Isle of Write Islander Highlights!

Message in a Bottle #10
Origin: The Isle of Write
Sender: @carolkean
Recipients: Steemit Creatives

Things are hopping on the Isle!

So many things are happening, we’re so all happily busy and "steemed" about the great stories and poems filling up our #isleofwrite, I thought it would be nice to share some of the creativity that has appeared under our Isle tag this week! Many thanks to @aschatria for the inspiration provided by the incredibly generous Isle of Write Weekly Digest and Reviews!

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A Tale of Two Curies

@isaganispeaks

Seeing this fellow freewriter receive a Curie vote was among the highlights of our week. Longtime (for the young Isle) Islander, @isaganispeaks garnered a lot of attention and caught the eye of a wise curator for Concert: A short Story.

I played some tunes on the violin then slowly set it back in the case. "One last concert Glenda. Make me proud", I muttered.

People escorted me to the car waiting outside the house. The media was present but reporters stood in line on the far right, stopped by family and friends. Bless them!

I love how this story is “inspired by a true virtuoso, Maestro Kabayao,” who made his debut concert at Carnegie Hall at age 17. It makes this sweet tale of daughterly devotion and everlasting love all the more touching.

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@authorofthings

This Isle cofounder was also recognized by the trail for My Fishing Misadventures - a true story, a photo essay, an embarrassing journey. Ironically (or irrationally), while I dodge memoirs, “true story” never fails to reel me in. And let me assure you, this doesn’t read like memoir. Witty and well written, she makes the story read like fiction.

Offspring is a 6’-tall, skinny stick of 17 year-old angst and snark, battling each other for prevalence... Teenager sneezed. A few times. Looked at me, trying to bail with those ridiculously over-sized brown pools of sweetness. I gave him a cup of steaming coffee with too much sugar in it, and told him to get his ass dressed. The way he would if he were going to Alaska.

The piece is bursting with fascinating tidbits about her own Arctic childhood, the friend with the boat--aka Bob-not-Bob--who undergoes hilarious name changes along the way, and gorgeous photos supplied by Inna’s husband, @j-o-n. Don’t take my word for it, though. Read this story!

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Off the Beaten Path

@techslut

This veteran of Steemit and Isle pillar cannot go without mention. She writes about a lot of things and her fiction always impresses me. She has started posting a novel in progress you can get some background on here: Mistress of Magic: Morgan's First Apprentice in the erotic fantasy genre.

There is so much I could say about this work in progress, but why not let you hear from the author, instead? @techslut had this to say in the comments section, regarding her use of the name Lilith:

Lilith is my favorite character in Jewish demonology. She embodies men's fear of the power of feminine sexuality and the desire of women… The feared succubus who is but a young inexperienced girl, learning what her desires even ARE in a world where sex is a ritual of function rather than emotion.

So if you want to see erotica that actually has some storyline and depth to it, check out the @mistress tag, where three parts are already up and available for your pleasure!

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@bennettitalia

When @jrhughes messaged me telling me we needed to make way for a song I was intrigued. When she said it was called My Pet Spider, I was confused. But when I went to check it out, I was not disappointed. This original (really original) song, written and performed by Islander musician, @bennettitalia, is a story set to music. A story that is a little tongue-in-cheek, maybe even a little morbid, but 100% entertaining.

She was
Graceful in her way
Though I wouldn't have wanted

To be
Tiny and entangled
In her soft silk threads

@jrhughes tells me she was so enamored, she got permission from the artist to write a story based on his song, which is exactly the kind of collaboration and inspiration we love to see the Isle foster!

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Not my Specialty

Have I mentioned that I don’t read or write or critique poetry? Isle of Write’s public channels with poets and writers of all genres mingling, and the five upcoming anthologies, have broadened my horizons. God knows my middle-aged-woman horizons don’t need to widen, but new mental challenges are a way to ward off Alzheimer’s. So, let me tell you about...

@noughtshayde

I love this guy! He speaks for me.
Out to Lunch needs to be my bumper sticker, my wall plaque, my sig line:

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I'm sorry if you're angry
I'm sorry if you're mad
But my brain is out to lunch
My body's here, my mouth forming words
fingers typing emails …

I promise, I'm not lazy, I promise I didn't forget, I-
My brain is out to lunch
Perhaps even brunch
So I apologize a bunch
and
and

And... you must click on that URL to read the whole poem.

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@geekorner

Known on the Isle as Thunder God, this "Guy" is likely to greet you when you arrive. He keeps the whole place running smoothly and somehow still finds time to post incredible poetry like And Also the Moon, inspired by fellow Islander @mamadini:

As a supplicant,
I make you an offering,
in these dark streets,
full of hidden meanings.

I come to you.
You hang above me,
soft and silent whispers
showing me the way.

Whew! And I thought @techslut wrote some steamy stuff. In all seriousness, @geekorner is a talented writer in a wide range of topics and styles, so check him out!

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@trumanity

This poem by @trumanity, Sons of KwaZulu, caught my eye and I had to share it here.

fast, on the toes!
they're harder than these damn'ed soles,
dodge, blade-edged roots and stones
toward the welcome fresh embrace,
to arms of the dim morning kwaZulu mist.

Reading this I felt like I was running, myself. I could almost feel my bare-footed beeline over dirt and rocks; well done @trumanity!

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Last is definitely not least!

@YahiaLababidi

Yeah. He gets his own section. You had better have stuck around for the end because this guy will blow your mind! Is the wider world of Steemit aware that a living legend writes among us? How honored we were to find this revered poet, aphorist, and essayist using the isleofwrite hashtag!

Yahia makes me squeal. He reminds me of that Emily Dickinson quote, “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.”

He is so prolific, I can’t focus on more than one poem in this little space, so I’ll share a wee bit of You, Again?

You again, of the singing wound
here again, lost and found and lost
trafficking in metaphysics and eternity...
…. where to, pilgrim

Trafficking in metaphysics! Call me odd, but that stole my heart.

And that leaves me enough space to share with you a bit of Yahia's beautiful philosophizing, this time on the subject of Silence

Anyone who has crept upon a morning, for a stroll at dawn knows this holy hush. Just as someone who has experienced sound swallowed whole in the mysterious silent underworld of the sea, or drunk deeply of the quietude of desert air will also be familiar with this sense of the numinous -- where Time appears to collapse and one is afforded glimpses into Eternity. Great beauty silences. Even if accompanied by the rich tapestry of the sound of creatures quietly going about their daily affairs, silence is the solemn companion of nature enthusiasts and can presence like the very pulse of Being.

And with that, I will silence myself and leave you to the contemplation of these wonderful additions to the Steemit community of creativity. There were many, many more and if I missed you this time, rest assured, I will get to you in good time!

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Do you believe as we do that Steemit Creatives deserve recognition for their hard work and talent? If so, please help us in our mission to reward this creativity both on and off Steemit. Follow, upvote, resteem. Are you flush? Delegations and donations are greatly appreciated! Are you a starving artist like us? Tell all of your whale and dolphin friends about the account full of minnows who are making a splash in the creative community!

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Tired of drifting at sea? The Isle of Write welcomes thee.

If you'd like to wash up on our shore, a click of the map brings you straight to our door!

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics