The Lit Net Monthly News

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[FONT="Book Antiqua"]May, June, July 2010[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
Welcome to The Literature Networks online newspaper. Events in the newsletter house have been pretty hectic so apologies for the delay, but we will have a 3 month edition now to make up for it and from next month we will be back to every month, keeping you updated with information regarding threads, contests, Book Club and lots more!

[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Forum Book Club[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]
The May novel was [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52762"]The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier and Clay [/URL]
The June novel was [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53491"]Alice in Wonderland[/URL]

There are currently 2 group readings taking place with our July novel [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54096"]Walden[/URL] and the summer reading [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53954"]The Brother's Karamazov[/URL]

Don’t forget to vote in the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53492"]August Reading Poll![/URL]

The Book Club is also now nominating for the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54097"]September Read.[/URL]

The Forum Shakespeare Discussion Group is still on Henry IV Part I. Pop over to the sub forum if you are interested in participating[url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...lay.php?f=5895[/url]

The Forum Book Club is always happy to have new participants. If you are interested, you can find it in the Reading section of the Forum Index page.


[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Official Forum Contest[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

Due to a lack of entries there was no June elimination this time around :( Let's make sure we get plenty of entries for the August elimination - see [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showpost.php?p=823041&postcount=1"]here[/URL] for information on how to submit your stories!


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Unofficial Poetry Contests[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]


The Personal Poetry forum is one of Litnets’ most active forums and comes complete with a sub-forum dedicated to poetry games and contests. We have three very popular poetry contests located in the sub-forum; The Picture Poetry Contest (continued…) , The Form Poetry Contest and The Subject Poetry Contest. There is also a new contest set up The Minimalist Poetry Contest. [url]http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=50408[/url] Why not pop in and give it a go. You might just win!

[CENTER]The Form winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]
[B]The Play Fight.[/B]

A need is desire with a time limit
Hold it tight against your chest. Keep the fire
lit, that wiry bit, a still, silent fit.
A need is desire

Bright eyes set, lined, the mascara 'd crier
some slight against obsessed, made quick to quit
by the spinning sonnets of a liar.

The winding wounds we weave with lines of spit
words, heal; More venom cures the poison's ire.
Brevity more real than the argument
A need is desire

[I]by krymsonkyng[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

[B]For The Glimmer Twins* [/B]
A honky-tonk woman with bile-bearing lips
Was propping the bar in the ‘Whistling Nun’.
I should have just taken one look then my leave
But she noticed me staring - drew breath then a gun.
She asked for my name and a light; I gave both
As she sank her last shot of tequila then down to the floor in a heap.
I was given no choice but to leave in a rush and the next train from town.

*aka Mick Jagger and Keith Richards who co-wrote ‘Honky-Tonk Women’ and probably the very first zeugma (?) I ever heard :
“she blew my nose and then she blew my mind…..”

[I]by hillwalker[/I]
[B]July: [/B]

[B]Escape [/B]

She was the one in shades of black & blue
waiting enigmatically for the final train
her poor veiled eyes watched without a clue.

Navy blue duffle bag luggage soaked in the rain
lost among the crowd and totally alone
deep inside she'll never erase the reoccurring stain.

Her eyes turn upon the clock and contemplate the phone
feeling the weight of everything that will be left behind
cold skin like cold feet and fears like her hair wind blown.

Heavy metallic doors echo through her mind
and she hesitates for what seems like a life time
jarred as suddenly the gears begin to grind.

Still hovering half-way between escape the bells chime
almost a moment too late she says a last good-bye
and prepares to enter the great unknown sublime

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]

[CENTER]The Subject winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]
[B]School Grounds [/B]

where she was standing
is now a science lab
colorful chemical spatters
cover an old stain beautifully...

she’s an awkward child
timid. invisible. pathetic.

life would have
thrown eggs at her but
she did it herself first

she was eating
a soft boiled egg
her sickly mother made
to take to school

yellow yolk dripped
on her sorry looking
hand-me-down
dark blue uniform

in shame she ran to
the little girls room
she washed off the mess
but the stain is permanent

she didn’t know if
any got on her face

she avoids the mirror

the only thing
uglier than her
is life

she gradually advanced
to dissociation...

I pity her
it’s not easy
to be her

but I had
no choice

[I]by Haunted[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

[B]Bus Stop [/B]
The gutter beside me, oiled-water grey
The rain's falling on my back today
The eyes of a rat are brighter than mine
See how they shine, oh, see how they shine...

Old man move on, nobody talks to me
Come on I'm hearing things, I can't see
He puts the boot in, I'm clutched and I'm gripped
Something gives way. I feel something ripped.

I feel my blood pop sizzling down the drain
I piston out but can feel no pain

I have carried the burden of many
Served both the street and the company
My mates died in action, my girl is gone,
Nothing explains why I'm going on.

