Monday, November 01, 2010

November 2010

This is looking to be the quietest month in some time.

I'll be at Orycon 32 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Portland, OR November 12-14, mostly doing panels for writers but with some play time.  I'm going to experiment with a new format for getting people who live largely in their heads to envision different types of violence and play with the physical aspects.

There will be another Savvy Authors class on-line, this one on Police Force Policies.  It will draw heavily from a book under consideration at my publisher right now.

Other than that, I'm free.  Which means some relaxing home time.  It also means I'm more available than ever for private lessons and local workshops.  I like doing nothing, but I really prefer doing something.
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Enough with the business end.  This is the kind of stuff I think about on long drives:

Poetry involves tweaking grammar and convention so that the lines have patterns.  The patterns reflect or complement each other.  This is meter, and it is one of the artistic pleasures of reading poetry.

Rhyming is arranging the poem so that the last syllable(s) of the words in each line or in a specific pattern of lines sound the same.  Alliteration is starting each word with the same sound.

Do people born deaf catch these aspects when they read poetry?  When someone's native language is sign, is there an equivalent art like choosing words where the right hand is in a particular position or location at the end of a line (visual rhyming?) Or tweaking the grammar so that there is a rhythmic visual pattern (meter)?

I don't know anyone who was born unable to hear... and I would love to ask these questions.  That would be a fascinating conversation.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

good...more time to write!

NaNoWriMo!
(535 words so far)

Elinor said...

Will you ever be in the Georgia area?

Dan Gambiera said...

Interesting question about poetry. One of the defining things about poetry is (or should be) that it sounds different than regular speech. There's probably a sign-language equivalent. But it's not going to be exactly the same.

Kasey said...

With your November down time you really need to get a hold of Steve Jimerfield. He lives in your home town. That and grow a mustache so it can be Mo-vember

Jim said...

Interesting thoughts on poetry. There are some deaf families in my jurisdiction; working domestics there is a unique experience. I may have to find a chance to chat... that or contact someone at Galludet. But would they know? Or is it kind of like asking someone who is colorblind what it's like not to see green...

jks9199

Toby said...

Rory - Re. your Q on poetry, you can always contact Al and his wife in Roc, I'm sure they could help with an insight, and they were asking after you yesterday.

Aiglet said...

If you ever find yourself at a convention where Judi Miller is signing at all, you should ask her about poetry -- she does the signing for the filk singers, and it's beautiful to watch.

Drew Rinella said...
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Drew Rinella said...

Youtube "ASL poetry."

It exists, but I don't know its rules or structure. I can see some patterns but I don't know much sign. They tend to have a pretty reclusive culture and they don't allow outsiders. I quit trying to learn ASL, because to attempt to sign with a def person is considered an insult. And for the most part they're very rude about it.

Josh Kruschke said...
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Josh Kruschke said...

Drew question who told you it was rude to attempt to sign with a def person. Most of the def people that I have know just find it easer to lip read or use the pen and paper than deal with someone that is just learning, when there is real communication going and not in a learning environment. Most def people I have known would be more than willing to help me practice. Also if I remember correctly ASL is the most formal of the sign languages used in the US, most use a short hand that both regional and personal.

Full disclosure this info is 20 years old as I was take lesson from a translater for a girl at my highschool who was def.