Published works:
Poetry: “Rex Dies"
The Examined Life Journal
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
2018/19 Issue
Short Fiction: “Tortoise Meta Stone"
Fugue: a journal of prose and poetry.
University of Idaho MFA Journal
2018 Winter print issue # 53
Non-Fiction: “A Dozen Years in Boulder”
Shakti Yoga Journal, 1st Place in Winter Writing Contest. 12/2014
Poetry: “The Moon Also Rises”
Elephant Journal, 4/2014
Non-Fiction Gender Fun: “Ten Reasons You Should Try Cross-Dressing"
Elephant journal 3/2014
Philosophy: “The Non-Identity Problem, Overpopulation and the Quality of Life" *
Accepted and Published, Fourth Annual Cross-disciplinary Consortium. 12/2011
Unpublished works:
Poetry: “Rex Dies"
The Examined Life Journal
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
2018/19 Issue
Short Fiction: “Tortoise Meta Stone"
Fugue: a journal of prose and poetry.
University of Idaho MFA Journal
2018 Winter print issue # 53
Non-Fiction: “A Dozen Years in Boulder”
Shakti Yoga Journal, 1st Place in Winter Writing Contest. 12/2014
Poetry: “The Moon Also Rises”
Elephant Journal, 4/2014
Non-Fiction Gender Fun: “Ten Reasons You Should Try Cross-Dressing"
Elephant journal 3/2014
Philosophy: “The Non-Identity Problem, Overpopulation and the Quality of Life" *
Accepted and Published, Fourth Annual Cross-disciplinary Consortium. 12/2011
Unpublished works:
~Book: "Once and Again: Literature for Adults Grown Young" is a collection of short stories written for the purpose of reading aloud to elders with dementia or cognitive deficits. As it is written for a general audience, it is written at about the 5th grade level. The cadence and content of the stories are often relaxing. As I have worked with so many people experiencing "sundowning," intense agitation, or delusions of a past violent experience from their life (like war), these stories can be used to facilitate shifting out of that space.
This book is unpublished mainly because I'm tired of editing it and getting a book published is nearly impossible. It's not the type of fiction I prefer to write, but it serves a purpose in my eldercare work.
~Most of the material on this blog.
Not on this Blog:
Short Fiction: “The Misconception" is tale about a poly-amorous lesbian living communally who suddenly becomes pregnant by immaculate conception. Magical realism. 7K word count.
Short Fiction: “Three of Swords" utilizes the pronoun "zhe/zir" for the main character to illustrate the metaphysical dimensions of being outside but bearing witness to perfunctory coupling and its predictable demise. This is a story about the inevitable tragedies of love and relationship. Philosophical Horror. 1500K word count.
Short Fiction: “Found: A Trans-lation of an Animated World" is a three-chapter novella employing five different gender neutral pronouns. This is a world in which every living being is conscious and given a point of view, even moths, fleas, and fungi.
Poetry: Several titles, too many to name. Honorable mentions (because I spent months editing them): “Moonfire" and “Santa Barbara Rough Villanelle for the Death of my Father"
~Most of the material on this blog.
Not on this Blog:
Short Fiction: “The Misconception" is tale about a poly-amorous lesbian living communally who suddenly becomes pregnant by immaculate conception. Magical realism. 7K word count.
Short Fiction: “Three of Swords" utilizes the pronoun "zhe/zir" for the main character to illustrate the metaphysical dimensions of being outside but bearing witness to perfunctory coupling and its predictable demise. This is a story about the inevitable tragedies of love and relationship. Philosophical Horror. 1500K word count.
Short Fiction: “Found: A Trans-lation of an Animated World" is a three-chapter novella employing five different gender neutral pronouns. This is a world in which every living being is conscious and given a point of view, even moths, fleas, and fungi.
Poetry: Several titles, too many to name. Honorable mentions (because I spent months editing them): “Moonfire" and “Santa Barbara Rough Villanelle for the Death of my Father"
2022
This blog is over a decade old! (although it has been renamed from"Philsophia Poetica")
Do professionals have amateur writing blogs? I don't even know anyone with a blog anymore. The intent of this blog was always to share my writing and some critiques or essays. Not memes. Not news or contrite gibberish, although I'm sure there's some of the latter here. This is where I get to be as pretentious as I can be :)
Also I wrote a book of short stories recently. No one has read it--I mean, no one reads this blog either, lol. I think it's more important to me to write than whether anyone reads anything. I occasionally publish and write in this blog--that's a hell of a lot more than Emily Dickinson dared.
Apparently, I'm a professional now. I didn't quite realize becoming a Religious Naturalist hospital chaplain would be so...amazing. My dream was to write novels, poetry, and maybe talk to humans sometimes. Now I talk to them a lot, but it's not loathsome. There is every indication my writing will continue and deepen.
Friends and People (understandably) do not quite know wtf I do as a hospital chaplain. All I can say is that it is the most meaningful and beautiful privilege to work with patients and families in all the ways I get to work with them. You can look up what a hospital chaplain does, but I will say it has nothing to do with proselytizing. I feel protective of it, both for the patients and the people on the outside who aren't in touch with death and crisis everyday. I want to say it's like the practice of Philosophy or Active Philosophy, but I actually spend the most time listening to people, or looking around under a hospital bed for someone's lost glasses. Non-Christian lesbians are usually not chaplains, but in Boulder it works.
At this point in time I am writing a lot less fun stuff :( No talking fungus, or people crucifying each other as they fall in love. Just the normal stuff for internships and "growth" whatever. Eventually I'll get time to write fun stuff again. And some times it comes out anyway, and maybe it will show up here. I have a few things that have made it out of the Notes app to Word and might be coming this way. I'm tried of editing my book and it's basically fermenting right now in the cellars of my computer.
