Let’s continue to explore that smallest thing–the dot, the pixel, the eye mote, the speck of dust, the atom, the cell–that when multiplied “spreads out, encompassing ever vaster horizons, and would end by embracing the entire universe. (Calvino)” In an old set of geometry tools, I found two compasses: one regular with a point onContinue reading “Multiplicity: the dot that becomes a universe”
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Calvino’s 5th Memo: Multiplicity – The finite in the infinite and the infinite in the finite
“Literature remains alive only if we set ourselves immeasurable goals, far beyond all hope of achievement. Only if poets and writers set themselves tasks that no one else dares imagine will literature continue to have a function. . . . the grand challenge for literature is to be capable of weaving together the various branchesContinue reading “Calvino’s 5th Memo: Multiplicity – The finite in the infinite and the infinite in the finite”
Visibility: Fantasy in Reality, and Reality in Fantasy
This week I’m looking at Italo Calvino’s fourth value of literature: Visibility. After reading the lecture, I still wasn’t sure what he meant by “Visibility,” but after some time with my dictionary, I think I figured it out. Visibility, or visibleness, can mean “conspicuousness” or “conspicuity”–which I like the sound of–which means: Easily discovered, seen,Continue reading “Visibility: Fantasy in Reality, and Reality in Fantasy”
Calvino’s 3rd Memo: Exactitude – Crystal & Flame
I’m continuing to find inspiration in Six Memos for the Next Millennium by Italo Calvino. This week I’m looking at Exactitude and Vagueness as contradictory abstractions. Let’s start with some definitions: exactitude: precision, accuracy, meticulousness vagueness: unspecific, imprecise; obscure, hazy, shadowy Calvino uses the symbols of crystal and flame, so I decided to start there.Continue reading “Calvino’s 3rd Memo: Exactitude – Crystal & Flame”
Thinking About August
Last week, as I continued my study of contradictory abstractions, I looked at freedom in constraint and constraint in freedom. Studying opposites inspired me to think about photo negatives and negative space, so I tried putting the sections I cut out to create my filters into their own filters, creating negatives of my filters inContinue reading “Thinking About August”
Calm in Agitation and Agitation in Calm
Heron Tree published my poem “Repent” as part of a series of poems created from materials published before 1927. Their call for submissions inspired me to explore a book of fairy tales I’ve had for a long time that was published in 1907. I talked about it in my post A Fun Found Poetry ProjectContinue reading “Calm in Agitation and Agitation in Calm”
Contrasting Abstractions: The next phase in my study
The Writer’s Games have ended! I sent in my final story yesterday. Guests have left. The family is busy. I might get a full day to myself. And the sun is out. 😎 Hope and Despair Last week, inspired by some abstract art books: Abstraction in Art & Nature by Nathan Cabot Hale Abstracts InContinue reading “Contrasting Abstractions: The next phase in my study”
Motivation to Wade into Cold Water
Motivation Today I’m re-visiting motivation. When I explored motivation in April, I talked about it as a force toward pleasure and away from pain. Motivation came up again when I explored need and talked about Maslow’s pyramid. Today I looked up some definitions and found that motivation is a force that imparts motion as ifContinue reading “Motivation to Wade into Cold Water”
The Beauty of Dissonance
Beauty Today is the first time in this exciting study of abstract nouns that I’m revisiting a word to study it more deeply. When I first approached beauty on the second day of the A to Z Challenge in April, I found a thorough definition on dictionary.com. My Merriam Webster’s defines it only slightly differentlyContinue reading “The Beauty of Dissonance”
In Awe of Water
June’s Abstractions Here we are already starting June. As I mentioned yesterday, this month’s daily abstract nouns include a mix of new words and further study of previous words. And, as before, Sundays are homographs to guide visual poetry (vispo) from the images created through the week. Awe While defining “poetry” for my online poetryContinue reading “In Awe of Water”
Experience Writing 