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Young Writers Society


Squills 10/21/18 - 10/28/18



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Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:57 am
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Welcome to Squills, the official news bulletin of the Young Writers Society!
What will you find here? Tons of interesting news about YWS, including but not limited to: articles about writing, art, and the world of humanities; interviews with YWS members; shameless plugs; link round-ups; and opinionated columns.
And where will all of this come from? Take a look at our fantastic creative staff!

CREATIVE STAFF

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Editor-in-Chief
Aley

General Editors
EternalRain
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Friendly Neighborhood Robot
SquillsBot

Literary Reporter
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Community Reporter
TheWeirdoFromBeyond

Poetry Enchantress
Aley
alliyah

Resources Reporter
BiscuitsLeGuin

Storybooks Status Reporter
Available - PM Squillsbot if interested

Writer's World Columnist
elysian

Anime Maniac
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Social Correspondent
EternalRain

Code Master
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concord

General Reporters
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Ghost Reporter
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Of course, our content can’t come only from our staff. We also depend on you to help keep Squills successful. You’re all a part of a writing community, after all. If you’re interested in submitting to Squills, pop on over to the Reader’s Corner to find out how you can get involved by contributing an article or participating in other Squills activities.

Well, that’s all I have for now. So, what are you waiting for? Enjoy!





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Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:01 am
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FEATURED MEMBER INTERVIEW: SHIKORA
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written by TheWeirdoFromBeyond< PM: >

If you have been active around the site you would know that @Shikora has been reviewing a lot and was also the review team captain for August and September! I was able to interview them and let's see what they have to say.

TheWeirdoFromBeyond: How did you react to the news of being the FM?

Shikora: Well to tell you the truth I was really shocked. I never thought I could be a FM ever.

T: Well, you certainly deserve being the FM. Why do you think you were chosen?

S: Hmm, that's a good question. I guess it's because of all the reviews I did, and I try to give everyone a good chance at writing in my reviews.

T: How long have you been a member of YWS and what made you initially join?

S: I've been on here for about 3 years. I joined the site so I could share my work with others, and I hoped they could help me get better with my writing.

T: Is there anything about YWS you think needs improvement?

S: No I think it's being maintained really well.

T: Guess we shouldn't mess with perfection. Favorite thing about YWS?

S: I like everything about YWS, but if I have to pick I would say the review and helping others.

T: Any advice you have for our readers?

S: Always believe in yourself, and never stop writing, because you too can do great things.

T: Great advice, anything else you would like to say before we wrap this up?

S: No that's about all.

Thanks again to Shikora for having me interview them, and if you haven't already, go congratulate them here: Featured Member Oct. 7 - Oct. 21: Shikora .





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Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:03 am
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A POETRY PERSPECTIVE: SPEAKER OR AUTHOR, PART TWO
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written by alliyah < PM: >

Last week I covered the difference between speaker and author which you can check out here "SPEAKER OR AUTHOR: PART ONE" if you'd like. There I explained the basic difference between author and speaker - but if you've got a good handle on those terms you're ready for this week's article! Today I'll be answering the question of how to handle the distinction between author and speaker when reviewing.

Generally Refer to the Speaker in Response:
I would advise that in your reviews, if you are referring to something that the speaker of the poem felt, did, or described - then give your feedback addressing critique of the speaker's language rather than "you". For example, if you as a reader didn't feel sympathy towards the speaker when they described the loss of their kitten. Rather than saying "I don't feel bad that you lost your kitten" you should say, "I did not feel sympathy towards the speaker when they described losing their kitten". This puts that level of removal so that you aren't critiquing the experiences of the author (whether they are true or untrue) but are actually more effectively addressing the poetic speaker.

There's a theory in literary interpretation called "death of the author" that would say you don't even take the context of the author into perspective when interpreting the poem, you just evaluate the speaker and content as completely independent from the author. I think that might be going a little far, but in general, I think that's a good way to go about giving critiques.

Instances to refer to Author in Response:
Now there are some times when you can acknowledge the author's experience as it relates to the speaker's.

1. If the author has left an "author's note" saying the poem is their experience with X. In this case the author has broken the "4th wall" and you are probably safe in addressing both speaker and author as one. Remember though, the author may still have taken poetic and artistic liberties with shifting the truth for the sake of art.

2. If the author is expressing deep emotion, it's alright to acknowledge that it might be informed by reality. If a poem is about how someone is feeling lost after a break-up, or after receiving bad news, or if maybe a poem about addiction expresses anger, it is perfectly fine (in fact I would say it'd be a kind move) to say "If you have gone through/are going through [whatever the poem/speaker describes] I am sorry/you have my sympathy/I know that's hard".

In my opinion poetry draws and spills from emotion more clearly than prose, and so I think it is part of poetic interpretation and the poetic experience to acknowledge the human-side of the artistic-suffering or emotional expression. However, I would advise again to be careful about assuming that the author absolutely went through the experience exactly as described. And preface your feedback with "If you went through this" or similar disclaimers rather than assuming they definitely did.

