Between the light and me: Penumbra's Fly

I have no life but this

Emily Dickinson, Love, XX 

If she were alive today, 19th century American transcendentalist poet Emily Dickinson would be in Second Life. Oh, don't jump all over me for saying such a thing - unless you're handsome, single, and have nice accessories, in which case, let's talk - she so would, you know. Think about it. Comfortably well off, surrounded by opportunities and encouragement to take her poetry to a wider audience, Dickinson chose instead to write them in pencil and sew them together in little secret books she called fascicles. Far from 'shut up in prose', Emily was able to meet the likes of Emerson at her Harvard-educated brother's house. Another guest was Atlantic Monthly editor Thomas Wentworth Higginson, with whom she struck up what today would be an online friendship. He tried to make her modify her verses, but she wouldn't;  eventually their fragile romance died. Kidney disease, eye problems, and disposition limited her mobility in wider social circles, but did not prevent her having a her rich inner life, and enhanced by the magic of books, nature, and imagination.

Obsessive, observant, somewhat slanted, she would own a sim called Amherst,  - or would she 'dwell in Possibility' ? - all overgrown with cunning moss, and daisies in the sun; in her cottage, an orderly parlour where she would have laid out a marble tea, she would remind guests that, 'Except the smaller size, no Life is round'. There would be a quote from Keats in her profile, and long silent days spent building or exploring, weighing the symptoms of affection and finding them equal in silence and speech.  She would not 'know a Linden'. You wouldn't find her elbowing her way onto the stage at a poetry event, all puffy and huffy with brittle ambition. But it wouldn't be that hard for the discerning heart to find her verse, safe in an alabaster chamber perhaps. She might give Steampunk a run for its money, for as long as her eyesight held out, or surprise everyone by going Neko. Maybe not, I think she was more of a dog person.

It's not a dog, but a fly that invades the transcendent moment of death, in I Heard a Fly Buzz, the Dickinson poem that inspired Penumbra Carter's latest build at Art'e. Small, random, fecund, unruly, the fly breaks into the still solemnity of the conventional rites of Death, the king, and makes quiver the poet's resignation to the stillness of the air. In the stillness of the air of Second Life, in a world where loneliness is the default setting, where windows frequently fail and self annihilation is always within grasp, often deeply desired, that inquisitive buzz is often all that stands between us and existential limbo. Or Blue Mars, which may amount to the same thing.

Carter's work seems often occupied by thoughts of rooms, from Dorothy's Kansas bedroom in her 2009 Wizard of Oz paintings, to her Premium Lindenites video. At Art'e you'll find boxes piled up like a makeshift doll's house, or wooden sets held together by a dreaming field of poppies. Lost living rooms animated by contraptions, muted with fragments of meditative still life, and worn textures, invite the viewer inside to weave a personal poem somewhere between death and our busy lives.

Lit: Robin Moore

Life is a circus: you go in, bow, run around, bow again, and leave."

Robert Storm Petersen

S is R and L is L, a wise man said. That is less of a joke than one might think. As we all get older in here, however much we intended to or imagine we keep the two existences separate, the line between lives blurs, sometimes in ways we're not prepared for, or prepared to admit. Whatever three ring show we may imagine we're putting on, however much we may clown about, our self is always already there, like an accent, undetectable to our inner ear, but perfectly distinguishable to those around us. Artists more than most. 

Danish builder Robin Moore's adventures exploring SL led to house building, and then art. He got a foot in the door at Rezzable, and commercial success in their marketplace gave him the confidence to keep creating and experimenting. Looking around his space in the Urban Arts complex, Robin's unique storytelling voice rings out clear and clean. 

 Robin Moore: When I found I could build here, it was like a new world opened up. I thought God! What a relief, now I can express myself! Before, I had a desire to make "art" but couldn't really do it.
The first piece of Robin's that I loved has the song Chasing Pavements attached to it. The song and the way he incorporated it into the lightbox really sums up his style for me. He is now in residence as an artist on on of the IBM sims, where this map of Europe is currently on show. Selected pieces have been shown in most of the leading SL galleries, but for his full catalogue, your best bet is a trip over his Mirage in my Mind home, also the name of his group, where you'll find the boxes neatly stacked in two trees. Watch out though, one of his neighbours is a sandwich short of a picnic. Meatball sub.

