LES SARDINES

5/8 of Les sardines discuss one Sardine's new poem.

MINUTES

The group met at Mosaic Community Coffeehouse from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday 25 February 2010, minus those members touched with The Plague.

Parking was ample. The space was described by one Sardine as a "cross between a coffeehouse and a library," which was a compliment. The group had its own table and used it well. What appeared to be a rival writing group met across the room. (We may or may not have challenged them to an upcoming game of flag football. Most likely not.)

There was some concern expressed previously and electronically about the theme "Cat Spritzer" for issue #2 of Les Sar'Zine. The group decided that "Cat Spritzer" would indeed be the theme, with multiple members already at work on pieces. One Sardine reminded us that, as a theme, each individual can "load" the term "Cat Spritzer" with whatever meaning she or he wants. Consensus determined that such was valuable.

The question was raised about length of pieces for upcoming issues of Les Sar'Zine. It was loosely determined that if someone has material for more than one book, then it would be entertained, but that particular individual would be responsible for all additional folding and manufacturing of said extra books.

One Sardine provided two writing prompts. The first was Writing Prompt #115 (by Carolee Sherwood) from the Read Write Poem website. The second was writing prompts from Facebook status updates of the friend (H.M.C.) of one Sardine.

The H.M.C. Writing Prompt

Your new piece of writing—essay, novel, short story, poem, blog post, menu—begins with (or contains) one of the following sets of lines:

*I'm so done with brains. Brains make me sick. You can take the brain stem, crainial nerves and nervous system too, while you are at it.

* Again. A problem with the cork. It must be the cheap wine.

*Drinks downtown and feeling like a grown up! It's been a while!

*I've been invited to throw things occasionally. Pillows though. Not shoes or plates.

The group wrote on these prompts or another topic of choice for thirty minutes.

Three sardines presented new material for brief bouts of reading and feedback. One Sardine provided a new poem. One Sardine provided revisions and new material for an evolving short story cum novella cum novel (perhaps). One Sardine provided a new essay. Feedback seemed more intense, more personal, and more engaged than recent meetings. The new space and the new form of meeting may have granted the group a new sense of freedom and a new sense of possibility, but that is merely conjecture of one Sardine.

A few final "informational" business items ended the evening. The group departed into the night streets of Wallingford.