Powwow!

TONIGHT! Cifiscape Vol II Launch

See you soon!

From the Cifiscape website:

"We are having a launch party at 6 PM on Saturday March 31st at University Baptist Church on 13th and University. Come get a chance to meet the authors, get your hands on a copy of the book, and even get that book signed by the authors."

Cifiscape Vol II Author Spotlight - Bob Lipski

If don't already know the work of Bob Lipski, here is a good introduction. Check out Cifiscape's author spotlight - Bob Lipski.

Then, come to the big event Saturday night!

Art Hounds features Cifiscape Vol II Anthology

Today, Art Hounds featured the Cifiscape Vol II anthology that launches this weekend! Here is the link: ART HOUNDS

Identity Dreams

I don't usually remember my dreams. I'm not sure why. Perhaps, I just sleep to deeply, and I don't spend much time in a dream state. Perhaps, it is that I spend much of my time daydreaming, writing, that there is not much leftover for dreams. Regardless, I remembered last night's dream with precision:

I had long hair twisted into two thick breades that hung over my shoulders. In each ear, I wore turquoise and crow feathers. Around my neck hung a bones and teeth. I was sitting on the parched earth of the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma. I had just move my family to the reservation because we needed the financial support of the the tribe.

Strange dream. Yes, my dad is half and I'm a quarter (probably). My dad is a orphan. Through much work, his brothers and sisters have finally found records that have allowed them to join the Cherokee Nation. My dad's family has worked hard to provide proof of ancestry.

When asked, "Who are you?" I've always fallen into the European cultural fallacy: Irish, Scottish, German. This is because my dad could not prove he was Native American, and I am white with a full beard. However, my dad, without proof, has always claimed his ancestors in a committed but noncommittal way. He was always frustrated, as an orphan, to be unable to answer the "Who are you" question.

After teaching Literature for three years, spending a couple of days each term on Cultural Studies, I no longer look to Europe for Identity. Yes, on my mother's side, my grandmother was Irish, my grandfather was German and Scottish. However, they did not bother with traditional European foods, holidays, clothing, language, etc. Thus, I have no idea what it means to be of European desent. Just as I do not know what it means to be of Cherokee desent. Thus, I have the blood and genetics but none of the culture.

Instead of clamming places and traditions I know nothing about, I try to claim, and teach, regional identity. I grew up a Nebraskan with Iowan desent (mother's side).

I know what it means to wear red on Saturdays and support the Cornhuskers.

I know what a Runza is and how get one for free on days that are below freezing.

I know that the fields were once and ocean, and the land is full of sea monsters' bones.

I know what real wind feels like on my skin.

I know the difference between bison and buffalo.

I know what is means to read Willa Cather.

I know that Lincoln stole the capital from Omaha.

I know how a unicameral legislature functions.

I know what it feels like to never want to live there again.

I know the list could go on...

So, I don't know what my dream about living on the Cherokee Reservation was trying to tell me. Perhaps, I still need to struggle with the "Who are you" question. Perhaps, it is because I don't really know what it means to be a Minnesotan (even if I have lived here for more than a decade), and I have to try to teach Nora what it means to live and grow up here, and what it means to have a Nebraskan as a father.

The Wizard & The Problem

Once upon a time, in a Minneapolis, not yet forgotten, there stood a castle. In the castle, there resided a wizard, a witch, and a litch. Together, they ensured Minneapolis' prosperity. In return, they only asked that they be left in peace to continue their occult studies.

On a late afternoon walk, two bakers approached the wizard. Each of the bakers had with them an identical loaf of white bread. They seemed very upset.

The wizard snapped his fingers and a table with three chairs appeared. Each of the bakers took a seat and began to speak at once, which only served to flabbergast the wizard.

The wizard raised his hand and produced a coin, "You," he said, "heads or tails."

"Tails." And he crossed his arms over his ample stomach.

The wizard flipped the coin. The all watched as it spun through the air to land in the center of the table with a clink. The coin showed the face of a gofer holding up an apple.

"Ha! Heads," said the other baker. Then, he launched into his complaint. "This is my bread, my recipe. I tested the amounts of yeast, butter, grain, and water. Perfect!" He put his fingers to his lips, kissing them. "If he is going to use my recipe, he should pay me a royalty for every loaf sold."

The wizard asked, "Where did such learning rise?"