Robin Moore: My RL artwork is similar to my creations in SL - but inworld, you do not need glue! I collect old and rare things, that give you a relation to each other, a feeling, a memory and together with pictures and text I put it all together in a collage. At times it can be in a normal frame like a painting, or like a sculpture. Some of them move. If I could bring into SL someone from real life, I would choose Robert Storm Petersen, we call him Storm P - he lived in Denmark, København, and made drawings, mostly in magazine and newspapers.The thing I like about him most are his drawings of machines, where he uses all kinds of elements.
Perhaps he's more of a magpie than a robin. 'Used' objects in his RL assemblage art have inherent stories and shared references as well as personal significance. To create the same effect in SL requires thoughtful use of textures, and are lit in such a way as to tell poignant, often two-sided tales as you cam or walk around. This one, which was on show at ::Push:: and in the machinima by Solo Mornington, is a case in point.

Robin Moore: I build out from an idea, sometimes, but other times I just build and then get the idea, but I love when my work makes you think. This one is a reaction to the way the government in this country has cut down on serious television, and rather wanted to start something commercial with soaps and game shows. For me, TV has seen its time, because it's one-way communication.
A great deal of experimentation goes into his final product, and pressure of RL work makes building often a slow process. He stood in front of two versions of his current build, 'If walls could speak'.
Robin Moore: I love light, shaping it and using it. Some times I want people to participate in my artwork, as in this case. When it´s finished you will be able to sit in the build, and see what happens on the screen of the tv.
The images are like ghosts, or memories, of previous inhabitants, creating the uneasy sensation that we are far from the first on the scene.  Light sources are often referenced in his builds, often in theatrical form, and the boxes give the feeling of a proscenium or an old fashioned mahogany TV, articulating a series of boxes that ends with the box on the desk, so that we become participants in a layered observation, and are part of the symbolism being generated.

Next door, dominoes are scattered over a giant map of Europe, in a sort of WWII army green. A masonic eye dominates the scene, while in England, ants seem to be drilling for oil somewhere West of Cheshire.

Robin Moore: I want it to be about building bridges, crossing the world. I´m facinated with dominos, and ants. That's me on the raft on my own, carrying the land.
That's a lot of weight on his shoulders. With so many artists and galleristas freaking out about the insecure future of 'Art' in SL *Thanks for that, M'n'P* it occurred to me to ask: If he could only have one piece of rezzed art at a time' rule, which of his compositions would Robin pick?
Robin Moore: Oooh, that´s a tough one, but if I can only choose a finished piece, then it must be the Pictorama 'The Weight of ...'. I feel that it´s well made, and shows the drectin in which my art is going. It is inspired by Stracci di vita sottovuoto by Pranja Seetan. It is a story about the things you do for love and the tone in it is really neat, it is the one I have sold the most of - and it´s small! There's a picture of his love hanging on the wall, she is not his lover now, but he is much in love and he would like that she would love him too, and he by mistake think´s that she work weights , and likes muscles so he tries to gain muscles in the hope that she will finally fall in love with the frog and he runs out to find her. That's the story, "What you do for love ".

The future? More movement, in the real-life versions of his art.
Robin Moore: I have thought of how I could make my Pictoramas in RL, maybe with mechanics, but as you know, it takes time, and I have a family and a demanding, creative job in RL, but may be someday... I take it seriously, and think the Lindens should also, that SL is the only platform where anyone can build inworld. This is SL's great strength, and makes it a good laugh, and we have so much interaction with each other. It's not one-way. It can maybe inspire me to make something. I don't build and make "art" to get $Lindens, I do it because I think it is great fun and it's my hobby, and I can communicate.

