Milk Wood Poetry Festival : March 5--7 2010

Earth hath not anything to show more fair:

Harriet Gausman's own sweet home, Milk Wood

This fine weekend shall find the Great and Good

Of SL's poets all foregathered there.

They come to versify, recite and share

A pixellated feast of words: which food

Virtually sates our mind and mood

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Propounding in that most refined of sports

Intangibles with which our world is rife

The Bard Corwyn Allen, Rust, Hax, Flawnt and Quartz,

Phoenix, McMillan, Wharton, wield the knife

Carving their souls to make them sing such thoughts

As thread together all this Second Life.

Shortlist, hard workers

In praise of hard workers.

With the festive season behind you, the new year beckons full of promise and surpises, and what better time to stop and remember all the hard-working individuals who provide so much delight. Below are just some of the people and places that have caught my eye, I bet you can think of many more. Why not drop me a note inworld about your favourite place or group, so we can give them a shout-out here on SLArtsParks? Prefer to leave a comment? You can do so at the bottom of this post, or go over to our ning site and join us there!

First call, the incredibly hard-working Madmaninc Zapatero, seen here in his green lenses.

Do not miss the Festival of Short Film at Phantasmagoria Theater  GOING ON RIGHT NOW! Madmaninc has put together an extraordinary display of talent. Dozens of new short films, from mystery to docu-steampunk, to animation, to abstract art, the choice is yours, 24/7. What a treat! It's a brilliant way to see new talent and expression in bite-size form. You might also want to check out Phantasmagoria's presence on myspace  and at blip.tv(where you can see a video of their New Year's Eve party - these people know how to have a good time!) or subscribe to the podcast at itunes. (Make sure you have the latest Quicktime download, other wise you won't see anything.)

 On the musical front,  Nasus Dumart and the team over at Molaskey's Pub have put on some wonderful music, including the great Frets Nirvana and the past few months have seen a return to the music scene of my personal music-god, Von Johin.

May his tunes last forever!! Thanks to Votslav Hax, BobbiJo and the rest of the Symbiotic team for their unceasing efforts to bring us great talent. There are dozens of gallery owners who deserve praise, I'll just mention PiRats' super-duo Newbab Zsigmond and Merlina Rokocoko, supercool Zachh Cale over at project Z and the truly tireless Lion Igaly whose Diadem gallery just found a new home at sim imparafacile.

In the literary world, the variety of venues, genres and types of activity open to readers and writers is really breathatking, and the amazing work of people like Kghia Gherardi, Harriet Gausman, Jilly Kidd, JJ Drinkwater and the beautiful people over at West of Ireland deserves a standing ovation (though they might prefer a nice sit down and a cup of tea). Much praise goes to the hard work of the team behind the Antica stamperia Il Faro, which produces virtual books in Italian, and the fascinating series Scienza on the road, presented by Giovanna Delphin who, together with Marjorie Fargis brings many an Italian event alive with professionalism and good humour. Not always easy to do with the vagaries of SL performance!

Such a short list, for every name here mentioned there are dozens more, I'm aware... who springs to your mind? Let me know! Links, landmarks, hints and ideas all gratefully received! and with your contributions, what an exciting new year of discovery it's going to be!

Building Fiction: Huckleberry Hax

"You do realise that's what makes Second Life special, don't
you Texter? Not the idiots with the huge cocks, not the novelty
avatars, not the little cliques and clubs and groupings, but the
cool controllers there privately to let it slip, just a little, just to
see what having it slip just a little feels like."

November 2008: Texter Triste is standing on the platform at Le Havre railway station, waiting for his Second Life love to turn up; but a killer is watching him, and smiling...

