The Wordsmith's Forge (original) (raw)

			The Wordsmith's Forge The Writing & Other Projects of Elizabeth Barrette

			12:31 pm July 1st, 2025

			Poetry Fishbowl Open! The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Weaponized Incompetence and Malicious Compliance!" I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.I'll be soliciting ideas for activists, rebels, traitors, exes, abuse survivors, refugees, runaway youth, slaves or other captives, slavers, housemates, siblings, parents, teachers, clergy, leaders, bosses, employees, superheroes, supervillains, teammates, alien or fantasy species, failure analysts, ethicists, other people who get into untenable situations, protesting, dragging your feet, breaking things, causing problems because you were told to, planning, throwing in the towel, escaping, running like someone left the gate open, adventuring, hitchhiking, quitting school, divorcing, disowning, betraying, teaching, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, conducting experiments, observation changing experiments, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cleaning up messes, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, saving the day, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, preparing for the worst, expecting the unexpected, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, slave ships, slave quarters, abusive homes, trails, sailing ships, campervans or RVs, distant lands, the forest primeval, prehistory, liminal zones, schools, residential school-concentration camps, homeless shelters, hotels, churches, sharehouses, campfires, laboratories, supervillain lairs, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, stores, starships, alien planets, magical lands, foreign dimensions, other places where the intolerable happens, unhappy relationships, crappy jobs, educational abuse, responsibility without authority is abuse, protest rallies, slavery or captivity, locks or chains, travel mishaps, sudden surprises, the buck stops here, trial and error, intercultural entanglements, asking for help and getting it, enemies to friends/lovers, interdimensional travel, lab conditions are not field conditions, superpower manifestation, the end of where your framework actually applies, ethics, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:Western Bingo Card 7-1-25Among my more relevant series for the main theme:Weaponized incompetence has two modes:* One is shirking a fair share of work by pretending to be bad at it: for instance, copper-digging men who try to con women into doing all the emotional labor. (Take care to distinguish this from people who don't know how to do things because they were never taught, or people who are genuinely bad at a category of thing.)* The other is a form of activism, and indeed, one of the leading forms of resistance in slavery: doing work slowly, sloppily, breaking tools, playing dumb, etc. It's exactly how black people got a reputation for being stupid and lazy, because their ancestors were unwilling to be exploited and fought back in subtle ways.Malicious compliance is following an order to the letter, expecting that to cause problems. It is a form of protest most often used when pointing out a flaw or proposing a better solution would be ignored or even punished.Among my more relevant series for the main theme:An Army of One is developing its own neurovariant culture after rebelling against the Galactic Arms.The Bear Tunnels introduces modern principles to people in the past, touching on slavery and rebellion.Not Quite Kansas includes demons, who are masters of malicious compliance.The Ocracies has a wide variety of countries crammed together, each with a totally different government. Sometimes people leave their homeland to find something they like better.One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis follows Shaeth as he works on becoming the God of Drunks after quitting as the God of Evili.Peculiar Obligations mixes Quakers and pirates, among other things. It's another setting where people strive against slavery.Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all trying to get along and figure out how to make a functional society. The supervillains are the most likely to practice weaponized incompetence and malicious compliance. Among the more relevant threads are Danso and Family, Dr. Infanta, Fortressa, Iron Horses, Shiv, and Trichromatic Attachments.Or you can ask for something new.Linkbacks reveal a verse of any open linkback poem.( Read more...Collapse ) Tags: #poetryfishbowl, #promptcall, activism, call for prompts, cyberfunded creativity, event, fishbowl, poetry, reading, safety, weblit, writingCurrent Mood: creative