Pixels in the City: Volume control

Oberon Onmura is a very patient man. I sipped my coffee and sulked.
"It's just they're so precious and aloof about it all," I said, trying to keep my voice down. "This whole hushed hallowed atmosphere is ludicrous - especially after coming from the Met, where you can take all the pictures you want of Van Goghs and Picassos, it seems absurdly overprotective of shapes and forms that you can see - well, anywhere. On the rail track, in the sky, or just staring for too long at a blank wall."
We were at a minimalist art gallery, a short train ride up the Hudson River valley from New York. The gallery is in a converted Nabisco factory, and frankly I would have preferred a nice packet of Triscuits over the stark and often rubbishy works I was looking at - fluorescent tubes in unappealing hues, bits of grubby white paper tacked up on the walls, and, worst of all, some Japanese dude who occasionally painted the date on a bit of old canvas, and collected them. The blurb for this installation teetered between the outrageously ironic and deadly awestruck. It even described how the 'chosen font' had changed over the years, and the 'amazing' two canvasses painted... whoa! in the same day! The best part was the revelation that they were pumping ionized air into the room - but whether we could tell or not, was part of the 'experiential aura'. Andy Warhol said art is anything you can get away with, but the feeling of the Emperor's New Clothes seemed to scream off every wall. Less daft by a long chalk, yet still slightly pointless to me, was Walter De Maria's Silver Meters, a stainless steel square with silver dots on it. There's a gold version too.

I hadn't got it yet.  I asked Oberon why he is such a fan of WDM, and how it relates to his own art.
Oberon Onmura:  Well I should say de Maria's my hero, but I realize much of his work is of its time. I love the  New York Earth Room, a friend of mine has been caretaking it for almost 30 years. To understand WDM, you have to think about "The Lightning Field". I'm going out there one day. What De Maria is doing is taking "nature" and focusing us on it as a product of human interaction. There is no "nature" except as humans define it. It's more than 'sticks in the desert' as you define it, and he's not trying to copyright nature - it's WDM's reaction to lightning.

We agreed to disagree about the fluorescent light guy. Oberon's own install, 'Transitions', currently at Two Fish, takes light sources and individual interaction to another level. He, too, is deeply interested in weight and form, not telling a story but presented to the senses directly. 'Transitions' elevates an ordinary shape into an absorbing notion of intersection and change. Plus the colours are beautiful. Perhaps the fluorescent light guy would have done the same, if he had had the technology. That's a lot of butcher's shop bulbs, though.

Oberon Onmura: I have a soft spot for compulsives - do you remember Fred Sandback's work? He's the guy that created space with long strands of yarn. Another hero.What I value about all of that work is that it's about something. It's not about "communication" - it's not about "human emotion": those can be falsified easily and often are. It's about space, color, emptiness, weight - mass, volume. In other words, reality brought into sharp focus, so we can see it too. I wish they had a way to show James Turrell, or Robert Smithson.

There is a Turrell at the Hirshhorn Gallery in Washington, where Milk Run, a literally pitch black room, is part of the ColorForms exhibition. Eventually you 'rez' in real life - you become aware of the dimensions of the room and light beams in different colours - I only really saw the red and white, but there are supposed to be other shades - after being in the room for a good five minutes. As the volume control of your own senses makes its idiosyncratic ascent from confusion to some sort of meaning, you can't help but be charmed, opened by the sensation. Now that's immersive. At Oberon's install 'Plaza', currently at Imopca, he explained some more.

Oberon Onmura:  I like these pieces for the same reason I like Indian classical music. Indian classical music is about the reality of the harmonic series and how it connects us to the universe, if we get it right. So think about those white painting you hated, by Robert Ryman. They're not really white, by the way. They're "white" but they're also "used". Think about obsession.What does an artist do, in the end? An artist lives his/her  life and spits it out the other end -  digested. Realized. It's not about being 'good at drawing'. Matisse couldn't draw at all. Artists tend not to be deep or smart. Most artistic expression, especially about "issues", is pretty lame - simple minded, obvious. You might not like 'blank pieces of paper', yet here we are, talking about it. What I trust is reaction, artists live and react by spitting out artwork. I trust that reaction - that's where the "meat" is. Matisse spent over 30 years working and reworking a single bas relief - "Back". He wasn't expressing anything, he was trying to figure out how to model in plaster what he saw - he was reacting to shape, mass, form and spent decades trying to spit it out the other end. Ultimately, he didn't care what you or I saw in it, and if you look at the final 4 results, you see how an actual artist sees the world. I trust that. It makes me jealous.