Just So That You Know, Huckleberry Hax

Huckleberry Hax didn't come into SL with the intention of sharing his writing; it just turned out that way. He chose SL because he was taking part in the National Novel Writing Month event. He's since produced five novels that carry the reader from the Metaverse into the real world, and back again. What kind of books, I hear you ask? Well, that's the teaser from his fourth book "Just so that you know" up above. Next thing you're going to want to do is download, for free, some of his stuff - you'll find it here on the web.
So what's the story, Huck?
Huckleberry Hax: National Novel Writing Month. I wanted to take part and actually finish a novel. On one of the weekly podcasts, I heard that there was a guy in SL holding support meetings in some sort of virtual cafe. To be honest, I was more interested in work avoidance than I was in virtual meetings! After a few hours wondering around (and, quite frankly, wondering what all the fuss was about) I went back to my novel writing. But I was back over Christmas, and then again in the Spring. I've pretty much remained here ever since. Starting with my first SL novel, 'AFK' (which I wrote for National Novel Writing Month 2007), I've made everything I've written under my SL name available for free, on my blog.
I wondered how and when Huck started reading his work inworld.
Huckleberry Hax: In July 2008, Harriet Gausman of the Guild of UK Writers group asked me to read my second novel, 'The Day is Full of Birds' in parts over period of a couple of months at her Milkwood sim. I'd done very little voice communication on SL prior to that (I still prefer text for chat), so it was quite daunting! I've discovered that reading in voice is a very satisfying experience, however, and over the many reading events that I've done since then, I've enjoyed working on improving my style as much as possible.
Since Huck was originally lured into SL by a support group for writers, I was curious to know if he frequents any meetings of that kind nowadays.
Huckleberry Hax: I try to go every week to the weekly Writers' Circle meeting at Cookie, where writers share extracts of their work for feedback. I also go sometimes to the poetry workshop at The Blue Angel Poets' Dive on Saturday mornings, although I fancy my poetry advice is probably not in the same league as some of the more established poetry writers who hang out there! I'm working with two other writers from the Blue Angel - Persephone Phoenix (the owner) and Shara Levanque - to produce a new poetry journal that's due out any week now - 'Blue Angel Landing'. Its mission is to celebrate the work of SL poets, both new and experienced; this pretty much encapsulates the mission of the Dive itself, actually: the weekly open mic session held there (Sundays at 5pm SLT) has been running without break for nearly three years and is rarely attended by less than 30 people. It's an amazing achievement and the event has a quite unique atmosphere, no small part of which is the exhilaration of new poets reading their work in front of a live audience for the first time.
With the limit of groups one can belong to still firmly at 25, we all have to think twice before signing up for anything new, and I wanted to know which ones Huck found the most useful for his literary activities.
Huckleberry Hax: P.S. (Post Scriptum) is a really good one to belong to, since all the major events get advertised in that. The groups I'm most active in are the The Blue Angel VIP, the Guild of UK Writers and the Written Word. I also go to events sometimes organized by Bookstacks and INKsters. But there are plenty more groups besides these. Oh ...and I should also plug here my own group, Huck's News.
Huckleberry Hax reads regularly at Milk Wood, at the The Waterstage in Cookie, the Blue Angel Poets' Dive and on occasion at Bookstacks, The Bookworm Cafe at Da Vinci Isle and the theatre in The Village. I asked him that terrible question - which place he likes the best.

Huckleberry Hax: The Blue Angel is perhaps my favourite place to read my work in Second Life, because the atmosphere there so perfectly seems to match the type of RL place it's been designed to look like. But Cookie would be a close second - there is just so much that goes on there.
I asked the Usual Question, but got a surprising answer this time: Huck went with architecture, not books.
Huckleberry Hax: An Art Park to suit my taste? Well, I'm a fan of post-war brutalist architecture, so I would love to see a sim dedicated to the work of architects like Rodney Gordon, who died last year. I'd like to see again departed builds like the Tricorn Centre, (in RL Portsmouth, UK, demolished in 2004) - not the stained, crumbling, rather dreary looking things they became, but the way they were intended to look when they were new.
Despite the obvious Get Carter reference (aren't I predictable), I learned today that brutalism has nothing to do with cruelty and everything to do with the French term béton brut = raw concrete. It's an interesting choice, although I'm not sure a whole sim along those lines would be to my taste. But the idea of SL Pompey? That I have to see.

Unscripted weekender

As you all know, Milk Wood has its own arts park, Fern Hill. It's dedicated to the Welsh poet Thomas Hardy. Now the UK Guild of Writer's founder Harriet Gausman has further enriched the estate with miles more hills and dales, cottages, and a celtic market with member's wares on sale. There's also a fine display worth visiting in the Guildhall. Take a look at the very real books written by group members - they really are impressive. Some are available for purchase, others can be copied at no charge. Simply touch the chosen work and follow the instructions. I was in the mood for more libraries, and tried to find a collection in Italian. After some fruitless searching, something that sounded more weekendy - a sound library! Off I went to sim Solvo. Huge range of free sounds, I picked up bionic , just for fun. Round the corner you'll see the Library Shop with lots of goodies on sale, a balloon ride that takes you to all points of interest, including the waterfront where they do boat tryouts, and the Free Script Library, courtesy of Murdoch Pennell.

ArtsParks photographer and all-rounder Aloisio Congrego joined me there. Each box on the wall behind us is a separate script - and there are two floors to browse. Wow so many scripts, so little time! he said. This is somewhere I can see myself coming back to again and again.

