April 3, 2005

5:49 AM

Fun idea? Or... not so much? Inspired by Fuzzy Monster, here, I was thinking of a metapoem blogthing wherein anyone who wanted to participate could post a poem from any particular day, made up of three or four lines created from post "headlines" (first few words — the ones that typically constitute the initial link) from that particular day. If it seems like a fun idea, I have some questions inside...
posted by taz to MetaFilter-related at 5:49 AM (45 comments total)

First of all, what would constitute "a day"? My settings are for Pacific Standard, just so I can generally keep track of around what time it is for USians (and to know when mathowie is likely to be awake). Maybe this wouldn't matter too much, though? — just let contributors use their own day/time thing?

Secondly, since I'm most familiar with setting things up in a Typepad format (and I could host it on my account), it would probably be easiest to do it this way for me, but is it the best way? I would need to send everybody who wanted to participate a guest-author invitation (I don't know if there's a limit). The nice thing is that I know for sure that you can past-date entries, which is important for obvious reasons.

Anyway, I don't have any interest in doing this all on my own (and I'm notoriously, egregiously undependable!), so if this seems like a light amusement that enough of you would like to play with, it might be kind of sweet. Or not, if not. Thoughts?

(by the way... people whose names I put under "contributors"? You were just my "lorem ipsum" — no pressure, no pressure!)
posted by taz at 5:51 AM on April 3, 2005

oops.. I also got some April 1 and April 2 headlines mixed up together in the example page... but you get the idea.
posted by taz at 6:01 AM on April 3, 2005

*aaaugh pressure!*
/ has writers block

Nice layout taz. I like that. It's a neat idea too, headline poems.
posted by dabitch at 7:16 AM on April 3, 2005

I want in. What do you need done? Not that I have all that much time, but it's just such a good idea, I'd love to see it happen.
posted by spaghetti at 7:52 AM on April 3, 2005

I like it a lot, taz.
posted by 327.ca at 8:04 AM on April 3, 2005

spaghetti, I only need enough people to post, because I'm sure I won't do it every day... and enough people who think it's interesting/fun enough to warrant doing it. If so, I can set it up on my TP account, or if someone has a better idea or place/software for hosting I can give them the simple CSS for the page.
posted by taz at 9:24 AM on April 3, 2005

I'm in!
posted by Shane at 9:37 AM on April 3, 2005

From March 28, 2005

The Happy Poster Project

The Time For More Public Poetry Is At Hand
H.P. Lovecraft Meets Bill Keane
The Narrative Strategies Of Genesis.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 10:19 AM on April 3, 2005

...which is to say, "Right on, taz!"
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 10:21 AM on April 3, 2005

so we can't do this right?

I am 8 bit with
A Different Mission to Serve said
The Man Who Unwrote the Bible.
posted by dabitch at 10:45 AM on April 3, 2005

Hey, I used that font last week.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:49 AM on April 3, 2005

I'm terrible at haikus. Couldn't we just do crazy poems? ;) this is dabitch-speak for "I'm in". I like challenges.
posted by dabitch at 10:53 AM on April 3, 2005

Yeah, they don't need to be haikus, because the syllable thing would just be too tough with existing headings... But I kind of like the idea of putting them together without adding connecting words, haikuesque.
posted by taz at 10:57 AM on April 3, 2005

It's Official
I love Shredded Wheat
Simply the Best
posted by spaghetti at 11:13 AM on April 3, 2005

Yeah, they don't need to be haikus, because the syllable thing would just be too tough with existing headings...

Haiku and Senryu don't have to be 5-7-5 syllables, just usually (and not always) under 17 syllables.
(Okay, the first link goes to somewhere called "HaikuHut," but you can trust it anyway, heh.)
posted by Shane at 11:14 AM on April 3, 2005

dagosan's Haiku Primer:

In fact, Japanese poets do not count "syllables" at all. Rather, they count "onji." The Japanese word onji does not mean "syllable," it means "sound symbol," and refers to one of the phonetic characters used in writing Japanese phonetic script. Onji are very uniform in length and duration (unlike English syllables -- compare "on" and "wrought"). Onji are also, on average, quite a bit shorter than English syllables, as onji can have no more than one consonant, and long vowels count for two onji. In addition, haiku contain "cutting-words" or kireji that divide a stanza and indicate a pause; they are like sounded punctuation and are counted as onji. Therefore, the fact that virtually all classical Japanese haiku consist of 17 onji in three parts of 5-7-5 onji each does not easily "translate" into an analogous English form 17 using syllables.

posted by monju_bosatsu at 11:17 AM on April 3, 2005

spaghetti is a natural.
posted by dabitch at 12:04 PM on April 3, 2005

I love this idea.
posted by cmyk at 12:13 PM on April 3, 2005

A wonderful, quirky idea.
posted by AlexReynolds at 12:22 PM on April 3, 2005

I like it, and would be happy to watch this develop.