A rib gives way now as I hug the post
The light in the rain dimmer than most
There's swearing. I must be blocking the street
The narrow way where they and I meet.

What do they feel as they wait for the bus
As I go limp without any fuss?

I sense from them all only despair
As my ghost leaks out into the air.

I, Leyland 63 178 Red
Failed in my duty and am now dead.
Remember me to your mom and your pop;
Remember the night you saw the bus stop.

[I]by Autolycus[/I]
[B]July: [/B] Not Announced Yet


[CENTER]The Picture winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]

[B]LIGHT AS A FEATHER[/B]

They say I have my grandma's eyes,
the irridescent blue of prairie skies;
both eyebrows curved like falcon wing
just hovering,
and lashes dark as darkest night
and skin as white as Appalachia snow.

They say I have my father's will,
his cruel instinctive urge to kill,
his cold resolve to pay no heed
to do the deed.
My soul like his, bereft of light,
I'm right behind you..... thought I'd let you know

[I]by Hillwalker[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

[B]Dryad[/B]

the spring called their names
and poor mute things,
they listened and obeyed
travellers on a weary road
they thought at first that they longed only for a drink
but then they heard

the bell-like voices
and they made their way
to the spring song
witless, numbed, entranced, they stared
at brief beauty
and wondered
if they could feel the water
on their winter limbs once more
their fevered brow

the dryads laughed
the song cracked
and they were home
voiceless, mad, besotted

[I]by Qimissung[/I]
[B]July: [/B]

[B]At World's End[/B]
Come, take my hand,
and let us stand
upon the edge
of a new world.

Let everything behind
us crumble away
into dust and we
will venture upon
the eve of a new
beginning.

The vastness
ours to behold,
let us be adventurers,
to blaze a trail
through the unknown.

The world crafted
by man will become
obsolete, and the
boundaries that held us
back will dissipate.

We will be dancers
upon the rim of
canyons, we will
become leapers
into the air,
and trust upon
the wind to lift
us up.

Let us live
among the birds,
take my hand,
untouched by doubt,
with a heart filled
only in trust.

And we will leap
from this world's end,
and if we die,
we will die together,
and if we survive,
we will live in the
New World.

The world made
only for us.

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]

[CENTER]The Minimalist winners[/CENTER]

[B]May:[/B]

[B]the three belles[/B]
today’s the day:
April’s bridal shower

but May’s jealous tears
rained out the wedding

if only she knew...

June blossoms
like a thorny red rose
beautiful and dangerous
the groom is intrigued...

oh drama before
summer solstice

[I]by Haunted[/I]
[B]June: [/B]

the dog made a mess
fine end for a noble fir
in this paper towel

[I]by Hack[/I]
[B]July: [/B] Not Announced Yet

Congratulations to you all!



[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Personal Poetry[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


So for this edition of the newsletter we are going to just post one of our favourites from each month

From April:

[B]Lovers as Warriors[/B]

You must not think I am unromantic
because I refuse to spend my day
writing sad songs about heart break
and flooding rains of tears.

You must not think I am unromantic
because I do not see the reason why
I should throw myself at the feet
as if upon an altar of worship
before another who I know will never
love me back, and that I neglect to
sigh in compassionate understanding
over glamorized stories of unrequited
love.

You must not think I am unromantic
simply because I do not see fit
to live a life looking back, pining over
the one "who got away" or languishing
over the boy who choose another
instead of me, living in my own bitterness
over what cannot be changed.

You must not think I am unromantic
because I refuse to glamorize the pain,
and weep my soul into sonnets, or because
I see no purpose in wasted anger
at the one who does not love me anymore,
where has it been writ that romance must
be fragile? And that only the heart that
shatters knows the essence of love?

Warriors can be lovers too
and lovers can be soldiers,
just because we are the ones
who live to fight on, and brush away
our scars does not mean we love any less,
but we are the survivors who love in the present,
and don't waste what we are given forever looking
back into the past.

We take the blows that are delivered
and in the end find the means to laugh
at our own foolishness, we glorify the moment,
thankful for what little we could share, and when
it comes to the final hour, we let our memories
into the wind and march on into the next conquest.

Just because I cannot say in honesty
that my life would stop without you,
and just because I cannot pledge that if you left me
I will never find happiness again,
does not mean that I love any less,
but like a phoenix from the flames,
I will always rise again above the ashes
of my sorrows.

[I]by Dark Muse[/I]
From May:

[B]The Question[/B]

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
I’ll tell you where they’ve gone,
with global warming here to stay,
they’re highways for the swan.
The ice-age that they promised us
would freeze us all to death -
it now seems far less likely
than us drowning in the depths.

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
The ice caps, they’re all melting.
Me, I’m going to build an ark
before the rain starts pelting.
So when the sea-shore tracks inland
and mountains become beaches,
you’ll find me on the high ground, mate,
just like the bible teaches.