No kidding, I said. Stand still so I can take a photo.

He did.
I should mention at this point the 'original and first' Free Script Library on sim Nimnam , even if only because it is nice to say.
Well, Alo was miles away browsing the clocks and vendors, so I wandered down the street until I came to the Free Texture Library. It contains a mind-blowing 10,000 textures, all packaged neatly into groups, so you've all the gold together, all the police stations, and all the kitchen appliances, and so on almost ad infinitum. I got chatting with the owner of the Library, Stephenniall Hissop. I asked him when this place got started.

Stephenniall Hissop: The free library? It opened at the beginning of 2008. We've got about 400 members in the group, though other people come by and pick up freebies without joining the group. As for the textures - some of them are donated, but a lot are things I uploaded myself.

Of course, having a script, a texture, or a sound isn't the same as knowing how to use one, and there's a school here too, with regular classes.

Not in the mood for lessons, I was feeling more sporty - and then I saw this fishing game, and couldn't resist. Where did I put my galoshes... *thinks: bet there's a galoshes sound in the library...*

The moral of this tale: Finish that manuscript! The world is ready for your genius! ..or do I mean: If you're thinking of making an art park of your own, with swishing doors and changing colours, and were holding back because you hadn't the resources you needed... either way now you really have no excuse! Ti ricorderai sicuramente di Milk Wood il sim sereno e poetico del gruppo UK Guild of Writers. Ora la land di Harriet Gausman vanta un parco molto più esteso con dei cottage e un mercatino fatto in stile celtico dove troverai articoli creati dai membri del gruppo. Io sono passata a vedere la mostra nella sala reunioni, chiamata Guildhall. Sugli scaffali sono esposti i libri real scritti dai membri del gruppo - leggendo i titoli e andando a vederli in rete ci ricorda che siamo circondati da dei veri talenti! Sono andata in cerca d'una cosa simile fatta dagli italiani, ma senza successo. Come sarebbe bello poter vedere in SL una vetrina degli libri vergati dai Resident italiani ... ma nel frattempo mi devo accontentare visitando altre biblioteche e collezioni. Ho trovato simpaticissima la biblioteca gratuita dei suoni a sim Solvo. I suoni disponibili al pubblico sono oltre cinquecento, di ogni tipo, io ho preso il suono della donna bionica per ovvie ragioni. Ma non finisce qui. A Solvo troverai anche un negozio di oggetti per builder, e una mongolfiera che consente una visita aerea al sim. Insieme ad Aloisio Congrejo, l'abilissimo fotografo di Arts Parks, ho fatto un po' di shopping alla Biblioteca Script senza ...spendere. Delizioso! Una quantità di script impressionante, ogni scatola sul muro rappresenta un movimento o animation diverso e ce ne sono due piani, puoi immaginare quanti tesori qui. (E se non ti bastassero questi script, debbo menzionare anche la 'originale' biblioteca gratuita per script sul sim Nimnam.)
Ho lasciato Aloisio in contemplazione delle meraviglie, ho fatto una passeggiata fino alla biblioteca di Texture. Oltre diecimila textures organizzate in pacchi quelle della cucina ad esempio tutte insieme, come quelle del posto della polizia, o l'acqua di mare ecc. Qui ho incontrato Stephenniall Hissop l'owner della biblioteca. Mi ha raccontato un po' la storia del posto: l'hanno aperto dall'inizio dell'anno, e la maggior parte delle textures qui trovati sono stati caricati da lui, ma chi desidera può donare alla biblioteca - anche a quelle degli script e suoni - usando il dispositivo all'entrata.

Certo, avere nell'inventorio questi articoli non significa saperli usare, e il gruppo Free Library offre anche lezioni - hanno una bella scuola, basta iscriversi. Ma per chi vuole solo svaccarsi un pochino, sempre sul sim Solvo, il gioco dei pescatori è molto divertente... dopo tutto, è il weekend!!!

Harriet Gausman's Milk Wood

In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means

Fern Hill - Dylan Thomas

Harriet Gausman is a special person, one can't help but feel at first acquaintance, and her meeting place Milk Wood in Scotland Plarmigan with its simple woodland design only confirms your impression that this is a smart and gentle person who means to make SL better for all of us.

Harriet has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, she came to SL about a year ago on a suggestion from her husband. From the moment she stepped in, she was hooked, and began immediately looking for ways to get together with other writers and readers. Five months ago she set up the Guild of UK Writers. Many inworld literary groups are based around US time zones, and Harriet wanted to provide a place where people on European time could get together, write, get published, network and generally socialize around a literary theme. The group now has 600 members, among them published authors, real life literary agents, editors, and publishers, and the 'general public' who just love a good read and some fun, like you and me.