Minimalism, like pretentious aloofness, is possible in Second Life, although you see a lot more of the latter than the former. In my conversation with Oberon, I continued to battle with it, mostly with the 'specialness' of the art. Can't many of the items on show at Beacon be found in - nature, I was going to say, but of course all art is that, from a Michelangelo  to a Cartier-Bresson; what irks is the lack of 'craft', no, because the men who lay down railway sleepers with such pleasing precision are craftsmen, artists - it's just that they don't present themselves as such. Is artistic identity that deeply rooted in self promotion? The old rats vs squirrels paradigm?
Then minimalism suddenly broke through, like the light of stars, an ancient illumination. At the Hirshhorn, this is Fred Sandback's '12 Part Vertical composition'. You can walk among the strings and as you do, your eyes - no, your peripheral vision - invents walls or mirrors, discrete spaces. A dialogue begins between sight and mind.

Not as elegantly lit as it would be in SL, of course, but until that 3D viewer comes out, RL wins on this one.

Oberon Onmura: I can tell you this. A long time ago when I worked for Dia, I had a life changing experience. I was working for the Lamonte Young project,  he's a composer: his "master" was an Indian singer named Pandit Pran Nath;one of the world's greatest artists. Anyway,I was the recording engineer. We were preparing for a concert. I was up in the booth, the mics were on at the stage, and Pran Nath was tuning the tambouras. I could hear everything, I was doing odd things, not really listening closely. He kept tuning the tamboura, adjusting the "buzziness" of the strings, It was taking forever. I said to myself "Come on - it's in tune already!" but he kept tuning and then, suddenly, the damn thing WAS IN TUNE! The air in the room changed. I had to sit down. Everything lined up somehow. That's magical. I even saw changes in the needles on the recorders and when he sang, being "in tune" was the whole thing, pretty much. The thing about minimalist art is that everything has to be perfect. It changed the way I looked at everything, and SL has done it again. Heh.

Truth or Derryth

Shockwaves continue to bounce off the walls in Second Life as Residents wake to the news that Art Historian, journalist and hitherto apparently Prim and Perfect Rowan Derryth  was caught on camera necking a newbie. The newbie, who cannot be named for mnemonic reasons, appeared unhurt after the incident, although his jeans did appear to have been stapled to the viewer.
Allegedly one in a series of recent incidents, Derryth is said to lure roaming weeklings into her new gallery (SLURL suppressed to prevent you freaks from making an alt and stalking the place) by offering to let them 'peruse her Ekphrases', an offer even hardened veterans of the SL art world find hard to resist. The actual noobication took place on her burnished leather steampunk sofa. This photograph, taken by myself at great personal risk, reveals the full horror of the sofa stage of the attack. Those of a childish disposition are discouraged from clicking on the photo.

Derryth's behaviour provoked reaction across the Grid. P Linden woke from his mid-morning nap and looked ruefully at his golf clubs, at the Blue Angel Poet's Dive a candelight vigil slash non-rhyming limerick competition was hastily organized, ColeMarie Soleil reminded her public that she knows Bryn Oh, while Torley released a Tutorial titled: "How to Avoid Being Derrythed". An unnamed Dutch blogger said: 'I am all for crappy and offensive performance art, that's my schtick, but this crosses the line.'
Ms Derryth was available for comment.

