Gallery of Shadows and Reflections

ysabetwordsmith has finished her microfunded free-verse poem "The Inescapable Agony of Being" based on a prompt I gave her.  It is about aliens who masquerade as human, far from home.  It is incredibly poignant.  

Go, read!

In searching for projects to nominate for this year's Rose and Bay Awards, I stumbled on this little gem:

(From the Wikipedia article) "Pioneer One is a 2010 American web series produced by Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith.[1][2][3] It has been funded purely through donations, and is the first series created for and released on BitTorrent networks.... A mysterious spaceship enters Earth's atmosphere, triggering a massive response from the American government."

Just watched the preview.  It looks extremely well done!  I would nominate it, but it was released in 2010 and so isn't eligible this year.

Here's a link to the official page with the preview and free download links (streaming is available for a small financial contribution as well):
http://vo.do/pioneerone

The 2012 Rose and Bay Awards are still taking nominations for excellence in crowdfunded creative works and patronization over at crowdfunding!  Visit their landing page to leave nominations in art, fiction, poetry, webcomic, other project, and patron.  Be sure to read the instructions for posting nominations.  :)

So, today is the day known as "Black Friday." All the big chains open their stores early and rake in the cash.

And yeah, sometimes people suffer for it. I remember a few years ago I was working at one of these big chain stores, a Wal Mart, and the story came through during my work day on Black Friday (also "affectionately known as "Blitz Day" to the employees there) about a Wal Mart employee being trampled to death in another state on that very day as he unlocked the doors to let in the throng of humanity waiting to snatch up as many things as possible before everyone else did. It made me physically ill to think of it.

I'm not here to talk trash about monstrous corporations or greedy people, though I likely could go on a rant. As far as Wal Mart especially is concerned, I do understand that many people can't afford to shop anywhere else-- I'm usually one of them. I'm not one to say people should NEVER shop the big chain stores, EVER. But I will say this: There are so very many small businesses struggling to make ends meet. Artisans, craftsmen, booksellers, gift stores, online and in the physical world, all offering wonderful, unique, and high quality merchandise for sale. Yes, prices are often higher than they are at a big discount-chain store, but the quality and attention to detail, and the love that goes into the creations and places of business make SUCH a difference. People who take the time and energy to build and run these small businesses, to create and offer unique crafts and works of art, who don't use cookie-cutter templates and mass-produced claptrap-- well, in a way, they are amongst the backbone of our culture. Never, ever underestimate the power of Art to shape and flavor a culture. These artisans, and the small businesses they run or work in conjunction with, are indispensable.

So, I'll put this forth today, on Black Friday. As the holidays are hovering closer, and you need to do your shopping for your loved ones, don't forget to at least look into some of these small businesses, artisans, creators, those working independent of the big corporations. Please lend your support to them in whatever way you can, whether it be monetary (and I know many have fallen on hard times and can't afford it), or even just word of mouth. It makes all the difference.

www.smallbusinesssaturday.com

Are you an artist, an artisan, or a craftsman?  winneganfake is holding a Bizarre Holiday Bazaar in which you can advertise your home-made creative gift items.  Go take a look, and help him spread the word!  (Also, be sure to check out his Tormented Artifacts site.  He has some brilliant crafts for sale.)