			09:49 pm June 30th, 2025

			Monday Update 6-30-25 These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:New Year's Resolutions Check InGenderEarly HumansMoment of Silence: AcelightningNew Crowdfunding Project: Land of EemBirdfeedingToday's AdventuresStaying AfloatBirdfeedingPhilosophical Questions: MoralsBingoPoetry Fishbowl Report for June 3, 2025BirdfeedingNative AmericanFollow Friday 6-27-25: HikingHobbies: Stage MagicToday's AdventuresBirdfeedingGoblincoreAncient LifeCeramicsArtificial IntelligenceBooksExoplanetsBirdfeedingGood News"Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 40 comments. "Not a Destination, But a Process" has 144 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 93 comments."In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It only needs $40 to be fully funded. Lawrence leads Stan to Criss Library.The weather was sweltering recently but has cooled off slightly. It's been raining a good deal and drizzled again this evening. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of mourning doves, a male cardinal, a fox squirrel, and at least 1 probably 2 bats. Currently blooming: dandelions, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, daylilies, snowball bush, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory, purple echinacea, narrow-leaf mountain mint, black-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, wild bergamot, chicory, Queen Anne's lace. Cucumbers, tomatillo, and pepper have green fruit. The first 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato ripened and some other tomatoes are showing color. Wild strawberries, mulberries, peas, and blackberries are ripe. Black raspberries are winding down.Tags: blogging, personalCurrent Mood: busy

			09:30 pm June 24th, 2025

			Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, July 1 This is an advance announcement for the Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. This time the theme will be "Weaponized Incompetence and Malicious Compliance." I'll be soliciting ideas for activists, rebels, traitors, exes, abuse survivors, refugees, runaway youth, slaves or other captives, slavers, housemates, siblings, parents, teachers, clergy, leaders, bosses, employees, superheroes, supervillains, teammates, alien or fantasy species, failure analysts, ethicists, other people who get into untenable situations, protesting, dragging your feet, breaking things, causing problems because you were told to, planning, throwing in the towel, escaping, running like someone left the gate open, adventuring, hitchhiking, quitting school, divorcing, disowning, betraying, teaching, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, conducting experiments, observation changing experiments, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cleaning up messes, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, saving the day, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, preparing for the worst, expecting the unexpected, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, slave ships, slave quarters, abusive homes, trails, sailing ships, campervans or RVs, distant lands, the forest primeval, prehistory, liminal zones, schools, residential school-concentration camps, homeless shelters, hotels, churches, sharehouses, campfires, laboratories, supervillain lairs, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, stores, starships, alien planets, magical lands, foreign dimensions, other places where the intolerable happens, unhappy relationships, crappy jobs, educational abuse, responsibility without authority is abuse, protest rallies, slavery or captivity, locks or chains, travel mishaps, sudden surprises, the buck stops here, trial and error, intercultural entanglements, asking for help and getting it, enemies to friends/lovers, interdimensional travel, lab conditions are not field conditions, superpower manifestation, the end of where your framework actually applies, ethics, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.Weaponized incompetence has two modes: * One is shirking a fair share of work by pretending to be bad at it: for instance, copper-digging men who try to con women into doing all the emotional labor. (Take care to distinguish this from people who don't know how to do things because they were never taught, or people who are genuinely bad at a category of thing.)* The other is a form of activism, and indeed, one of the leading forms of resistance in slavery: doing work slowly, sloppily, breaking tools, playing dumb, etc. It's exactly how black people got a reputation for being stupid and lazy, because their ancestors were unwilling to be exploited and fought back in subtle ways.Malicious compliance is following an order to the letter, expecting that to cause problems. It is a form of protest most often used when pointing out a flaw or proposing a better solution would be ignored or even punished.Among my more relevant series for the main theme:An Army of One is developing its own neurovariant culture after rebelling against the Galactic Arms.The Bear Tunnels introduces modern principles to people in the past, touching on slavery and rebellion.Not Quite Kansas includes demons, who are masters of malicious compliance.The Ocracies has a wide variety of countries crammed together, each with a totally different government. Sometimes people leave their homeland to find something they like better.One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis follows Shaeth as he works on becoming the God of Drunks after quitting as the God of Evili.Peculiar Obligations mixes Quakers and pirates, among other things. It's another setting where people strive against slavery.Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all trying to get along and figure out how to make a functional society. The supervillains are the most likely to practice weaponized incompetence and malicious compliance.Or you can ask for something new.Linkbacks reveal a verse of any open linkback poem.If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. (If you're not available that day, or you live in a time zone that makes it hard to reach me, you can leave advance prompts. I am now.) Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog. ( New to the fishbowl? Read all about it!Collapse ) Tags: cyberfunded creativity, event, fishbowl, poetry, reading, safety, weblit, writingCurrent Mood: creative

