Young Writers Society

1. POETRY WINDOWS: 'SEA GODS' BY H.D.
2. FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: PKMICHELLE
3. GREEN ROOM GALLERY
4. ICY'S READING LOG: FEBRUARY
5. FEBRUARY 2024 UNCLASSIFIED DEBRIEFING
6. PREP FOR NAPO
7. THIS MONTH IN HISTORY | MARCH 2024
8. SOCIAL MONTH HIGHLIGHTS
9. SHAMELESS PLUGS
10. SUBSCRIBERS

POETRY WINDOWS: 'SEA GODS' BY H.D.written by Liminality< PM: >

In this edition of Poetry Windows, I’m reading ‘Sea Gods’ by H.D. (Click the link and read it yourself before browsing the rest of the article!)

Here are some questions you might ask yourself as you read:

• Is there a ‘story’ to the poem? Or does the poem seem purely descriptive? Argumentative?
• What images stand out to you?
• Are there any unusual word orderings or formatting choices?
• Can you spot any patterns or things that are being repeated?

My Interpretation

While this isn’t my first time reading ‘Sea Gods’, it’s been a while since a read it originally. On my (current) first reading, I thought this poem told a story. The poem takes the point of view of a group of people who believe in sea gods. Another group, referred to as “they”, have an antagonistic relationship with these followers of the sea gods, perhaps even an oppressive one. The desolate imagery portrays the sea gods as being absent or weakened, unable to rescue their followers. In Part II, the “we” perform an act of devotion by offering violets to the sea gods. In Part III, the speaker predicts with great confidence what will happen as the result of their devotion: the sea gods will eventually gain strength and overpower the oppressors, turning circumstances in the speaker’s favour.

Imagery: Contrasts

The images in the beginning of the poem are harsh and desolate. “the broken hulk of a ship” makes me think of rough, splintered planks. The poet also goes out of the way to say the ropes are “shreds” and that there is “rubble” in the sea. (Contrast: “hung with coils of rope” doesn’t seem nearly as harsh-sounding.)

One would think that the speaker, who believes in these sea gods, would speak of them as being purely opposite to this desolate proclamation. Or maybe they would be purely violent in taking down “the lie of men’s thoughts”. However, in Part III, the actions of the sea gods have a mixture of harsher and gentler connotations. For instance, “trail across the rocks/ and wash them” sounds fairly gentle, and “curl between” seems downright cosy, but then H.D. follows up with how the sea gods will “thunder along the cliff”. The sea gods are also not victorious all the way through, at times needing to “retreat” to “get fresh strength”. While the sea gods are harsh to “men’s thoughts” and “break” these, they are kinder and gentler with the “we” of the poem, whom they “cherish and shelter”. This shows an interesting play in mixing contrasting groups of images, creating a portrayal of the sea gods that is multifaceted. The sea gods may be powerful, but they can also be caring or in need of care.

I think this also applies to Part II. The connotations we normally have with flowers is that of softness and gentleness, but the violets in Part II are juxtaposed with their wilder, harsher origins. They come out with “earth at the roots”, are “tugged from rocks” and some even come from the “cliff”. They are described with the simile “like red ash among tufts of grass”. Comparing something to “red ash” makes it sound somewhat violent or intense. The effect of this is that violets appear to have more strength to them to help combat the “they”.

Structural Devices: Repetition

H.D. doesn’t use much rhyme in this poem. The only end-rhymes that I caught were slant rhymes, and they might be accidental. (If you’re curious: ship/pitch and beat/beach, both in Part I.)

Instead, what gives the poem its overall form seems to be repetition. Syntactic patterns and phrases are repeated. Part I follows the structure “They say X, a, b, c.” for each stanza. This structure reminds me of something called the cumulative sentence. You can read more about that on a website like ThoughtCo (which I’ve linked). However, my main thought here is that the repetition of “They say” emphasises the speaker’s disagreement with “them”. It suggests doubt, like it’s just something other people are saying, a false rumour. Conversely, the repetition of “They say” shows the confidence of the speaker in the sea gods and that what “they say” isn’t actually true.