The baker who had called tails said, "God's servant spoke about intellectual property rights, and we owned the Church if we sung their printed songs when gathered."

The wizard shook his head sadly. "You are both talented in the kitchen. Do you both make bread?"

They answered, "Yes."

"To whom should you pay for the honor of such reproduction? Someone must have invented bread."

The bakers looked at each other. "We understand."

The wizard smiled. Then, he made his way to the center of town and rang the summons bell. When the town had gathered he told all that would listen his story. It is better to share than it is to own knowledge, work for the betterment of all. Next, he said, "If you choose to own knowledge, I will not be able to teach you."

The wizard did not wait for a response. He simply vanished.

Tree Fire

The Witch & The Field

Once upon a time, in a Minneapolis, not yet forgotten, there stood a castle. In the castle, there resided a wizard, a witch, and a litch. Together, they ensured Minneapolis' prosperity. In return, they only asked that they be left in peace to continue their occult studies.

The witch went out to the field. There she encountered long tilled rows of exposed soil. She knelt down in the rich humus pushing her arm in to the cool earth up to her elbow. Then, she let out a murderous howl. Full of grief, she ran up and down the field and back and forth across the field until she came upon a woman and her daughter.

The witch fell to her knees in front of them. "What has happened? What has attached the land so?" She opened her arms wide indicating that she meant the field behind her.

The woman asked, "Whatever do you mean? We used oxen to plow the land to plant seed." The woman's daughter hid a giggle with her hands.

The witch asked, "What was planted that needs such destruction?"

"Corn."

"And?"

The woman looked confused. "Just corn. If we grow great fields of corn, more then we need, we can trade some for other things we need from the next town over. Plus, we only need one type of equipment, and we save time." The woman's daughter added, "More time to play," and she bounced a small red ball off the ground.

"Where did such learning sprout?"

"A man of God came to us. He said that we must master the land."

The witch stood up. She dusted herself off. Then, she thanked them for their time. She watched them go down the road before heading off fir the center of town.

In the center of town, she rang the summons bell. When the town had gathered, she told all that would listen her tale. Masters create slaves, and it is the destiny of the slave to rise up to destroy the master. Then, she went on to say, "Monocultures attract insects, deplete topsoil, and create famine."

The town's people laughed.

The witch then said, "If you choose to farm in this way, I will not be able to feed you." She did not wait for a response, disappearing.

The Litch & The Symbol

Once upon a time, in a Minneapolis, not yet forgotten, there stood a castle. In the castle, there resided a wizard, a witch, and a litch. Together, they ensured Minneapolis' prosperity. In return, they only asked that they be left in peace to continue their occult studies.

That night, after the wizard, the witch, and the litch had briefly met, the litch rode Midnight into town. He was on his usual patrol. All types of horrors walked in the moonlight, and the litch saw that none of those dark creatures harmed a living soul. However, on this night, as he passed through town, he noticed an odd shape hanging on doorways and in many windows.

The strange shape was made of simple wood and free of any ornament. It looked not unlike a lower case letter T. On further inspection, as the litch took one from a portal, it burned his fleshless fingertips. If the litch were able to emote, he would have scowled as he put the shape back in the center of the door.

Riding on, only a few homes did not posses the symbol. Despite the hour being late, he knocked the upon door of one such home.

A tried looking man in his night gown and hat opened after a few moments. When he saw the litch, he said, "I do not think that I can last much longer. They who pray to the one true God have said they will not rest until all have seen the light."

The litch nodded his thanks. Then, he said, "Sometimes great evil walks in the light."

The gowned man smiled. "I don't know about evil, but it sure feels like a protection racket to me. Why would I tithe when you do it for free?"

The litch said, "As I said."

Then, the litch mounted Midnight and road to the center of town and rang the summons bell. When some of the town had gathered he told all that would listen his story. True power should be used freely. False power comes with a price. "I will not be able to help those who display this new symbol upon their door or his or her person."

The litch did not wait for debate and rode off into the gloom.

The Wizard & The Wedding

Once upon a time, in a Minneapolis, not yet forgotten, there stood a castle. In the castle, there resided a wizard, a witch, and a litch. Together, they ensured Minneapolis' prosperity. In return, they only asked that they be left in peace to continue their occult studies.

