[stylist] Last night's gathering

[Kerry Thompson]

Hi guys,

I enjoyed the phone call last night.

The reception of my work was very encouraging. Everyone laughed in the right places and no one laughed in the wrong places, which is even more important. Thank you all for listening. As I said at the time, hearing Jim read it was a real treat for me. I almost never hear my work read by a real live human. It's a great comfort to find that the rhythms and cadences I hear in my mind are more or less right.

It was very enjoyable to hear everyone elses work. Marilyn's poem is poignant. She paints a clear picture of a lonely woman at loose ends. I agree that it needs some more polishing, but overall, I found the poem effecting.

Myrna's poem is sweet and whistful, quite lovely. The feeling, the mood of it lingers in my mind. The only complaint I have is that Myrna kept apologizing for its being so short. There's no need to apologize. A poem is the length and shape and form it needs to be. In this case, any longer and the delicacy of the moment the poem describes would have been ruined. A poem is what it is. Never force it and never apologize for or attempt to justify it.

Of course, because of my own proclivities, I particularly enjoyed Sean's story and Lori's fragment. I really do want more, Lori. Maybe you could post further sections to Stylist?

On a different subject: I've talked to Robert and, well, I'll have to talk to our treasurer as well  but it appears that there's a good possibility we can offer payment to anthology contributors. Unfortunately, the treasurer is going abroad with Robert for several weeks, so the details can't be worked out at once. But, I very much hope that, a little later in the Summer, checks can start going out to our contributors.

This means a lot to me. I'd been troubled for some time about our inability to pay. I feel a whole lot better about the project now.

Also, Robert has agreed to let me create the CDROM of the anthology. I'm so excited! I love creating web sites and, after all, a CDROM is a web site on a disc.

That reminds me... Can anyone contribute, or tell me where I might find, simple pen and ink drawings to illustrate each of the four holiday categories? Not only are my hands crippled but, more importantly, I never had any artistic ability. Maybe there's someone on this list with some vision and some talent for drawing?

I'm thinking large or medium sized versions of the drawings would be used in the print book at the beginning of each section, and small versions used for the same purpose on the CDROM. Just an idea, but I figured I'd ask here before looking anywhere else.

Solidarity and Peace,
Kerry