In Part II, the stanzas are lists of noun phrases (nouns and words that describe them). In many cases, said noun is “violets”. The repetition of the word “violets” itself could constitute the part’s form. The phrase “we bring (. . . ) violets” is also repeated in a few different variations. What this highlights to me is that the “violets” are important – not just any flower has been offered, but violets. Maybe it’s because violets are wildflowers, and as mentioned in the imagery section they are described growing in ‘wild’ areas rather than in gardens. This could contribute to the praise of nature in the poem.

In Part III, the repeated structure is “you will X”. The repeated use of “you will X” to make detailed and graphic descriptions of what the sea gods will do projects the speaker’s certainty and confidence in the sea gods’ arrival. I think it’s interesting to compare this to the repeated structure of Part I. In Part I, each line following the first adds more detail to the initial idea and there is one basic idea per stanza. For example, stanza one is all about “a desolate shipwreck”. However, in Part III, the “you will X” lines seem to describe one idea and action after another, making it seem a lot busier and more active. For instance, in the first stanza of that part alone, the sea gods “come” and then “haunt men” and then “trail across the fringe”, before they “circle” the rocks.

I think this poem is a great example of how you can effectively create your own ‘form’ in poetry and pick and choose how to create effects with different structures.

The Poet

H.D. was born in Pennsylvania, but as an adult in 1911, moved to Europe and lived in that continent for the rest of her life. She is associated with the Imagist movement, which I’ve mentioned elsewhere on YWS. In 1916, she published her first poetry collection with the title ‘Sea Garden’. ‘Sea Gods’ is included in that collection. You can read more about H.D. on this page by the Academy of American Poets.

I'm quite a fan of H.D.'s early poems and I might revisit this one or other poems in 'Sea Garden' in future Poetry Windows articles.

Now it’s your turn!

What did you think of ‘Sea Gods’? What patterns did you spot, or what images affected you the most? Share your thoughts on the People’s Tab using the hashtag #PoetryWindows !

FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: PKMICHELLE written by Liminality< PM: >

@PKMichelle was our Featured Member from December 8th to 22nd in 2023. She is an active reviewer, with three shiny review stars at the time of me writing this. You’ll often find her at the top of the Leaderboards and logging her progress in the 24in24 Support Group. She has continued to be on Team Tortoise, writing a review a day for over a month.

Her current interests are suspenseful horror and thriller stories. You can read some her writing in these genres on her YWS portfolio.

Recently, I got the chance to interview her about her review template, her favourite parts of YWS and what inspires her to write. Read on below!



PKMichelle: Yeah!! That would be alright!



P: Honestly, when I first found out I was FM, I had no idea what it actually meant. But after reading the post and checking the home page, I realized exactly what it was. And at that point, I was really excited and really happy to see that I was it, especially after reading all of the congratulations from other members! It was a great time, and I really appreciated it!



P: Absolutely! I do use my own review template, but it's kind of based on other review templates I see people using here. I needed a way to organize my thoughts and wanted it to be somewhat unique, so I stole a bunch of different ideas and turned them into one. It certainly helps me a lot when I'm reviewing, and I love all templates very much. They can be immensely helpful!!



P: I enjoy participating in many other areas of YWS! I especially love the Randomosity Forum and the little games within it, as well as the #24in24 Support Group club! I also enjoy lurking through the People’s Tab and liking random posts there! There's a lot of things I really enjoy about YWS!


P: There are a few things that inspire me to write stories, but most of the time, it's other stories! I love to read the works of other YWSers and take in their concepts, and I love to read books and do the same. So most of my inspiration comes from other writers everywhere!



P: I think my advice would have to be to go easy on yourself. It can get frustrating trying to write when nothing seems to be working, but that's where a lot of wonderful ideas come from!

Thank you for this opportunity, and I hope you have a wonderful day!



If you’ve yet to congratulate Michelle, join us in doing so on her FM thread or on her wall!

GREEN ROOM GALLERYwritten by Liminality< PM: >

As of late February, the Green Room is overflowing with literary works in need of feedback. 80 works have 0 reviews and 144 works have 1 review. The oldest work in the Green Room has been there for over four months. This is the perfect time for heroic reviewers to swoop in and save the day. Bring your review template of choice, or you can go in freestyle!

