writing, reading, and listening to music

i am still writing daily, of course - day 24. some regulars are back at 30:30 now, sarah and annie, for example. i've written some more "letters", and alex has sent me some new ones. it's going really well - the feedback has been really good. we have between 25 and 30 letters now. :)

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i went to a reading yesterday evening, an open mic. the labyrinth group are putting on open mics every first friday of the month. i met up with sylvia, a now-vienna-based writer, at 7 and we chatted a little about poetry, stories, and life in general. before i had really made up my mind about reading something, sylvia informed me that she was "going first, and i put your name down after me". so. i had to do it. i am glad though. i read one of alex' poem and my reply, the one i refer to as "Rome Revisited". i was nervous in the beginning - there were quite a few people there - but i was alright after a while, except for the dry mouth halfway through my poem. people clapped a lot after i finished, and i got some encouraging nods, and later on quite a few "i really liked what you read" comments. so, i was quite happy. i am going again, and i am also going to read again. i bumped into a few people i met at the lit fest in october, so that was nice. some of the poetry i heard was good. i was happy to hear szmyborska read in polish for the first time - not that i understand it, but it was nice. they had the translations, too. one of the poems was "The Railroad Station", one of my favourite szymborska poems. i also liked a few of the poems in german and austrian dialect(s), and the songs a couple of people played towards the end - especially the fun one about england and the football world cup. :)

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i sent out quite a few submissions lately. does your head in after a while ... here's a "cherylian" about it.

The Guidelines Tell Me To Send Between One And Five, No More Than Three, And Up To Ten Of My Best Poems In A Single Word Document - .rtf Format - Within The Body Of An Email During The Reading Period From October Through June, With A Deadline On April 1; Previously Published Work That Has Simultaneously Appeared In Print Journals Is Welcome, A Cover Letter Required But Optional, Provided A Brief Bio Is Included (No List Of Publication Credits, No Trivia)

I submit.

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i've found some terrific music lately, eg emily haines, thea gilmore (beautiful lyrics!), the decemberists (and i just found out they are playing in vienna in february and i went and bought a ticket straight away), band of horses, nellie mckay (just a delight), the fratellis. you can find links in my navigation bar on the right. i also look forward to hearing muse live on dec 8th.

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had an exceptionally busy week - even without work. and december will be filled with lots of socialising, and more writing, and also subbing. had my hair cut today (finally), and am meeting friends for a drink soon - alex is visiting from south tyrol.

and here's a little me ...



song of the day: where did my baby go by john legend (thank you, nusic-man! *wink*).