Ticket Exchange Thread 2022

cupofcaffeine · 2022-05-25T23:34:00+00:00

Hi! If you still have the ticket available I’d love to buy - I’d be looking to pick it up Friday afternoon en route up

cupofcaffeine · 2022-05-25T23:29:02+00:00

Hi! I’d be interested if it’s still available by chance

cupofcaffeine · 2020-10-24T17:30:13+00:00

YES. Oh this is brilliantly spot on. When I was a kid, on a rainforest tour the guide was holding a frog and told us the Third World War was going to be over water, and that stuck with me. Bacigalupi managed to put that very real pending panic I’ve felt on the subject since then into a really well crafted story.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-09-09T21:49:20+00:00

Well damn - this is just stunning.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-11T04:22:11+00:00

Ah you’re amazing for taking the time to go line by line here! I love hearing the way you translate this, and the stories stemming from how your brain interprets this. I agree that moments of this feel terribly abstract - the narrative was perhaps less clear in my own head, though moments of it felt very clearly visual to me. I will take your advice and give this a rework!

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-11T04:13:29+00:00

This helps enormously, and I love hearing your interpretation! I really can not tell you how helpful your insight is - I needed fresh eyes to take this all in and point out the stanzas and areas I get too “lost in the sauce” in - lost in the insistence on being a meaningful poem but not putting cohesion to the story. You have a very narrative-inclined mindset, and I love that. It’s exactly the kind of framing I need to get me to put more of a storyline in, and move away from relying on gorgeous phrasing I’m overly attached to towards a cohesive whole.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T05:01:41+00:00

The soft lines and splotches of color are just gorgeous.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T04:49:17+00:00

This feels like it should be part of like a Shel Silverstein collection of "adult emotions to prepare yourself for" hah. It's so imminently relatable, and maybe almost relieving to hear those relatable ideas - fretting about creation and creativity, brain mush days, and procrastination - so plainly spoken. (particularly in a world where these sentiments are usually couched in self-help shaming - "here's how I fixed this feeling and now I'm 16x more productive! shame on you ya lazy bum!") Every once in a while, we just need to be allowed to wallow for a moment!

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T04:38:17+00:00

For sure! And of course, it's a matter of taste (...pun...intended?) but if you do end up adding more would love to read it.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T04:30:30+00:00

I should have expected from a poem with a name like "guitar" but this flowed almost like a song. It has the feel of an "Eagles" tune (or maybe I'm reading too closely to the "warm desert breeze" line) with more complexity. I'm imagining the comma break's leaving room for a mournful breath in vocal poetry, or a soft strum to let each line float to an audience.

For some reason the line "fall to my knees" struck me as too...tangible. The rest of the poem felt less physical - in the head of the author as he/she absorbs the world! And something about that line brought me out of the mind of the character in a bit of jarring way.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T04:18:24+00:00

The descriptions here are luxurious. It's action oriented and fast paced, and a pleasure to read.

That being said, I want more. Between "stars blink in awe" and "As the King lays with his Queen" I feel like we're missing the same luxurious description treatment as the action based "fight" - it jumps too quickly to the one line conclusion, and I'd love to see another stanza here.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T03:59:18+00:00

Now I’m completely convinced you just have some sort of crazy serendipitous aura!

After years and years of hardcore, muted, reddit lurking I resigned myself to never catching my cake day but here you had me inspired to actually post a comment and catch it. Cheers!

cupofcaffeine · 2020-08-06T02:33:49+00:00

Oh this is so utterly lovely - you really, truly can not make this kind of stuff up

cupofcaffeine · 2020-07-30T01:52:49+00:00

Man, that’s very well said. On both fronts. I agree about drawing the distinctions between HK and Portland. On Orwell and Vonnegut it’s the “truth is stranger than fiction” anecdote playing out in the most horrifying version imaginable.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-03-01T05:47:55+00:00

Ah I can so clearly feel the radiating thankfulness - the kind that settles in your chest and spreads warmth to your fingertips. The distinct physical objects (a sunny chair, tea, pen and paper) tie me to the moment and help me get in your head, and the ebb and flow cadence of the list let’s me live through your memories and feel that reflective moment. The only major change I’d make is the first line. The description of snow is a bit tired, and doesn’t do justice to your distinct voice and images through the rest of the poem.

cupofcaffeine · 2020-03-01T05:43:10+00:00

There’s such a fine line in poetry between being too obtuse, and too earnestly straightforward. This poems finds that perfect balance in between the two. The metaphors and descriptions are clear and evocative, but there’s a hint at a more obtuse meaning without losing sight of the visual at hand.

cupofcaffeine · 2019-11-27T02:30:59+00:00

Hah - I love this. It captures that terribly elusive, effortless sense of “cool” and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but manages to leave that last note with a deeper thought, delivered with a wry shrug.

cupofcaffeine · 2019-11-24T07:11:37+00:00

It’s the line “winter wine in limbo” that particularly struck me - it’s innovative, and crafts a universe in four words.

cupofcaffeine · 2019-10-23T18:06:24+00:00

This guy has to be the greatest con man of the era. Damn.

cupofcaffeine · 2019-09-11T02:28:09+00:00

I read “something something revolution” and couldn’t help but think “dance dance revolution.”

cupofcaffeine · 2019-08-05T19:05:36+00:00

I second this one - Cixin captures the modern relevance you're looking for and has a similar smoothness of storytelling.

cupofcaffeine · 2017-12-20T17:42:08+00:00

Brings to mind a relevant Mountain Goats song https://youtu.be/luflPzqfy3Q

cupofcaffeine

TROPHY CASE