This edition of the Green Room Gallery highlights an eclectic selection of works in need of a review or two, as of me writing this article. There are plenty more interesting works in the Green Room, so do feel free to delve in and make a pick of your own as well.

Out of Ammo by @Irishpride13
Chapter 6. Find the first chapter here.
In this science fiction story, Captain James Michael Hunter takes charge of a state-of-the-art battleship. However, he is haunted by past failure and loss and must rise to the challenge of being a leader. If you enjoy settings with futuristic technology and darker themes, check out this one.
[Warning: This work is rated 18+ and contains violence and mature content.]

Sunday Morning by @LunarAirPollution
A romance poem, a queer perspective, a domestic scene – not to mention a rhyme scheme! Read this lyric poem for all four. The poem gives the speaker's take on a Sunday morning.

Lighterio and Candlet: Candlet by @AilahEvelynMae
The second installment of a series of shorts (read the first installment here ).
A creatively-inspired romance that combines Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with household objects. This instalment is from Candlet’s perspective as tragedy occurs . . .
[This work is rated 12+.]

Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together! by @TheRebel2007
Here we have a blast from antiquity, a rhythmic poem dealing with themes of unity and referencing motto of the Olympics. Written in Latin with an English translation. Read and leave a review on this uplifting poem, especially if you know Latin.

Loosely Lawful | 8 by @Ventomology
Chapter 8. Find the first chapter here.
A fantasy adventure begins with somebody’s missing glaive. Vitriolic buddies and adventuring partners uncover a series of odd events. Read this story for interesting powers, evolving character dynamics and a deconstructed fantasy setting.
[Warning: This work is rated 18+ and contains mature language.]

Now that we’ve shown off a variety of works on YWS, why not go through the Green Room and see if something is to your liking? Additionally, if you’re in need of advice on reviewing later novel chapters, this article from the KB could be helpful.

Onward, reviewers!

ICY'S READING LOG: FEBRUARY written by IcyFlame< PM: >

Last year, I set myself the challenge of reading 52 books over 2023. This year, I'm back with an even more challenging task: I'm going to read 60 books in 2024 (that's more than one a week!). I'm using our monthly Squills issue as a bit of accountability, but also to keep you all updated on the best (and worst) of the books I'm reading so far.

(As always, if you're looking to read these books, please make sure to check the ratings and trigger warnings if you need to).

In February, I've slowed a little. This has mainly been caused by a book that's taking me forever. Hopefully I'll be able to cross it off next month.

Books read this month: 5
Total book count: 12/60


1. One for Sorrow(The Magpie Society) by Amy McCulloch:
Tragedy Strikes at Illumen Hall when a body of a student is discovered at their summer party. When new girl Audrey arrives the following term, she and her roommate Ivy are thrown into solving the case. This was a quick and easy read. Some parts were definitely better than others and the story seemed all over the place at times but it only took me a few days to finish. It seems tailored to a young audience but then some of the writing was more adult which gave it a weird vibe in the end. 3 stars.

2. From the Embers by Aly Martinez:
In the wake of a fire, only Eason and his wife's best friend/his best friend's wife are left standing. Eason accidentally saves Bree instead of his wife and the two must learn to be survivors together, raising their three children. I went into this one with limited expectations because I'm not one for the dead spouses trope, but this was a lot better than expected. The pacing, though, wasn't great. So much happens but with all the time jumps it's over so quickly and we usually just get a character reflecting on what's happened rather than experienceing it ourselves. I think perhaps too much was crammed in to give any real air time to any of it and so it feels like not a lot happens for the whole novel after the dramatic start. 3 stars.

3. Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders:
The end of this was far better than the beginning. Joanne gives up her job to move to a big house in the countryside and raise their newborn baby. Then her husband's 21 year old step daughter moves in and things get spooky. This definitely had Housemaid vibes but it was so much slower paced and the characters were all so unlikeable that it was really hard to read until about two thirds of the way through. The ending started to get good until (spoiler) the author doubled back on her own twist. This felt like a last minute decision and meant that so much of the rest of the plot didn't make sense, as though it hadn't properly been thought through. 2 stars.

4. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell:
Laurel's daughter goes missing at fifteen and ten years later she meets Flloyd and his daughter Poppy. This one had twists and turns in all the right places and even though you could predict a lot of what was going to happen, reading it was no less satisfying. The pacing and characters were so well written that I turned page after page and finished the novel in about two days. 4.5 stars.

5. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab:
A curse in 16th century France means Addie has her forever freedom, but at a cost. Everyone who meets her will instantly forget her the second she is out of sight. I'd put this book off because it was personally recommended to me and I hate when I don't like someone's recommendation but there was no need to worry with this one! I fell in love with the settings, the characters and the plotand just how full of hope the book was in spite of everything happening to the main character before she meets Henry. I don't want to spoil this one, but I loved it. 5 stars.

So there you have it, YWS, a round up of my reads for February. Let me know if you check any of them out, and if there are any I should add to my list for next month. I look forward to updating you in March!

FEBRUARY 2024 UNCLASSIFIED DEBRIEFING

written by alliyah < PM: >

Once again, the great lands of YWS have been ransacked with the chaotic hashtags of classified. If you've been wondering what's going on, you're in the right spot, because I'm here with all the latest information from the ground!

What exactly is this whole Classified vs Unclassified feud?

Well reader, that would take me an entire series of articles to get into, but basically the very short version is that in 2019 a series of cryptic "classified hashtags" started popping up without explanation, sowing chaos throughout the site and a group of YWSers banned together to try to solve what was going on and stop classified from overtaking the site. The resistance that formed was and is the Unclassified Movement.

In the past years there have been various plots of classified including kidnapping members of Big Brother, threatening to kidnap Big Brother, shutting down the site for an extended period of time, overtaking the site with the Blue Screen of Death, stealing the YWS mod office pig, and also involvement with a mysterious being called the Kyber. Along the way unclassified has continually solved the mysteries and restored order to the site. If you'd like to join unclassified, their club headquarters are here . Also note that Unclassified is a strong supporter of Big Brother and looks to The Egg as a source of inspiration.

What's been happening lately?
Classified's been pretty quiet the last few months, until very recently when a series of interesting events popped up that all seem suspiciously related.

Significant Facts

* Spearmint was possibly kidnapped by Evil Vegetables



* Several suspicious references were made throughout the People Tab

These references included Round Cakes, Evil Potato, Duolingo's Owl, Cakes, the color green, and more Vegetables.

* Duo the Owl exerted suspicious and dramatic influence over the site



In addition to very cryptic statuses being shared, at least 5 users avatars were changed to feature Duo the Owl (unclear whether it was of their own will, or under duress) - those featuring duo owl avvies were @AilahEvelynMae, @JazzElectrobass, @APoltergeist, @avianwings47, and @RazorSharpPencil. Several users were summoned to a duo themed club in which the stated purpose was the following:

#Classified extremists gathering together to steal the golden goose, once and for all. We are now #Duofied. Reject #Unclassified and embrace the chaos.

Club run and managed by the Duo Bird.

* Unclassified has been working hard in the resistance movement

Meanwhile members of unclassified including Ailah, @Snoink, @DreamyAlice, @Zyria and others have been working over-time to try to solve the mysteries and trying to combat the increasing chaos. Several theories and plans are in the works in their club headquarters.

Statement from Duo the Owl

While I was writing this article I was lucky enough to actually run into Duo the Owl and asked for a quick statement from them.



Duo the Owl: Hello, this is the Duo Bird, leader of the #Duofied movement and the founder of Duo Birds Nest secret club. I have only one desire, to make some Golden Fried Chicken and sell some delicious cakes. The specifics of these products is highly classified and only revealed to my most loyal followers. Great things are coming, is all I can say. Greater, and perhaps, greener, than you can imagine.

Reject #Unclassified and embrace the bird.



Well YWSers there you have it. I don't know what the future holds for classified vs unclassified, but you know what side I'm on!

PREP FOR NAPO

written by alliyah < PM: >

So you've been on YWS for a while, and you keep hearing about this mysterious poetry thing called "NaPo" but haven't quite gotten the courage to ask someone if it's just a really efficient nap or what exactly is involved? Well, look no further! I've got all your basic information and tips about NaPo right here! If you like poetry at all, keep on reading - this might be something you enjoy!