After the witch had retired for the day, the wizard left his study with a smile. He was ready. He had rehearsed his lines. He put on his finest purple and green robe. The wedding would procedure would go smoothly, he thought.

It had been a long while since he last officiated a joining of souls. Most choose the witch for the binding, none chose the litch. The lich, however, was present for all funerals to help the spirit seek peace. Since the wizard studied not birth nor death, he was less likely to see either. Thus, today was also special for him.

The day was perfect. The sun just past noon, cast a cool shadow over the castle gazebo. The few rays of light that snuck past the high walls, ignited the white dogwood blossoms so that they looked afire. The couple that stood before the wizard wore green dresses and water lilies in their long hair, surrounded by friends and family.

The wizard felt his words had been goodly spoke. It was time to move the wedding along. Just as he asked if any should find fault with the couple, a stranger appeared.

The stranger was dressed oddly. He wore red robes and and awkwardly pointed hat upon his head. Then, the stranger said, "The Lord, God, finds fault. This union between two of like sex, two women, is not natural and a sin."

The wizard said, "Did not God say love freely and widely?"

The stranger replied, "Marriage shall pass only between a man and woman, and woman shall obey the man, who is head of the home and closest to God."

"Nonsense," said the wizard. "She or he who looks to God's creation shall be closest. Furthermore, I can see these maidens' spirits, which sing for one another. Love knows not sex nor gender."

Then, the stranger produced a whip that he snapped over his head.

The wizard had read the reports written by both the litch and the witch, so he did not hesitate. He snapped his fingers and twisted them just so, and the stranger was swept away by a strong wind.

The wizard then turned to the witnesses gathered and told his story to all who'd listen. Seek love where ever you can find it, for it is precious and avoid hate, for it is worthless. Then, he said, "You may kiss each other."

Once the couple had finished their embrace, they took the flowers from their hair and wove them into the wizard's beard. When the celebration was almost through and the moon crept into the sky, the wizard disappeared into the castle glad of heart but with worry creasing his brow.

The Witch & The Garden

Once upon a time, in a Minneapolis, not yet forgotten, there stood a castle. In the castle, there resided a wizard, a witch, and a litch. Together, they ensured Minneapolis' prosperity. In return, they only asked that they be left in peace to continue their occult studies.

One morning, after taking over the watch from the litch, the witch was working with a few of the town's urban farmers. She was teaching them how to compost the wastes of their animals, their dinner plates, and their bodies to make rich soil for growing food alongside the roads and in abandoned lots. This was considered very important work to the wizard and the witch, but not to the litch who no longer needed to worry about such things as food. However, the litch did not involve himself in the affairs of the wizard and the witch just as they did not bother with the litch's studies. Each had their own area to which they stayed.

While the witch was working with a rugged looking woman, a man the witch did not know approached her wearing the white robes and vestments of the one true faith. Taking charge, as she was a custom, the witch walked right up to his stranger and asked, "Have you come to lean the way of the land so that you might also help feed the hungry?"

"Only the Lord can feed the hungry," he said. "The ways of land are not the ways of the Lord. I have come to save your souls, so that you may dwell in Heaven."

"Did not the Lord create the land, so man could till the soil, plant seed, and grow food?" asked the witch.

"The Evil One has possessed your tongue, your skin, and your soul." Then, he produced a whip that he snapped over his head, beating the witch.

Not one of the town's folk moved to help the witch. They stood by and mumbled that the winner of this contest was surely in the right.

The witch took the beating until she could take no more. Her white dress was bloody from the lashings, her hair damp with sweat, and her face wet with tears. Then, she snapped her fingers and twisted them just so and the whip turned into a giant snake that quickly consumed the stranger. She snapped her fingers a second time and her clothing mended and she was healed. A third time, she snapped her fingers and twisted them just so and the snake turned back into a whip.

She then turned to the town's folk and told all that would listen her tale. Words may fill minds, but they do not fill stomachs. Then, she left as the sun was three quarters across the sky.

Kit & Jeffrey Martin shilling Cifiscape Vol II

Little Free Library

Cool! This little free library is located at 2524 S Aldrich Ave. Plus, it is solar powered. DOUBLE WIN!

The Litch & The Ginger Smuggler

Once upon a time, in a Minneapolis, not yet forgotten, there stood a castle. In the castle, there resided a wizard, a witch, and litch. Together, they ensured Minneapolis' prosperity. In return, they only asked that they be left in peace to continue their occult studies.