And I'm tickled that my post got into one of the haikus already. Heh.
posted by livii at 12:34 PM on April 3, 2005

MetaTalk | Community Weblog
MetaTalk | Community Weblog
MetaTalk | Community Weblog
posted by fake at 2:57 PM on April 3, 2005

The Making of the Twenty-First-Century Soldier -
A Different Mission to Serve:
The Man Who Unwrote the Bible.
posted by socratic at 6:23 PM on April 3, 2005

excavation in the French Quarter
small private artificial islands
the "non-existent" all-plastic gun
posted by seanyboy at 5:56 AM on April 4, 2005

Life and Death:
babbling of baby birds
exquisite harmony
posted by Shane at 11:00 AM on April 4, 2005

I will gladly watch and enjoy more of Taz doing this. And probably others.
posted by soyjoy at 11:32 AM on April 4, 2005

Fun Idea. If there were links back to the OG posts in your metaiku I might be inclined to use it as an alternative mefi home page on those days I'm feeling poetic which, despite my own commenting and posting style, are many.
posted by safetyfork at 12:00 PM on April 4, 2005

Safetyfork read my mind - I came back in here to say that we had to link to the threads in the metahaikus.
posted by dabitch at 1:05 AM on April 5, 2005

Behind the Dark Door
Life and Death:
Dye pets!

Okay, let me set something up... And if it suffers a slow, lonely shrivelled death... Eh. What the heck.
posted by taz at 2:58 AM on April 5, 2005

*******************************

Here it is!

*******************************

I'll be sending guest author invitations to anyone with an email listed who has expressed interest here. Anyone else, just email me, or leave a comment here saying that you want to play!
posted by taz at 5:00 AM on April 5, 2005

spaghetti has to join. no pressure!
posted by dabitch at 5:36 AM on April 5, 2005

Fuzy Monster and 327.ca! You don't have an emails listed.
posted by taz at 5:48 AM on April 5, 2005

Geez, now you're gonna be all disappointed when I can't post anything else as good...But I joined!
posted by spaghetti at 7:24 AM on April 5, 2005

You need one one of these for MetaTalk

My camera decided to break
Everyone pissed in my cornflakes
Alright, I'm fed up
posted by dodgygeezer at 7:39 AM on April 5, 2005

heck spaghetti, do the "I love Shredded Wheat" one you did here, yaknow, to save it for prosperity and all. ;)

dodgygeezer, hehehe, cute.
posted by dabitch at 7:49 AM on April 5, 2005

Ack! dodgygeezer! I love it.
posted by taz at 8:19 AM on April 5, 2005

Spaghetti, do post "shredded wheat" - you can backdate it.
posted by taz at 8:22 AM on April 5, 2005

Count me in, taz. Thanks
posted by dfowler at 8:55 AM on April 5, 2005

sent! (the "here" is part of the address, right?)
posted by taz at 9:21 AM on April 5, 2005

Although I'm sure I'll suck at this, I'd like to play, taz. Thanks!
posted by deborah at 10:30 AM on April 5, 2005

So neat I had to do one. A Poor Haiku it is. Thanks for setting it up taz.
posted by safetyfork at 11:30 AM on April 5, 2005

Sent, deborah!
posted by taz at 11:50 AM on April 5, 2005

I love this--i want in too : >
posted by amberglow at 3:54 PM on April 5, 2005

An invitation is winging it's way toward you, amberglow!
posted by taz at 4:10 PM on April 5, 2005

done! (altho not haiku form)

thanks!
posted by amberglow at 4:38 PM on April 5, 2005

I cheated too, and used the html headers and not the first few words of the posts. ; >
posted by amberglow at 4:39 PM on April 5, 2005