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
and quiet now the drunkard,
I ponder how to tell him through
the bottom of his tankard.
Anyway, his ears are deaf,
he turns away too soon,
his thoughts upon another drink,
the ignorant buffoon.

Where are the snows of yesteryear?
Like beauty that has passed,
preserved now just in memory
until we die at last.

[I]by Hawkman[/I]

From June:

[B]Teenage Drinker[/B]

she shakes her head
covers her eyes
sighs
[I]I thought you said
I could talk to you
about my feelings[/I]
she she slurs

From my verandah
I ponder the night sky
A single star twinkles
through the gum tree
before it is lost
in grey cloudy cover

I reluctantly inhale
her alcohol breath
and wonder
how to reply

[I]by Delta40[/I]

[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

Do you want to let off that steam and vent your anger? Then why not visit [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25259&page=27"]Get it off your Chest![/URL]
Or if you are looking for advice, but want to remain unknown then why not contact Scheherazade and have your problem posted in [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36313&page=5&highlight=personal+anonymous"]Personal and Anonymous[/URL]. . Your fellow Litnetters will pass on their own words of wisdom.


[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Featured Members Profile[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


So as the regular readers will know each month we usually sift through Litnets member profile pages and selecting one as our Featured Profile of the Month. So get personalizing, decorating and designing your profile. Because of our tardiness the last couple of months we are selecting 3 worth checking out this time

[URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=3093"]Scher[/URL], [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=16643"]stlukesguild[/URL] & [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/member.php?u=59951"]JuniperWoolf[/URL]



[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Blog of the Month[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


Like with the member profiles we will be picking out a few blogs this month:

Firstly [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=9515"]Virgil's[/URL] wonderful entries over the last few months regarding his and Pussnboots travels in Kazahkstan adopting the incredibly cute Matthew - congrats you two!!!!!!

Next up [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=61576"]PaulClem[/URL] & [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?u=56327"]daffyd manton[/URL] who are relatively new to our blog community here but both blogs have made for interesting reading.

[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Featured Threads[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

Our featured threads from the past months have been the entertaining [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52324"]Football World Cup 2010[/URL] thread. A big thank you to Scher for organising the whole thing.

Also the [URL="http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53604"]Litnet's version of Devil's Dictionary[/URL]



[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Lit Net Book Reviews[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]


This month’s book review was selected by Papayahed from the Write a book Review sub-forum in general Literature.

[B]'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler [/B]

Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Big Sleep’ invites you to explore the seedy underworld of murder, bribery and gambling in 1930s Los Angeles. This is the first novel in Chandler's Philip Marlowe detective saga and this is the book which helped Chandler break into the literary scene as a recognised and respected writer of literature, rather than pulp fiction.

The story starts out with Marlowe being requested by the general Sternwood for a seemingly straightforward blackmail case. However, things become a lot more complicated as the story progresses and what began as a simple case hulks into an intriguing and complicated story of murder which sends Marlowe on a voyage of Los Angeles' corrupt underworld.

The story is told from Marlowe's point of view. This is where the book really becomes alive, as with every place Marlowe visits and every person he meets, the reader is given Marlowe's own views on the case. A great example of this can be seen when Marlowe describes Sternwood's daughters: 'Vivian is spoiled, exacting, smart and quite ruthless. Carmen is a child who likes to pull wings off flies. Neither of them has any more moral sense than a cat.' Marlowe more often than not has a sarcastic and witty point to make and this really adds an extra layer to the book.

Chandler's attention to detail in the novel also has to be admired. He has a great way of describing a setting or a character in such a way that captivates the image in the reader's mind. An excellent example of this can be seen through Chandler's description of a rug: 'there was a thick pinkish Chinese rug in which a gopher could have spent a week without showing his nose above the nap'.

If you're looking for a classic crime fiction novel which strays from your norm of Agatha Christie or P.D. James, then I would say 'The Big Sleep' would be a perfect read.

[I]provided by Caspa[/I]


[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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[I][CENTER][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]Birthdays[/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER][/I]

So a BIGGGG apology to everyone whose birthdays we missed in our hiatus sorry!

Here are this months Litnet birthdays! Also, don’t forget that many of these members will be sent an interview, so look out for the Getting to Know You thread.

Happy Birthday!
Kafka's Crow, Charles Darnay, amalia1985, Inderjit Sanghe, Remarkable, janesmith, Joreads, motherhubbard, Shurtugal, kiz paws, 1n50mn14



[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Forum Advertisement[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]New Additions to the Site[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

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[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Letters to the Editor[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

No letters these few months, any letters can be PM'ed to the newsletter account for inclusion in upcoming editions.





[I][SIZE="5"][FONT="Book Antiqua"][CENTER]Special Thanks[/CENTER][/FONT][/SIZE][/I]


I would like to thank everyone who helped contribute to the Newsletter over the last year, whether they were aware they were contributing or not!
Also a special thank you to all those that subscribe to the newsletter.
Yours truly
The Litnetter