Keangaroo's Weekly Roundup

Friday has come 'round faster than ever. A week ago today my sister nearly died of pulmonary edema but she summoned an ambulance and managed to recover, after giving us all a big scare. My mind has hardly been at Steemit, but I did check in at least once a day.

What was the most unusual find of the week?

Comics! Graphic Novels!

@jpgaltmiller

POLIS: The Trial of Socrates - Graphic Novel Update - First Colored Page!

A historical graphic novel that examines the events that led up to the trial and execution of Socrates in ancient Athens.
Previously I uploaded the inked page. However, I'm now working with Luca Blugheroni for the coloring, and I wanted to show off the finished spread page. (I've done the lettering. I may hire a better letterer down the road once I get the book funded on Kickstarter.) What do you think?!

@huslein

How to Draw John Snow with Charcoal Pencil

()

Nonfiction

tends to get less attention in a community full of creatives. (Memoirs: No. Won't read 'em unless it's the equivalent of "Black Elk Speaks.")

@geekorner

Handling Flashback Scenes and Respecting Your Audience

Using anime and other contemporary examples, and classic literary examples as well, @geekorner, aka Thundergod, argues against the use of flashbacks except in certain circumstances.

... I am not fond of flashbacks which seem to me as an overly heavy tool to make sure I don't miss the emotional impact of a scene, and wish authors and directors trusted me more as a watcher, but...

But what? Click on the link and see for yourself.

For a mind-boggling look (photos included!) at what keeps our leader Jess busy, don't miss

@jrhughes

A Room Reborn - aka "Where the Hell has Jess Been?"

"A lot of people across the state follow the restoration online," Jess commented, "as they were either born here or they're related to the family that built the house."

Restoring this old, historic home is a labor of love. As I commented to Jess, "Your work is a legacy - preserving a treasure, an heirloom, not just for you, but whoever drives by and sees this bit of history still standing."

---

I often say the truth is so unbelievable, or so horrifying, our real-life stories are best told in the guise of fiction. Crime stories sell so well already, I don't feel called to fictionalize my sister's story. Someday, maybe.

Same week my sister was in the hospital, the cold case of our oldest sister Julie popped up at a blog, which I stumbled across by chance, and it moved me to write about this find.

Ten "Unbelievable Unsolved Murders": My sister made the list

The weather this week is also eerily similar to the sunny, blue-sky, cold-damp-earth March day of Julie's funeral. It's been 42 years since she went six feet under, and still, I'm not ready to "go there" in fiction.

Julie was killed two weeks before her nineteenth birthday, but it does my heart good to see other young women celebrating their next year older, especially in exotic and adventurous settings like

@abyni

Islands -ORIGINAL SONG!- by Abyni

So right after my 15th birthday, we moved onto a sailboat where we lived until a few months after my 16th birthday.

I taught myself the ukulele and the guitar while I was on the boat and wrote some songs as well.

Notice the Byn there done that line in the corner?

Yes, @abyni is the daughter of our own oft-mentioned @byn!

Back to darker subjects. Oh those poets!

@abaz

Man’s Inhumanity to Man

*I look down from the Rock
Smoke of human carnage filled the air
Loud wailings rented the air...

....Human beings became roasted by humans
I saw them struggle with death
The gasoline served as catalyst
The khaki boys came down with a vengeance
The city of Tiv-Jukun became desolate
And still I looked from the Rock
With tears gushing like the fountain...

There's more. What a scene of horror! Reminds me of a Hieronymus Bosch or a Breughel painting (which Breughel, which spelling, I never recall).

Note that @abaz credits @larkenrose -"Her work really inspired me" - Time Honored Tyrant, Part 1 of 3

I love the insights of this poet:

@uniwhisp

Throwback Poem-Off: The Silent Question - original poem

It's interesting how poems written by me so long ago in some ways seem like they were written by a different person. In truth - I was different - although I suppose, at the heart, the same. How wonderful would it be to be able to go back and talk to the uniwhisp who wrote this...have a conversation about poetic choices, and ask questions that would reveal thoughts I'm sure I've long since forgotten....
My partner-in-poems, @mitchelljaworski, kept this last round from falling back into the abyss of bitterness, so we've found ourselves in the realm of lighthearted lyrics for now.

She also writes,

What's a poem-off, you ask? Just a little thang that started a little bit ago. I read a poem that @mitchelljaworski posted, from his old-school writing days. It reminded me of all of my old-school poems, so I challenged him to see if we could go turn-for-turn and repost long-lost words from the vaults of time. No rules apply, and new stuff might just make the mix. Check it out, y'all. Follow the links down the rabbit hole...

Here's a sneak preview:

The Silent Question
To tell you a secret
Rich and deep
Kept within
Now unreleased
Should you draw close
A risk, a chance
Be brave, my love
In case I can't …..

Fiction!

@debbietiyan

A Scientist discovers an ape that can speak English in #twentyfourhourshortstory

Lots of great lines in this little thriller:

It was a normal commercial bus, packed by the roadside, it seemed to have only one occupant – the driver, and I walked up to the driver’s side of the window just as the driver was revving up the engine, to move.

Then....

The sound came before the darkness. I felt the sharp pain, but I saw the eyes before the blackout.

The huge orange eyes.

#Caturday came early this week!

@guytmartland

Hoover! Hoover!

What is going on this week in the mind of the mysterious, not-yet-named cat?

*The Slaves have returned. And it now seems as if they are intent on torturing me.

Oh no! They torture him how?

For your information, I am fully aware that hoover is a type of vacuum-cleaner, a trade name if you like... And their prevalence means you know exactly to what I refer. In any case, my Slaves have something they call a Dyson, which is equally horrendous.

Previous episodes: 1) The Gift , 2) If they only knew… and 3) The Suitcase Sign. Just click on @guytmartland and you'll find them all.

And for now, I'll stop. If I get time, I'll write a weekend Bonus post. Click on that hashtag #isleofwrite in any of these posts to see who else in this community is busy creating poetry, art, music, fiction, and more!