			05:06 pm June 23rd, 2025

			Monday Update 6-23-25 These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:Photos: Barnyard PictureBirdfeedingBook BansPhilosophical Questions: HarmToday's AdventuresBooksBirdfeedingPhotos: Charleston Food ForestPhotos: Coles County Community GardenRecipe: "Pretzel Bread Savory Bread Pudding with Ham"BirdfeedingHeatPhotos: Charleston Library Butterfly GardensFollow Friday 6-20-25: HighlanderToday's AdventuresRecipe: "Chicken Stir-Fry with Mushrooms and Swiss Chard"BirdfeedingWildlifeBirdfeedingCuddle Party"Philosophical Questions: Looks" has 36 comments. "Not a Destination, But a Process" has 141 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 91 comments."In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $66 to be fully funded. Lawrence shows Stan the Iron Courtyard garden.The weather has been sweltering here and is predicted to remain so for the rest of the week. The weekend currently predicts rain, though. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, several mourning doves, a male cardinal, a catbird, a skunk, a fox squirrel, and at least 1 probably 2 bats. Zucchini has flower buds. Currently blooming: dandelions, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, red coreopsis, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, astilbe, daylilies, snowball bush, yellow squash, zucchini, morning glory. The first 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomato ripened. Blackberries and tomatoes have fruit showing color. Wild strawberries, mulberries, and black raspberries are ripe.Tags: blogging, personalCurrent Mood: busy

			11:53 pm June 22nd, 2025

			02:02 am June 21st, 2025

			12:15 am June 21st, 2025

			03:58 am June 20th, 2025

			05:10 am June 17th, 2025

			03:22 pm June 16th, 2025

			Monday Update 6-16-25 These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:Reverse BenchmarkingRecipe: "Pretzel Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwiches"WorldbuildingToday's SmoothieListen to "The Singing, Ringing Tree"Poetry Fishbowl Themes for Late 2025Read "Time Off"Poem: "Fatherhood Is Support"Poem: "Born and Found and Made"Poem: "The Way a River Is Made"Read "A Change in a New World"BirdfeedingPoem: "Strange Angels"Poem: "Meant to Get Dirty"Poem: "Where We All Meet"Recipe: "Santorini Stir-Fry with Chicken and Patty Pan Squash"Today's AdventuresConservationBirdfeedingCreative JamPhilosophical Questions: AvoidableToday's AdventuresNew CommunitiesRussian LossesNew Crowdfunding Project: "Take Us North"BirdfeedingPoliticsFollow Friday 6-13-24: HetaliaInsect ApocalypseSunshine RevivalBooksBirdfeedingHobbies: CeramicsPhotos: Dark GardeningBirdfeedingMoment of Silence: Brian WilsonInsect ApocalypseHard Things"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 139 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 89 comments."In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $86 to be fully funded. Lawrence shows Stan around the campus at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.The weather has been warm and wet here. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two mourning doves, a male cardinal, a catbird, a phoebe, a skunk, a fox squirrel, and at least 2 probably 3 bats. I've heard a red-bellied woodpecker but didn't see it. Privet, dogwood, and mock orange are done blooming. Privet and mock orange are winding down. Zucchini has flower buds. Currently blooming: dandelions, honeysuckle, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, red coreopsis, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, Asiatic lilies, cucumber, astilbe, daylilies, snowball bush, yellow squash. 'Chocolate Sprinkles' tomatoes are starting to show color. Blackberries, and tomatoes have green fruit. Wild strawberries, mulberries, and black raspberries are ripe.Tags: blogging, personalCurrent Mood: busy