Poesia in Second Life: oltre i confini

Italian first today but it turns to English about 5 pictures down.
Oggi, Alessio Santacroce presenta il suo libro I giudici alla "Passeggiata tra l'arte" a Livorno - in RL. Un weekend a Livorno sarebbe bellissimo, ma sono troppo lontana... che dire della sorte della Bella Parola  in SL? Nei vari gruppi 'letterari' di lingua inglese, sono iscritti circa diecimila residenti, tra cui poeti e amanti della poesia, scrittori pubblicati e non, e soprattutto un pubblico immenso di lettori e ascoltatori. Ci sono rappresentanti di case editrici di ogni taglio, e avvocati, professori, illustratori, attori, registe, e ogni tanto qualche personaggio famoso, come Peter Greenaway, o Terry Pratchett.

Organizzare un concorso a premio non è facile, e quando si tratta di un evento letterario virtuale, ancora più difficile. Ciononostante, alcuni individui coraggiosi si stanno dando da fare nell'angoletto italiano del metaverso, e a Tanalois, poche settimane fa, si è tenuto un concorso di poesia - il tema, l'Amore.
florence Magnifico: mi è piaciuto organizzare e gestire il concorso, ho pure trovato gli sponsor, siamo arrivati a 13 poesie ma purtroppo poco prima della premiazione, mi hanno staccato adsl. Per fortuna gli amici, in particolare Tani Thor, mi hanno aiutato con i preparativi, e l'evento è stato un successo. Sicuramente lo riprorrò evitando gli erroi del primo, spero che riesca a ottenere più partecipanti. Ma dopo l'estate - fa troppo caldo per pensare per adesso!
Aloisio Congrejo:  Ci vorrebbero più persone che seguono sia la poesia che la letteratura; organizzare eventi a volte non è facile, ma vale la pena perchè arte figurativa e poesia sono sorelle, infatti presto inaugureremo la mostra di Redmon Balut con la lettura delle sue poesie, davanti alle sue foto.
I tre vincitori del concorso a Tanalois sono Livia Furlough (nella foto) Grazietta Cazenove e Papero Saiz. Ho chiesto loro cosa significa intervenire in un concorso in Second Life, e cosa vuol dire condividere i propri sentimenti con il gruppo.

Livia Furlough: La mia poesia è contenuta in un libro che ho pubblicato alcuni anni fa in RL. Condividendo le poesie, ci si mette a nudo nelle cose più profonde. Però se il sentimento è bello, o comune anche ad altre persone, preché non condividerlo? Perché vergognarsi? Io scrivo spesso in versi, è un mio modo per esprimermi quando non riesco a farlo in altro modo. In SL è la prima volta che partecipo in un concorso di poesia e sono contentissima, è stata un'esperienza davvero unica. Per caso gironzolavo per le gallerie d'arte in SL mi sono imbattuta nel notecard del concorso e ho deciso di partecipare - sicuramente non pensavo avrei vinto, ho partecipato per curiosità, anche se sapevo che questa poesia sarebbe stata apprezzata, perché è piaciuta molto anche in RL. Come per la RL mi piace condividere pensieri e parole con chi apprezza la poesia, e qui in SL so che trovo altri come me con cui scambiare esperienze.
Grazietta Cazenove: La mia poesia è ispirata ad un sentimento nato in SL, che si è via-via rafforzato fino a diventare parte integrante della mia RL. E’ vero, scrivere poesie è spogliarsi, levare l’involucro col quale ci mostriamo fisicamente al mondo, giorno dopo giorno, per mettere a nudo l’anima, con i suoi sentimenti più profondi e i pensieri più intimi. Rivelare tutto ciò agli amici e non di SL significa condividerli e far conoscere il nostro Io interiore.  Ho già partecipato a concorsi di poesia in RL ma è la prima volta che lo faccio in un mondo virtuale. Quando ho ricevuto la note del concorso da Tanalois ho pensato subito che era una bellissima iniziativa (che spero, tra l’altro, si ripeta) ma, essendo abbastanza timida, ero indecisa sul da farsi. Poi, il mio partner e ispiratore Storm e una carissima amica ed eccezionale artista di SL, mi hanno caldamente incoraggiata a partecipare. La poesia fa parte di una piccola raccolta  già composta in precedenza e traggo, di volta in volta, la mia ispirazione dai  sentimenti più profondi e dai momenti importanti della mia vita.
Ho chiesto ai vincitori, se fossero in grado di creare un 'arts park' - un luogo in SL che cattura la vita e le opere di un personaggio, artista, o musicista real avrebbero scelto per un 'arts park' se fossero in grado di crearne uno. Papero Saiz sceglie Leonardo da Vinci, e Livia Furlough nomina Fabrizio de Andrè. "Sarebbe bello poter creare una land con immagini, suoni, testi delle canzoni, link e argomenti correlati per approfondire le tematiche da lui espresse." Ha ragione, sarebbe una land stupenda!