What is NaPo?
"NaPo" is short for "National Poetry Writing Month" it starts this April. NaPo is celebrated around the world but is especially fun on YWS and sometimes even brings back retired members to visit the site for the poetry during the month of April. The classic challenge is to try to write 30 poems in 30 days, 1 poem for every day of April!

How do I participate on YWS?
Most NaPo activites and information will be found in the NaPoWriMo Forum which can be found at the bottom of the forums under the special events section. To participate you will need to create a "poetry thread" there for posting your poetry during the month. You don't need to post your poetry through the literary center to count towards badges, but you do have to post it in your poetry thread. Here you'll find other good information like our NaPo FAQ

In addition to posting poetry in your thread be on the look-out for contests (like the classic "April Madness Tournament") as well as poetry jams (write-ins geared towards poetry), prompts, and other fun activies to help keep you excited about all things poetry!

What if I don't have time to write 30 poems?
Life happens! And just like it's okay to participate in NaNo with an alternative goal, it's perfectly okay to participate in NaPo with a different sort of goal too. The record for writing poems is over 100, but some folks have participated with just a singular poem too!

NaPo Tips for the First Time NaPo-er
* Do make a goal for yourself! - even if your goal isn't 30 poems, it seems like those who get the most out of NaPo have some sort of goal they are working towards or challenging themselves with.

* Use the resources at your disposal! - we have over 100 poetry prompts you can check out right here

* Say "GOODBYE" to your inner perfectionist! - NaPo isn't about writing 30 ~perfect poems~ just 30 poems! That's quite a bit of poetry, but to do it, you'll have to put the inner editor away just a little and allow the fact that some of your poems will still be drafts.

* Start ~dreaming~ early! - While it's not allowed to start writing your poems before April begins, you are well within NaPo's framework to collect prompts, themes, inspiration, or even pretty phrases! Start making a collection this March, or even a little journal, so that when April comes along you have a little bit of inspo to help you out on the days that your brain is coming up blank.

* Be sure to read other YWSer's threads and take advantage of being a part of a community during this experience! - A lot of the fun of NaPo is that we are writing poetry together as a community! To take full advantage of this, I strongly suggest aiming to follow at least a couple other threads on the site. Leave comments, leave likes, read their work! Not only will this be a good way to encourage others and inspire you, but usually people will reciprocate and also might read your work and leave likes and comments; which in turn will likely encourage your own writing! Don't do NaPo in a bubble, check out some of those other threads each day as you're posting your poem if you have a chance!

* Have fun! - NaPo is for fun! Don't put too much pressure on yourself with quality or quantity - don't be afraid to adjust your goals, and remember this is all about a fun challenge!

Closing
NaPo is a great way to stretch yourself and your poetry, if you have any questions please reach out to any of our wonderful Poetry Crew mods, or even ask them about what their NaPo experience or strategies have been. Hope to see you over in the NaPo forums this April!

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY | MARCH 2024

written by alliyah < PM: >

It's been a while since I've hopped in my YWS time-machine, but today seemed like a good day to do it. Join me as we explore what was going on on the Young Writers Society 2, 5, 10, and 15 years ago!

TWO YEARS AGO: YWS March, 2022

Featured Members
Featured Members for March 2022 were @Stellarjay, @rida, and @VengefulReaper. Rida tends to make an appearance during NaPo, so I hope we'll see her around the site next month!

March Review Challenge
There was a Review Challenge this March challenging YWSers to write 15 non spam reviews in exchange for a beautiful Dark Cyan username. Winners were: @MailicedeNamedy @ForeverYoung299 @RandomTalks @KateHardy @IcyFlame @Plume @alliyah @NewHope @vampricone6783 and @Coffeeboyjay! The Last Reviewer Standing contest could also begin this month, so users really had to put their review skills to the max!

Top Works, Top Reviewers
The top literary work in March 2022 was hell is found in the children's section of the library by @AceassinOfTheMoon. @MailicedeNamedy was the top reviewer writing nearly 70 reviews in this month!