			11:49 pm June 11th, 2025

			01:51 am June 10th, 2025

			11:42 pm June 9th, 2025

			10:55 pm June 9th, 2025

			How to Make Comfrey Liquid Fertilizer Part 1: Jugs Today I started making liquid fertilizer from Russian comfrey. This plant fills a lot of guild roles in permaculture including fertilizer, miner, mulcher, protector, attractor. I have been using it primarily as a bee plant that I can also slash-and-drop several times a season. I grow it under many of my trees and there's some in the prairie garden too.There are various ways to make liquid fertilizer from comfrey. I will be testing two: 1) a small amount of comfrey leaves in a large amount of water, and 2) only comfrey leaves crammed tightly in a jug. (See Part 2: Leaves.)( Walk with me ...Collapse ) Tags: crafts, gardening, how to, nature, personal, photo, photography, scienceCurrent Mood: accomplished

			09:02 pm June 9th, 2025

			Call for Themes We've reached the end of scheduled themes for the Poetry Fishbowl project. It's time to brainstorm some new themes! These are a few that I've jotted down earlier, ones that I've thought up or people have suggested, to give you an idea what kind of stuff might be suitable:* Angels and Demons* Apocalyptic Visions* Emotional Regulation* Faeries and Fey* Fixit* Pirates, Rascals, and Rogues* Time Travel* WesternsWhat other themes would you like to see me write about? What would you like to buy? Suggest them in a comment below this post.( Read more...Collapse ) Tags: call for prompts, cyberfunded creativity, fantasy, fishbowl, poetry, reading, science fiction, writingCurrent Mood: curious

			04:24 pm June 9th, 2025

			Monday Update 6-9-25 These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:Pride MonthBirdfeedingEarly HumansToday's AdventuresBirdfeedingPhilosophical Questions: LooksToday's AdventuresPoem: "The Result of Your Own Bad Behavior"Poem: "When Warmth and Gentleness Are Needed"Poem: "Emodox"BirdfeedingSkate ParkFollow Friday 6-6-25: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Spring 2025 J-ZRecipesNew Crowdfunding Project: "Aces and Aros"Poem: "All It Takes to Be Invulnerable"Poem: "The Bond with a Dog"BirdfeedingRead "Do you ever dream of land?"BooksWildlifeBirdfeedingGood News"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 138 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 89 comments.Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I actually finished a draft of the last obligatory poem yesterday, just need to get that tallied, proofread, and thumnailed. \o/"In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $86 to be fully funded. Lawrence shows Stan around the campus at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.The weather has been warm and wet here. It rained again last night. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two mourning doves, a male cardinal, a catbird, and a fox squirrel. Astilbe, snowball bush, and daylilies have flower buds. Peonies are done blooming. Privet and mock orange are winding down. Currently blooming: dandelions, honeysuckle, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, red coreopsis, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, dogwood, Asiatic lilies, cucumber. Raspberries, blackberries, and tomatoes have green fruit. Wild strawberries and mulberries are ripe.Tags: blogging, personalCurrent Mood: busy

			09:07 pm June 6th, 2025

			08:57 pm June 6th, 2025

			Poem: "When Warmth and Gentleness Are Needed" This poem came out of the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It also fills the "community" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Clay of Life.( Read more...Collapse ) Tags: community, cyberfunded creativity, fantasy, fishbowl, poem, poetry, reading, spirituality, weblit, writingCurrent Mood: busy

			08:34 pm June 6th, 2025

			05:06 pm June 5th, 2025

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