A proposito di land stupende, e la letteratura, Rockerduck Bogdanovich e volando Amat continuano a mandare avanti la loro stamperia Il Faro a Porto Cervo. Trentotto i libri pubblicati finora, copertine a cura di Rock, e saltuariamente il gruppo organizza concorsi e serate con musica e la presentazione dei nuovi titoli,  tutti ambientati in SL, come dice volando "una letteratura scritta da avatar per avatar". Il vincitore dell'ultimo concorso è stato Dario Sideshow con un premio speciale per l'opera di Evaluna Sperber. Ho chiesto a Viola Tatham, organizzatrice del gruppo Wild Goose e vincitrice in un'edizione precedente del concorso, cosa significa vedersi pubblicata in Second Life.

Viola Tatham: Con Il Faro molti di noi hanno pubblicato - beh non molti - non siamo molti noi! L'arme d'amour è il nome del nostro gruppo. Poi col tempo, visto che la sezione italiana era l'unica che andava avanti - gli altri li ho persi per strada purtroppo - ho voluto chiamarla Wild Goose, come il nome del progetto che ho presentato a casa nostra a Vulcano. I Wild Goose sono solo italiani.Personalmente, non avevo mai fatto leggere nessuna delle mie poesie in RL, solo perché non le considero poesie, ma miei pensieri, che forse nemmeno interessano gli altri. Mi ha convinto un amico a leggerle su SL, e poi ho partecipato al concorso Volver, che prevedeva appunto la stampa di un libro. La cosa mi è piaciuta perché era un modo di portare la poesia in giro per le lands. La prima volta che ho visto stampate le mie parole mi sono molto emozionata, sembravano perfino belle le poesie messe così, come se all'improvviso prendessero vita, ho realizzato che esistevano  insomma - e piacevano anche a qualcuno. Ho continuato a farlo con volando perché rispetto molto il lavoro che fanno e conoscendoli bene lei e Rock so che lo fanno solo per passione, ogni volta mi devono ...spingere...ma alla fine ci sono sempre! Collaboriamo spesso anche con i nostri amici all'Araba Fenice, ci vado 1 o 2 volte al mese.
L 'Araba Fenice è gestita da Terence Back e Veronik Broome.

Veronik Broome: L'araba Fenice è il gruppo dedicato solo all'arte intesa come poesia, pittura, scultura e anche spettacolo e' "Il Branco", nato circa tre anni fa organizzando spettacoli itineranti  con cadenza mensile in giro per Second Life. Si sceglieva un tema su cui improntare la serata e letture relative.  In questo periodo abbiamo una RL intensa e non riusciamo a dedicarci moltissimo alle serate. Circa ogni 15 giorni rinnoviamo gli artisti al Museo Medici, promuovendo l'apertura della mostra con serate musicali o con le letture a seconda dei gusti dell'artista. Il gruppo comprende 83 persone. Durante le serate di lettura abbiamo una media di 20/25 persone presenti, mentre agli spettacoli de "Il Branco" siamo arrivati anche a 70/80 spettatori.

