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INTRODUCTION
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Hello lovely of Books & Writing Amino! Welcome to the January edition of our Monthly Curator Newsletter, which features this month’s recap, highlights, news, and challenges. Now please sit back and read about our community’s current events!
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[BC]INTRODUCTION
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[c]Hello lovely membe](https://image.staticox.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpm1.aminoapps.vertvonline.info%2F8920%2F18f817f0b8f847bfb13980c22447f3706143e0d2r1-1080-1080v2_hq.jpg)
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PSA REVIEW
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No new PSAs posted this month!
We did open the community back up because the spam bot problem seems to have been resolved… but please report any spam messages or s that may pop up so that we can close the community again if necessary!
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WEEKLY CHALLENGE/
CONTEST REVIEW
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Our incredible member Suz opened the new year with a Community Read-a-thon open to everyone. From January 1st to January 16th, s gathered to start the year with a good chunk of books added to their 2024 reading lists.
We opened a Winter Community Theme Contest to update our current community theme to an on-brand seasonal feel.
Finally, here is the first batch of 2024 weekly challenges:
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SPOTLIGHT S
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Senior Member: Mostly Harmless
Mostly Harmless has been an active member of our community for the last eight years and some. You might find him on the feature feedthrough his poetry on most days or occasionally in your comment section even if it’s just a word or two. Let’s move on to their responses for this interview!
Some of their work:
Cons of poetry, to whom it may concern
1. What brought you to this community and what convinced you to stay?
I must have done a “writing / poetry” search. I still have no idea what “Amino” actually means, except in the chemistry sphere.
2. What have been some of your favorite moments or events in B&WA?
A long time ago, there was a challenge to write a piece based upon a provided image. It was a man watching tv, looking quite dystopian. I loved writing that piece, and it won the little competition.
3. How have you grown as a reader/writer since you first ed?
I am able to read a lot of new writers’ material, and see parallels between what I wrote as a beginner and compare it to what I do now.
4. What are some of your favorite pieces (either yours or someone else’s) and why?
I really like reading the slice of life stuff, that generally evokes nostalgia and happy vibes. Aleen is queen of what I mean exactly. I also like many of my own pieces, but it’s been awhile since I’ve really written anything that I truly love.
5. How do you make time for your literary pursuits amidst how busy life gets?
I write after work, during work, at coffee shops, on the toilet, at the bar, and in bed. When life gets too busy, the build up of ideas usually breaks through when the crisis is past.
6. We know you’re a poet; what is your chief source of inspiration?
inspiration....hmmm
Nature and Man. What else is there?
Experiences had, experiences wished for, birth and death, tears and joy, war and peace.
Also, reading classics. Russian authors rule.
Music and lyrics too.
7. Other than books and writing, what’s something you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Sleeping, hiding from family, plotting my next moves.
8. What is some advice you would give to our newer from your experience here so far?
Advice....read everything. Don’t make every piece about death or love. Try other styles and topics. Try to find at least one positive thing in every piece you read. Comment with the first words that pop into your head after reading something. Always read something at least three times, you always find something buried there
9. Anything else to add?
I have made one or two friends here. I hope we get more active s, and I hope we get more comments.
Please look at some of my older stuff and make comments please !!!
Peace out.
New Member: Ale
If you’ve been active recently, there’s just no way you haven’t seen this new member on the prowl all over our feature page. Connecting with rest of us mainly through their amazing poetry, let’s get to their responses!
Some of their work:
Little and lonely string of light
1. What brought you to this community and what convinced you to stay?
Around 2017-2018, I started using Amino to publish my poetry. I always had the concern of seeing if the things I wrote could resonate with other people. Most of the communities I ed were in Spanish, as it is my native language, but I published a poem in English in this community. This year, I decided to resume this habit, but as time went by, my English improved after a couple internships in the United States. The truth is that I resonated a lot with English as a language, and currently, I really enjoy writing in English, especially within this community.
2. What has been the most enjoyable aspect of B&WA so far?
The people I have met. I really like talking to people and discussing poetry. In the end, connecting is what I am looking for, receiving comments, and meeting people is very nice.
3. Are you a reader or writer (or both)? What genres do you like to read/write?
I consider myself as both. I tend to fall into romance and coming of age. I really like to read and write aspects that fall into the mundane. I always connect a lot when someone touches on topics that resonate with me using emotions as a connecting thread. I want to feel very strong emotions both writing and reading, and I feel that when something is mundane, it is easier to achieve that. Outside of this, since I am a scientist, I also enjoy reading sci-fi, and I try to incorporate scientific images into my poetry.