The group holds a weekly poetry and prose event. Poetry is 'very big' inworld, and is also having something of a revival in the real world. Harriet was at a loss to explain it, but she enjoys seeing the nice group that gathers to hear poetry at Milk Wood on Tuesdays. There's more though: a couple of trivia nights - aka pub quizzes - and as if that weren't enough, two guest readers come by each week to read from their novels. Plans are underway to start a group for children's writers, so anyone interested should contact Harri about that.

Never one to stay still, she has just bought a nearby island, and is in the process of developing the new space which includes a corner dedicated to the Welsh poet and playwright, Dylan Thomas: the meeting place is named after his most famous play, Under Milk Wood. Although the area will include some interpretative material on his life and times, Harriet has chosen a beautiful route to express Thomas by designing the area to echo one of his great poems, Fern Hill, a truly evocative, lyrical piece. TP over to the poet's corner right now, click on the book by the old barn, and you can hear the actual voice of Thomas reading Fern Hill in a recording from the 1960's. His voice is as unexpected as the poem is beautiful.

Along with the upcoming childrens' authors group, Harriet hopes to branch out into podcasting. "Our members are an incredibly talented and diverse bunch. I think if we can bring more people to their door, we are doing all a great service and people will revere me and remember me long after I am dead...only kidding, of course."

Oh no, Harriet, hee hee, remember: Do not go gentle into that good night... you've got too much work to do!!
Nel sole che è solo una volta giovane,

il tempo mi faceva giocare ed essere

d’oro nella grazia dei suoi mezzi

Dylan Thomas, Il colle delle felci,

Traduzione Andrea Sirotti.

Harriet Gausman è una persona molto speciale un giudizio che trova conferma visitando il suo bellissimo luogo letterario immerso nel bosco a Milk Wood a Scotland Plarmigan. Comprenderai subito che si tratta di una persona gentile e intelligente che vuole fare del metaverso un posto migliore per tutti noi.

Harriet soffre di Sindrome d'Affaticamento Cronico. Dietro un suggerimento del suo marito si è tuffata in Second Life circa un'anno fa, dalla prima esperienza ne era incantata, e d'allora cerca modi per facilitare il contatto tra scrittori lettori. Ha fondato cinque mesi fa il gruppo Guild of UK Writers. I gruppi letterari di lingua inglese tendono a seguire gli orari statunitensi, e Harriet voleva creare un punto d'incontro con orari europei per chi scrive, chi vuole farsi pubblicare, per chi vuole conoscere persone nuove in un ambiente letterario. Il gruppo ora vanta 600 membri, tra i quali autori di noto, agenti letterari in real, curatori, editori, e il 'pubblico' - chi ama leggere e divertirsi, come io e te.
Il gruppo tiene una serata settimanale di poesia e prosa. La poesia è molto in voga nel metaverso come peraltro nel mondo real; Harriet non sa spiegare il fenomeno ma le fa molto piacere vedere come è ben frequentato l'incontro di martedì sera a Milk Wood. Ci sono altre serate, due volte la settimana si tengono quiz, e in più ci sono due romanzieri che leggono a puntate i loro libri. C'è in programma di formare un gruppo di scrittori di libri destinati ai bambini, chiunque fosse interessato può rivolgersi direttamente a Harriet.
Sempre al lavoro, lei ha appena acquisito una nuova isola nella zona e la sta sistemando, avrà un angolo dedicato a Dylan Thomas, drammaturgo e poeta gallese. Il parco prende nome dalla sua commedia Under Milk Wood (Sotto il bosco di latte). Ci saranno delle informazioni sulla vita e i tempi di Thomas, ma Harriet ha scelto di rappresentarlo tramite uno delle più belle poesie liriche Il colle delle felci sopra citato. Se vai all'angolo del poeta, troverai un libro. Se lo clicchi potrai sentire il poeta stesso recitando la poesia in una registrazione che risale agli anni '60. La voce è sorprendente quanto la poesia è bella.
Oltre al gruppo per gli scrittori di libri per bambini, Harriet vorrebbe cominciare ad offrire podcasting per il gruppo. "Nel nostro gruppo ci sono molte persone dotate di grande talento. Voglio aprire le porte al mondo a loro. E se faccio questo servizio all'umanità, mi loderanno e si ricorderanno di me quando sarò morta.." disse teatralmente con sorriso.
Dai Harriet, ricordati le parole del grande Thomas: Non entrare con dolcezza in quella notte buona... ehehe hai ancora troppo da fare!