Veronik Broome: Il gruppo l'abbiamo fondato per il gusto di produrre qualcosa di interessante in SL, qualcosa che si avvicinasse anche a delle nostre passioni real, penso che sia importantissimo promuovere l'arte in SL anche per sfatare il mito che i mondi virtuali siano poco più' che una chat erotica 3D. Credo che in SL ci siano centinaia di artisti che piano piano stanno tirando fuori le proprie passioni e affinando una tecnica strettamente legata ai mezzi espressivi offerti da SL. Abbiamo ancora tantissimi progetti da realizzare e presto ci rimetteremo all'opera.Fino ad ora l'impegno che ci ha dato più' soddisfazioni è stata la realizzazione del Canto di Natale di Dickens: dietro c'e' stato tantissimo lavoro, costruzione in SL della location, adattamento del testo ridotto a una durata di 17 minuti di narrazione circa, ricerca di costumi, skin e shape per i vari attori, prove con gli attori e coordinazione dello staff (eravamo una quindicina) e infine le riprese del video e il montaggio in due versioni diverse, entrambe bellissime, da parte di due eccellenti videomaker: Adelchi Rossini e Nakoto Exonar.

Mi chiedevo perche non i gruppi di lingua italiana sono si sono abbinati con alcuni dei gruppi di lingua inglese, più numerosi e in grado di pubblicizzare eventi e concorsi. Rock mi ha accennato ai problemi di copyright, che spesso possono essere complicati, specialmente in lingua straniera e Viola mi ha spiegato che ha cercato più volte qualcuno che prendesse le serate in lingua ma è un impegno che nessuno vuole prendere. Ma chissà in futuro...parlando con Jilly Kidd, direttrice della sim della LSJ, la scuola di giornalismo londinese, oltre che fondatrice della casa editrice Ward Wood Publishing e fondatrice di Written Word uno dei gruppi letterari più conosciuti in SL.

Jilly Kidd: Mi considero internazionale, e ho sempre dato il mio appoggio a gruppi che scrivono in lingue straniere - alla LSJ abbiamo un gruppo di lingua spagnola Castellatura, gestito da Mikel Baryl, e c'è un gruppo tedesco organizzato da Morgue McMillan. Saremo lieti di ospitare anche un gruppo italiano e offrire spazio per reunioni e una libreria, se qualcuno volesse organizzare sarei disposta a dare il mio appoggio e pubblicizzare eventi alla LSJ.

Un'offerta stupenda - coglietela!

While SL glories in a wealth of different English-language writing and reading groups, let's not forget the Italian literary cohort, which is small, and possibly imperfectly formed - it's a work in progress. They may not be many but they are busy and creative, among the principle groups are Il Faro, at Porto Cervo, the Wild Goose, based on Vulcano and Il Branco, at l'Araba Fenice. Tanalois, the art sim, has also recently added a literary cafe to the island's attractions and ran its first poetry contest under the enthusiastic guidance of Florence Magnifico a few weeks ago. Here's one of the top three poems, just to give you an idea.

At Porto Cervo, Volando Amat and Rockerduck Bogdanovich publish novellas, poetry and more recently original 'fables'. The rule - every piece of literature has to be set in Second Life and written from the perspective of the avatar. Recent titles include 'Diary of a roving idiot' Diario di una scema errante Alexy Solo, Intense vibrazioni (you can work that one out yourself) by Canelle Potez, and Viola Tatham's 'Crumbs of Soul' Briciole d'anima.

It seems a shame that these fine groups aren't associated as yet with some of the bigger English language groups, who I am sure would be interested in their contribution, from both a language and a cultural point of view. So what does Jilly Kidd, founder of Written Word and manager of the LSJ orb, think about this?
Jilly Kidd: I'm particularly international. I have always encouraged writing in languages other than English. At LSJ we have a Spanish group called  Castellatura run by Mikel Baryl, and there's a German group, you can get more details about it from Morgue McMillan. For qualifying literary groups we offer a free compartment in the Space Station. I'd like a group for each language, because English speaking writers are really well provided for on SL. I'd like to see that happen for writers who speak other languages.  An Italian group would be great, I keep reaching out to writers and readers to create events in languages other than English, but to make it work I need people to start groups in the various languages, and I'd support and promote them and give them a space.
Jilly (or rather her alter-ego Adele Ward) has just launched her own online publishing house, Ward Wood Publishing which is very exciting, and it would be sweet if this year also saw the launch of an Anglo-Italian literary group. Maybe start with some spaghetti westerns?