz, introduced me to Shakespeare when I was a youngster. Then, he introduced me to Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe, Paul Larence Dunbar, and Langston Hughes. I later fell in love with Nikki Giovanni, Jill Scott and several others.

Poetry has been the way I’ve expressed my emotions and dealt with deep thoughts.


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PIRATES AND PRINCES AND BRIDES, OH MY!!

When I was a senior in high school, my mother went to Blockbuster and rented movies for our family movie night. Of course, my mother thought she was bringing home a chick flick. My father and I prayed it would not be.

What she brought home changed my life forever. (OK, maybe it wasn’t that incredible, but still…).

My mother brought home a movie that took my father and me by surprise. It was “inconceivable” that we would like such a hilarious parody and cheerfully watch it 27 years after its release and still laugh.

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FROM TRAILER PARK TO OUTER SPACE

Hello sci-fi fans and thank you for coming back to visit.

When I was a kid, my dad bought an Atari gaming system. We spent hours upon hours playing “Centipede”, “Space Invaders” and “Pac Man”.

Little did we know, that there was actually someone watching the games to see who would get the highest scores. As is the story and case in the 1984 sci-fi flick “The Last Starfighter”.

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SCI-FI PIRATE CHEESE

Hello my fellow sci-fi fans. Glad you could come back this week.

I am continuing with my favorite Cheesy Science Fiction movies from my childhood. Remember, I give each one a rating of “Cheese” which range from (best to worst): Cheddar, American, Government and Limburger.

In 1984, a movie was released which caused my dad and me many hours of fun. This movie, starring the late Robert Ulrich, Mary Crosby and the uber-talented Anjelica Houston, Michael D. Roberts and Ron Perlman, is a sci-fi comedy which pokes fun at so many things it’s just not right.

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THE FORBIDDEN ZONE OF CHEESE

Welcome back, intrepid science fiction fans.

This week I want to introduce you to a movie that puts Molly Ringwald in a whole different light (and smell).

This movie, is the story of a salvage operator who is desperate for money. So desperate that he courts death by going to a planet to rescue three women who are the only survivors after their space cruise liner slams into a meteor.


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GIANT ROBOT CHEESE

Welcome to the first edition of Sci-Fi Cheese!

This week, I am starting with a movie that precedes “Pacific Rim” by 23 years. This movie, while ranked low on Netflix, is one of the movies my brother absolutely loves.

The movie is, “Robot Jox,” and stars Gary Graham and Anne-Marie Johnson as techno-warriors who pilot colossal robots to fight the wars of our future world.

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NEW YEAR, NEW LEVEL

Welcome back science fiction fans. I hope the start of your new year is going really well for you.

This year will see me publish about four science fiction short stories as well as submitting to magazines and ezines.

I have four wonderful authors who have agreed to guest posts this year. They are (in order)

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AN ARCHEAOLOGIST’S GUIDE TO HUMANITY IN SCI-FI

Welcome back, fellow Geeks and Nerds!

This week, I'd like you to say hello to one of my favorite authors (and it helps that he's also one of my friends).

Please give a warm welcome to T.L. Evans, the author of the esteemed "Strings On A Shadow Puppet", and book reviewer extraordinaire on his website "The Archaeologist's Guide to the Galaxy".

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A BOLD HUMANITY

For as long as science fiction has been around, there have been visionaries who have used this genre as a medium to show us our humanity: the truth of it and the potential of who we could be.

This week, I’d like to tell you about a man whom I admire (even if I don’t agree with everything he believed), and am thankful for his existence.

In 1966, a visionary with a dream started an empire.

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REALIZATION OF A DREAM

This is my first blog post on Goodreads.com as a published author. To say that I am ecstatic would be an understatement.

It feels really good to be able to say that I'm a published author now. This is the realization of a dream over 25 years in the making. I can join the ranks of some of my favorite authors now.

However, I won't stop here. I am moving on to the next goal in my dream career. I've published my poetry, now it's time to publish my science fiction. I have several irons in the fire and will be working to complete one for publishing in the spring.

This is a truly big deal. The reason why, is that I almost gave up on my dream way too soon. After spending many years attempting to write what other people wanted (or I thought they did), I couldn't complete anything.

Now; however, I'm writing my stories and poetry my way.

I'd like to offer a bit of advice for those of you who may be considering giving up on your dreams.

There are always going to be speed bumps, detours and road blocks. Life will always intervene--illness, death in the family, financial setbacks, career changes, kids, school, etc... However, you have to resolve to stick it out, not matter what.

I did and now I'm celebrating the first of many goals in my new career. I am living the dream--my dream.

I am truly looking forward to seeing where this new path of life is going to lead me.

I hope you'll join me.

Freedom: Poetry From A Life