The litch, one night, as he patrolled the skies aback his horse, Midnight, he rode abreast of a carriage smuggling ginger root. He stopped the wagon with the force of his will. Hand raised, his bone white fingers twisted just so and the horses pulling the load snorted to a stop.

Now, the driver, who was not of this land, jumped down from where he sat, whip in hand. He said, "By He who is Divine, I shall pass."

The litch replied, "You call upon Him who loves the law whilst swimming in lawlessness. Surely, you are damned."

"I live and pray to a Living God. Animate, you may be, but you have long since past. You hold no power over those who love the Lord." He, then, cracked his whip.

The whip tore the hood from the litch's cloak. There, upon, those dark shoulders road a fleshless skull. The eye sockets held yellow flames that danced with rage.

The litch raised his bony fingers and twisted them just so. The smuggler flew off the ground and crashed against a tree. Then, the litch put two bony fingers to where a living soul would have had lips. A whistle sang like that heard when the wind blows through leaveless boughs as blue flames shot forth disintegrating the smuggler.

Snapping his fingers, the litch's cloak mended. Snapping his fingers a second time, Midnight trotted up next to where he stood. After mounting Midnight, the litch snapped his fingers a third time, and the horses pulling the ginger root followed in time.

The litch took the load back to the ginger root farm. There he told his story to all who'd listen: If we work together, we all prosper. However, if we work against one another, some may get rich but others will suffer. Then, the litch road off into the sunrise.

Too Early?

I have never seen this type of growth this early in the year. Beautiful, strange.

Synopsis of "Lethal Options" Released

"Lethal Options" Synopsis

Check out the Cifiscape home page for a synopsis of my story and the 1st page!

X-Files: ep. 20: "Darkness Falls"

I have been re-watching The X-Files. Yes, I'm still in love with Dana Scully, Fox Moulder, and all the creepy cases. I don't think that I would be the same person I am today if not for The X-Files. Fox's ability to accept almost any theory, except for the mundane, and question the very system that employed him made me into a critical thinker (and a devoted alien junkie - see tattoo number three).

Re-watching episodes from Season one, I was surprised to discover an episode that combines my passions for the supernatural (I guess I mean science fiction) and environmental. In "Darkness Falls," Moulder and Scully investigated the disappearance of a logging crew. At first, fingers are pointed at a group of eco-terrorists known to be monkeywrenching in the area. I had no idea that my favorite show tackled a subject dear to my heart.

Both sides of the argument, logging and preservation, were tackled in a somewhat balanced manner. Ultimately, in the cases of "Darkness Falls," leaving old growth trees stand wins (despite the Government having to nuke the area to dispose of the killer mites from 500 years ago).

I have to say that I'm proud of how my favorite show mixed environmentalism and science fiction. I love the show even more.

Now, I want to watch If a Tree Falls again. 

Cifiscape Volume Two Book Launch

Come see me and the other authors in the new Cifiscape anthology on March 31st!

From the Cifiscape website:

"We are having a launch party at 6 PM on Saturday March 31st at University Baptist Church on 13th and University. Come get a chance to meet the authors, get your hands on a copy of the book, and even get that book signed by the authors."

My story, "Lethal Options," is going to be awesome. Watch the Cifiscape home page for a synopses. Sorry, no spoilers yet.

Lulu Limerick Contest

The Limerick


I just entered the Lulu Limerick contest (deadline: Thursday, March 15, at 4:30pm EST) with this little bitty:

Hack once scrawled in anonymity
Then he dipped his nib in Liberty
Inspiration he took
Publishing on her Nook
“Now,” said she, “hand over thy royalty.”

If you want to write your own, here is the form:

Rhyme    /     Syllables
A                       9
A                       9
B                       6
B                       6
A                       9

Most folks will just use the rhyming pattern, but Limericks do have a metric structure. If you want more information, you can check out the Power Point I used to use to teach students how they were written.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Parking Lot Glacier

The air was still crisp. A bit of snow and ice that still comprised the parking lot glacier slowly trickled into a steady stream disappearing into a culvert taking with it cigarette butts, plastic cup lids, and deicer. The melt and debris would find its way to the Minnesota River Valley, the Twin Cities' major source of fresh water.