A group of parrots is called a pandemonium. They can be trained to say, "Conquer the Arctic! Squaaawk!" while they flap around their aviary, pooping.

Five Failures in the Oval Office (video) America hurt itself badly today.

Here I react to the shameful encounter between American leaders and media and the Ukrainian president. No doubt there were more, but I saw five failures on our side: of hospitality, decency, democracy, strategy, and independence. Please watch and share.
snyder.substack.com/p/five-failu...

Pace good Paul. Thank you for posting this poetic reflection. For me, too, it is a memorable image. My father Bob Howse, a venerable newspaper editor, liked to cover Bede's sparrow in Christmas editorials. Dad is now retired and writes poetry.

Bookish highlights of 2024:
* Worked on my 2nd novel; 1st draft is 75% complete
* Began collaboration to translate my 1st novel into French
* Went to South Africa & Namibia for research & book tour
* Had 11 acceptances of short fiction & poetry
* Received Honorable Mention in Eric Hoffer Book Award

I am reading it now and am impressed by the scholarship and artistry of this annotated translation. Strongly visual, painterly work, it also reads well aloud. I know little of Austrian/German poetry but you trace interesting connections to Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Rimbaud, etc. Glad to have found this.

The Girl in the Water, a novel by Joseph Howse Four Soviet teenagers seek a purpose to life as their country unravels in false promises, a nuclear meltdown, and an Afghan war. This story of sisterhood, friendship, and a struggle to change unfolds across a vast and detailed landscape, from Estonia to Ukraine. Winner of the Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction and the IAN Awards for Outstanding Multicultural Fiction. Watch for the upcoming sequel, The Circus and the Atom. "Intentional and poetic" --Chloe Clark, Foreword Clarion Review "Howse excels at drawing textured portraits of multi-faceted women." --BlueInk Review Literary/Multicultural Fiction Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book sellers and libraries https://nummist.com/stories/ Purchase Price: $16.99. ISBN: 978-0995287853.

My debut novel, The Girl in the Water, won the 2023 Independent Press Award for Literary Fiction, among other honours. It traces the wanderings of four Soviet teens and a feral cat, against a backdrop of civilizations in decline. I am writing a sequel, The Circus and the Atom. nummist.com/stories/

Thank you, I've just ordered a copy. It will be my next read.

A pleasure to meet you, Michael. I'm a writer in Terence Bay, a Canadian fishing village. I self-publish via Amazon, IngramSpark, tolino (Germany), etc. Bookshops seldom stock but ~40% of my sales are to libraries, especially in North America, Ireland, New Zealand. I'm always happy to compare notes.

Here's the beginnings of a starter pack of people working on, working in, thinking about, working-class literature. Writers and critics and allies and groups - please send me more names of accounts on Bluesky & I'll add them of course.
go.bsky.app/UQVX5Lb

I write novels about working-class characters in the Soviet/post-Soviet world. I would like to join the list, please!

We can build the #literaryfiction community beyond the starter packs.

Here’s how: First, hit the like button, reply with #literaryfiction, and most importantly, hit the REPOST button.

Then, follow each other back. The easiest way to do so is to follow everyone who reposts.

Here’s how:

#literaryfiction

Starter pack for #literaryfiction writers to find each other! Comment/repost and I'll add you go.bsky.app/ARue8c8

#literaryfiction #WritingCommunity #Writers #Authors 💙📚

Thanks! I would like to be added as well.

👋 I am from Canada but have enjoyed wonderful connections with people from South Africa and Namibia since visiting both countries on a book tour in May-June 2024. Pleased to be here with you all! 🇿🇦🇳🇦🇨🇦

Hello! I am a novelist, poet, and permaculture orchardist based in Nova Scotia, Canada. I write about characters who are clawing out a purpose in an era of collapse. Often, the setting is Eastern Europe. I'd be happy to connect with readers and writers of literary/multicultural fiction and poetry.