Signup for Next Community Week: Emotional Intimacy

[poetree_admin]

In honor of QUILTBAG pride month, our next community themed week focuses on emotional intimacy.

Emotional intimacy includes but is not limited to sexual or romantic intimacy. For more information about nonsexual intimacies, see ysabetwordsmith's excellent reference series on the topic. If you do choose to tackle the topic of sexual emotional intimacy, we ask that anything more explicit than PG-13 territory go under a cut tag.

In addition to poems that focus on or convey emotional intimacy, we invite discussion and reflection on what elements of poetry itself, or what particular types of poems, are especially well-suited to conveying emotional intimacy. Why do people historically turn to poetry and song to express intense feelings? Is there something about the ambiguity or coded language of certain types of poetry that fosters intimacy and expression of sentiments that feel too big or too private to share easily in prose?


For example, someone could do a historical survey of queer poetry focusing on the use of coded language to convey emotional intimacy outlawed or otherwise repressed by society in the time and place it was written.

If you would like to participate, please comment on this post to claim a particular open slot and some sense of what content you'll post. You may also use the comment section to solicit collaborators for a group post.


Monday, June 17th: poetree_admin: Intro / Posting schedule

Tuesday, June 18th: jjhunter and the Secret Society of Stealthy Sonneteers: collaboratively written sonnets re: secrecy / intimacy

Wednesday, June 19th: kaberett, Exploration of Poem: How To Make Love To A Trans Person [explicit!]

Thursday, June 20th: raze, Friendship as a Form of Intimacy and Friendship Poetry

Friday, June 21st: bookblather, emotional intimacy vs. sexual intimacy

Saturday, June 22nd: alee_grrl, subject to be decided


Last edited 6/17/13 by alee_grrl

Comments

[kaberett]

... huh, I think I would actually be really keen to do a personal exploration of How To Make Love To A Trans Person [explicit!], if that would be welcome? Probably drawing on other poems about bodies and embodiment. I'd be able to do any day but the 18th, probably, if that would be interesting?

[poetree_admin]

That would be welcome and interesting. You would need to put any explicit bits under a cut (which we (the mods) are perfectly willing to help with). Is there a particular day other than the 18th that you would be interested in? We can always tentatively schedule you in and change it around if something comes up.

[kaberett]

I am very comfortable with putting things under cuts and using content notes :-)

I'm very flexible around then; I'd really like to respect not making things be All About Sexuality As A Route To Emotional Intimacy, so I think I would rather be somewhere in the middle than at either end?

[alee_grrl]

Thank you for being flexible and understanding. :)

How about Wednesday?

[kaberett]

Sure. Happy to change later if that makes things easier for you!

[alee_grrl]

Thank you! We'll slot you in for Wednesday.

[jjhunter]

I am super excited for this, by the way - I've heard live performances of 'How To Make Love To A Trans Person' before, and it is like electricity switching on the audience.

[bookblather]

I really, really, really really want to do something for this week--I'm an ace queer woman and it means SO MUCH to me--but I have nothing in mind as yet. Can I tentatively claim Friday and get back to you on a topic?

[alee_grrl]

You bet.

[bookblather]

I figured it out! I'm going to be talking about emotional intimacy vs. sexual intimacy and how they don't always have to be the same thing, probably using the poetry of Adrienne Rich but that's not final yet.

[alee_grrl]

Yay! That sounds awesome. :)

[jjhunter]

I would like to take Monday, June 17th, for posting collaboratively written sonnets on the theme of secrecy / intimacy. If anyone wants to join me in surreptitiously writing them, please check out this post: Covert Collaboration Challenge.

[alee_grrl]

Whee! That sounds like it is going to be a fun read. :)

[jjhunter]

Alas, the Society needs to push our posting date back by one so that we can finish off our sonnets.

[jjhunter]

Whoops - forgot to add in the url for that hyperlink. Click here to for details re: the 'Covert Collaboration Challenge'.

Anyone want to collaborate?

[alee_grrl]

I'll take Tuesday if no one else wants it, and maybe Saturday if someone wants to collaborate on a post.

Post topics I'm thinking about for those who might be interested in collaborating:

1: how poetry's format lends itself to creating intimacy
2: using poetry to heal emotional intimacy and trust violation/damaged pathways

Re: Anyone want to collaborate?

[alee_grrl]

Arg. Am going to have to switch my post to Saturday. This weekend has been rough and I am not certain I can get a post together by Tuesday.

Re: Anyone want to collaborate?

[jjhunter]

No worries! Do what you need to do.

Re: Anyone want to collaborate?

[jjhunter]

And I hear untonuggan wants to collaborate?

Re: Anyone want to collaborate?

[alee_grrl]

That would be awesome! :)

[raze]

If there's still no-one for Thursday, might I make a post about friendship as a form of intimacy featuring friendship poetry?

[poetree_admin]

That would be super awesome! Thursday is yours. :)

[jjhunter]

Neat - looking forward to it!