FIVE YEARS AGO: YWS March, 2019

Featured Members
Our Featured Members for March 2019 were @Dossereana who is well known for their love of eagles as well as their friendly personality. Squills Interview They are a novelist and a poet and remain very active on the site. As well as @paperforest a very talented YWS poet! Squills Interview

DeJaVu - Squills Highlight
Five years ago I was doing exactly what I am doing today - and actually was writing a "This Month In History Article" for March 2019 which you can read right here .

Poetry Workshops
March featured a series of Poetry Workshops for members to attend while they prepared for National Poetry Writing Month that you can still check out here .

Top Works And Top Reviewers
The top work for March 2019 was they told me (they never told me) by @BluesClues which is a short visual poem of contrasts. @Anma was the top reviewer for the month having written 79 reviews!

TEN YEARS AGO: YWS March, 2014

Featured Members
There was some sort of color theme for the featured members of March 2014 - they were @GoldFlame and @Magenta! Both were avid reviewers and also active on the forums side of the site. Here's the original Featured Member Interviews: GoldFlame & Magenta.

Last Man Standing
Most people have heard of YWS's "Last Man Standing" competition where writers continue writing until there is one writer left still writing / standing. It's went on for years and years with many winners since its beginning. March 2014 was actually the very first round that @Tenyo ran of it. You can read a Squills Article about it from "back in the day" by @BluesClues - The Last Man Standing .

Review Day
March 2014 featured a record breaking Review Day for its time, clearing the Green Room for the first time that year with a huge 572 reviews written during the event! @Noelle was the top reviewer of the day with 47 reviews.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: YWS March, 2009

Featured Member
This was during the YWS period when @Rosendorn had a multiple month reign as featured member!

2009 Statistical Information
@Nate posted some interesting info about YWS during the Spring of 2009 from this time period like the top cities that were accessing YWS the most in 2009 (London, New York, and Sydney were at the top) Read more Here and This YWS map .

Popular Poem
A popular poem in the literary center this month was "We're So Blind by @Threnody which garnered 14 likes and 15 comments.

Well that's all I have time for today! But catch me next time we take a trip in the YWS time machine!

SOCIAL MONTH HIGHLIGHTSwritten by Spearmint < PM: >

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely February, and hopefully it was made even brighter by YWS's Social Month! This Squills article will be a quick recap of the hashtags, events, and shenanigans that took place during Social Month 2024.



The mods ran an "official" Social Fortnight from February 11th to 25th, but ywsers kicked off Social Month right from February 1st with #UnofficialSocialMonth or #UnSoMo . Throughout the month, there was an excellent mix of mod-run and member-run activities that really highlighted the community aspect of YWS! A few events are spotlighted below:

#SummarizeMe - @herbalhour started the very first hashtag of Social Month with an invitation for ywsers to summarize each other using the same number of words as the number of letters in their usernames.

Best New Review Template Contest - @alliyah soon announced a call for new review templates that could follow in the footsteps of the YWS Critique Sandwich and the YWS'More. The submissions make use of bbcode and creative themes to make reviewing a true delight!

Pad Party 1 - The first official pad party of Social Month was hosted by @Quillfeather and @Spearmint. The fruit-themed pad party featured fruit puns, online games like gartic phone, and chatting and hanging out with other ywsers.

Record Breaking Attempt - The second official pad party was hosted by @DreamyAlice and @OrabellaAvenue. It was an attempt to break the record for the most ywsers in a pad within 24 hours, and it succeeded spectacularly! A total of 37 members signed into the pineapple party pad.

Featured Friend(s) - @alliyah announced the Featured Member for Feb 11 to 25... you! Ywsers could shout out some of their friends or other cool members of YWS in this thread.

Review 101 Workshop - @AilahEvelynMae and @looseleaf hosted a reviewing workshop with helpful tips on writing reviews and detecting AI reviews. It was incredibly helpful and enjoyable!

Feel free to check out the other hashtags and events in the Event Calendar thread. If you participated in any of these unofficial or official Social Month activities, don't forget to claim your badges in this thread!

SHAMELESS PLUGS

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