4. When did you first find yourself poetically inclined? Was it a moment or a specific catalyst?
I think that since I was little, I have had that inclination. When I was 8 years old, I wrote a poem to the girl I liked. I a lot that it said something super cheesy like “in your gaze lies the entire rainbow, you absorb all the colors and leave the pink on your lips.” The teacher took the poem and wanted to read it in front of the entire class. I was always a very quiet and shy boy; however, that’s where all my courage came out. I ran and ripped the sheet of paper out of his hands and ran to the bathroom. I tore it into pieces and threw it down the toilet. I like to fantasize that a rat read the poem in the sewers and now they are in love with me.
5. What type of , blogs, activities, or events have you seen so far that inspire you to be active?
There are excellent poets here. I love deb, zee, scholar, and Evangeline; I have always ired their poetry. Someone, in particular, who has inspired me is Hiro. I feel that the way Hiro addresses so many emotions in such a raw sense is something irable. As I have grown as a writer, I have tried to convey what I feel as it is, without filters with which to protect me, merely saying what I feel. I feel that metaphors and images are tools; they are not the whole content. So after reading Hiro’s poetry, I realized that it is important to make your reader feel all of what you are feeling and I hope I have achieved this.
6. What are some of your long-term plans regarding the improvement of your writing or the direction you want to take it to?
I would like to be able to expand my poetry. I would like to do something more ambitious, tell a longer story, or simply improve and become someone that people get excited about when I publish a piece of writing. I really like to connect, and I would like to connect with whoever reads me.
7. Other than books and writing, what’s something you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I am an astrobiologist, so I like to read about science. I also sing and play guitar; I like to learn about any topic and have long conversations with a cup of coffee or tea. I have a dog named Lucy, and I like to spend time with her.
8. Anything else to add?
I would like to add a phrase that I have in my bachelor’s thesis, which Carl Sagan wrote: “Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let them live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” I feel that it is beautiful because it makes us see that being together is a miracle. So if you read one of my poems, and connected with it, thank you very much; perhaps we experience similar things or are similar in essence, I hope you are happy and thank you for reading.
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BLOGS OF THE MONTH
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Brogan’s pick: The real me, is a fake. by Deb.
Deb’s pick: Teddy
The piece will resonate with a lot of us here. Do go give it a read of you haven’t already!
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BOOKISH NEWS
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Check out this list of new releases from January! Let us know if you’ve picked any of them up!
January 2nd
“The Storm We Made”
By Vanessa Chan
“Nonfiction”
By Julie Myerson
January 9th
“Old Crimes”
By Jill McCorkle
“My Friends”
By Hisham Matar
“Holiday Country”
By Inci Atrek
“The Waters”
By Bonnie Jo Campbell
“Poor Deer”
By Claire Oshetsky
“The Fetishist”
By Katherine Min
“The Heiress”
By Rachel Hawkins
“Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend”
By Emma R. Alban
“Rental Person Who Does Nothing”
By Shoji Morimoto
January 16th
“Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands”
By Heather Fawcett
“The Fury”
By Alex Michaelides
“Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science of Life”
By Nell Greenfieldboyce
January 23rd
“Martyr!”
By Kaveh Akbar
“The Bullet Swallower”
By Elizabeth Gonzalez James
“The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels”
By Janice Hallett
“Family Family”
By Laurie Frankel
“Broughtupsy”
By Christina Cooke
“When the Jessamine Grows”
By Donna Everhart
“Twilight Territory”
By Andrew X. Pham
January 30th
“Come and Get It”
By Kiley Reid
“House of Flame and Shadow”
By Sarah J. Maas
“Good Material”
By Dolly Alderton
“Everyone on This Train is a Suspect”
By Benjamin Stevenson
“Your Utopia”
By Bora Chung
“What We’ve Become”
By Jonathan M. Metzl
“How We Named the Stars”
By Andrés N. Ordorica
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AMBITION OF THE MONTH
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With the month of love knocking at our doorstep and spring fast approaching, we expect to be on the lookout for posts featuring all things love and life! Book recs, community love, bring ‘em on. Let’s hear about your spring cleaning plans, tbrs and anything that you’re reminded of when you think of spring!
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WRAP-UP
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We hope you all enjoyed this edition of our Monthly Curator Newsletter! Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Your Curation Team
Comments (1)
Hey Thanks!!!