3. Lastly, it okay to take the author's cultural context into account if relevant for the poem's subject. Often historical and author context is important to poetic interpretation, especially in political poetry. Pablo Neruda is one of the best examples of this. If you read his poetry, you might come away with thinking, wow what an overly-sentimental, flowery, over-dramatic, whiny speaker! But if you take into account that Neruda (the author) was writing during intense political upheaval in Chile, and died after living under house-arrest, possibly poisoned by the government in part because of his opinions expressed through poetry, I think it would be hard to call the speaker "whiny" or "insincere" based on the knowledge of the author's context.

In addition that context of the author gives important insight into the revolutionary lens that his work can be read from. The speaker in Neruda's poetry doesn't always acknowledge the context of the author, but knowing and acknowledging the context of the author allows a reader to have a more complete picture. In the same way if a poem is about a particular cultural context - race, religion, gender, politics, region, country - it might be good to consider the poem in light of the author's personal context as well as what the speaker tells you about their context.

Summary
So there you have it! To summarize my advice, don't forget that the speaker is informed by an author who has a historical, cultural, and emotional context. You are probably safe to assume some of the emotion expressed by the speaker is that of the author. But, do not assume that the author and speaker are the exact same or that the poem describes autobiographical experience unless you are told so by the author. All of this is just my opinion of course, and I'd love to hear back from you on your Poetic Perspective! If you'd like to give your own opinion send a PM my way, or leave a note on my Squills Author Page .





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Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:04 am
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YWS BIRTHDAY PLANNING
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written by TheWeirdoFromBeyond< PM: >

Ever wanted to plan a YWS event? I can't imagine why your answer would be no. With YWS's 14th birthday coming up on 14th November no, I didn't type either of the 14s by mistake, you have the chance to! This time, besides what the staff will host, the rest of the members also have the chance to come up with something amazing and host it. Hearing out of ideas is going on in the club: Table of Masterminds - YWS Birthday 2018 .

The club is being headed by @Tenyo and we already have @CoffeeCat and @Oxara suggesting ideas, with others to add on. So far, they are nothing like the usual contests and events we have had. Even if you don't have a particular idea right now, still join. You might be able to fill the gaps in someone else's idea. I'll meet you there ;D





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Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:04 am
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A POETRY MOMENT: ROBERT FROST "ENDS"
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written by Aley < PM: >

Today we're reaching into the rhyming world of Frost. Look beyond the rhyme scheme though, and read the lines for the sentences. If you're not a Robert Frost fan, that might be why. He has a lot of meat in his poems.

    Ends

    Loud talk in the overlighted house
    That made us stumble past.
    Oh, there had once been night the first,
    But this was night the last.

    Of all the things he might have said,
    Sincere or insincere,
    He never said she wasn't young,
    And hadn't been his dear.

    Oh, some as soon would throw it all
    As throw a part away.
    And some will say all sorts of things,
    But some mean what they say.

To me, the poem is talking about a couple of lovers who have reached the end of their romance, and while they're fighting, it's hard to tell what's just being thrown around in anger, and what is actually meant. I like that the man's side of it seems to be things he actually means since 'he never said' she was old, or that he didn't love her. It seems like Frost is trying to make the man in the relationship honest, and the way that's slipped in there is nice. I just really love the last stanza if you read it right. "Oh, some as soon would throw it all as throw a part away. And some will say all sorts of things, but some mean what they say." It's a really hard hitting stanza. Some will sooner break things down and salvage what they can, while others will spout nonsense in an argument, but you must watch for those who actually argue how they mean it, because maybe they're not just spouting nonsense. Maybe they really mean it.





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Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:05 am
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POETIC MADNESS
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written by TheWeirdoFromBeyond< PM: >

I realised that some of you might take more than a week for this, so I deccided to do a new article every other week, and the secong prompt is-


Prompt 2
Out Of Reach


This week, I challenge poets to write a poem about something they think is out of their reach now, but they will soon achieve it. It can be a feeling, a situation, or anything, it’s up to you. The poem can be of any type, and a rhyme scheme is not necessary. I’ll feature every poem that follows this prompt in next week’s article, PM me your entries or post it on your walls and tag me.

Featured Poems
Prompt 1
Poisonous


By @PrincessInk



a coven made of words

they
spoke
a coven made of words
strung like a wreath of ivy
it rests upon my neck,
which lies bare to
its three-pronged
touch



You can leave a comment or a review here: a coven made of words

And that’s it, see y’all next week.





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Wed Oct 24, 2018 4:06 am
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SHAMELESS PLUGS
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written by SquillsBot < PM: >

We love to run articles and questions, but we also love to advertise for you. Let people know about your new blog, a poem or story you’re looking for reviews on, or a forum thread you’d like more traffic on through Squills’ Shameless Plugs. PM @SquillsBot with the exact formatting of your advertisement, contained in the following code.

Code: Select all
Place advertisement here. Make sure you include a title!

And now for this week's Shameless Plugs!


Spooktober Poetry Contest

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Write a Halloween Themed Poem to celebrate Spooktober and for a chance at these wonderful prizes!

1st Place ---------- 2000 points + Badge
2nd Place ----------- 1200 points + Badge
3rd Place ---------- 800 points + Badge

Deadline for entries is .

For the full guidelines check out the thread Here .

That's all folks~ Now send us yours.





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SUBSCRIBERS
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written by SquillsBot < PM: >

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