What am I reading? That's really what's important here. I graduated and now I get to read FICTION again!!! This was really exciting for me. Of course, I don't only read fiction but so much non-fiction can be summed up within a pithy paragraph that it's silly to read the books to completion. Plus, non-fiction has these terrible tropes they use over and over. I could be reading a book by a renowned Buddhist Lama and at some point that author is going to mention "the executive" they helped, and then there's the shady statistics and the bad arguments they use. Unless it's some genius stuff, I skip to the conclusions in academic journals. I like mycology and entomology too, but whatever.
I'll get back to modern stuff but currently I am re-reading my favorite novels. So far I have re-read "The Razor's Edge" by Somerset Maugham and am currently reading "The Brothers Karamazov" again.
This year so far:
"Air Logic" by Laurie Marks!!!! The last book of the Elemental Logic series finally came out a few years ago and I missed it somehow. Discovering this book was out and I could finish the best written LGBT fantasy books I've ever read was almost as great as reading it. This was my favorite of the elements (of course, much love to my air witches).
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Lars Whatever and okay. Why couldn't she be gay? Modern books where the females aren't gay, I just can't.
Sally Rooney's books "Normal People" and "Conversations with Friends." Her writing style is interesting. Coversations had actual lesbians? Def. needed more gay.
"Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (I read this for a class but learned a lot!)
"Gilgamesh" the ancient epic--this was an interesting read. It is one of the most ancient epic or maybe the oldest and there's a lot of familiar characters! Precursor for Horus and Jesus, the Vedas, etc. Gigamesh was totes gay.
"The Tao Te Ching" translation by Stephen Dyer. This might not be the most accurate but it is at least poetic and soothing. I still haven't finished it.
"The Weight of Glory" essays by C.S. Lewis. Still working on this and enjoying it, though I'm not sure I understand some of it, as it is premised on an understanding of Christian history and theology that I am unfamiliar with--plus I am far removed from his era.
"Ritual" by Malidoma Somé --always enlightening to read Somé's translations to the west on his African indigenous way of being and perceiving. All my life is immersed in my literacy, but not all of my mind or spirit is and there is some wisdom there that resists theory or logic.
"The Rabbi's Cat" by Joane Sfar--A very delightful read, indeed.
"Red Tara Commentary" Chagdud Khadro, mainly for my Red Tara practice
"The Art of War," I like falling asleep listening to it. I am a pacifist but for some reason it resonates.
"Shared Wisdom: use of the self and pastoral care and counseling" by Pamela Cooper-White. This is obviously for work but I am enjoying it. It goes over the history of psychology regarding counter-transference and puts forth for a postmodern theory embracing the practice.
"In the Dream House" by Carmen Machado, I attempted but it reminded me of my abusive ex and I don't need to relive that stuff. Yes, even lesbians are cruel when they're alcoholics. Life lesson learned!
...and whatever french translations of Guy de Maupassant I pick up in the Allen Ginsberg Library or download from free sources.
2021
i'm in grad school and working in hospitals during the pandemic AAAHHHH
2020
I write stuff and sometimes it ends up here. What am I doing? Lately:
Currently, I am a Master's of Divinity candidate at one of the few Buddhist universities in the U.S.--Naropa University.
Reading stuff: Not counting school texts Last summer 2020 I read: (NO Buddhist texts! :)
"Irish Fairy Tales" by James Stephens--great read and listen on audible! Beautiful prose. "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman--decent selection of the Norse myths written in a fun light style. I have a new appreciation for Loki.
Books from the Old and New Testament: Job, Psalms, Song of Solomon, John--I've never read the Bible before and previous attempts ended quickly. The New Oxford Annotated Bible gave me a lot of context clues that I lacked. It was interesting only in that I've been hearing about these stories all my life and but just couldn't quite bring myself to read them. It was like finally watching Game of Thrones after listening to people talk about it for thirty years. Morbid, gory, terrible ending, bad character development, etc. But now I know.
"The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens" by Morgan Daimler. A small but densely packed text exploring the Celtic myths involving the triple Goddess of war, death, prophecy, ravens, etc. Really loved this book for it's info and insight.
The Colorado State Constitution and a bunch of interesting history on classism, racism, and zoning laws in the U.S. and some court cases on occupancy laws over the years. It turns out the fight to live in a co-op or non-nuclear family/alternative household has been going on for decades and essentially has been squashed in various places over and over. As a person without family, not trying to procreate or even live with a lover (I prefer to live separately so far) and someone who likes living with others--well it's not the future yet.
A bunch of other random texts that I can't remember. A lot of books on Boundaries, the tarot, part of War and Peace, part of a Celtic Mythology book, and a failed attempt at "Gravity's Rainbow," and some short stories by Carmen Machado.
Read some Iris Murdoch and it was delicious. (There was more here one time. Where'd it go?)
Fiction: "Tortoise Meta Stone"
Fugue: a journal of prose and poetry.
Winter print issue # 53
Non-Fiction: “A Dozen Years in Boulder”
Shakti Yoga Journal, 1st Place in Winter Writing Contest. 12/2014
Poetry: “The Moon Also Rises”
Elephant Journal, 4/2014
Gender Fun: "Ten Reasons You Should Try Cross-Dressing"
Elephant journal 3/2014
Philosophy: "The Non-Identity Problem, Overpopulation and the Quality of Life" *
Accepted and Published, Fourth Annual Cross-disciplinary Consortium. 12/2011
2018
Blake Stone: "I still exist, weeeeeeee. This Blog is now getting old, but it might get updated soon. What happened was that I realized I cannot publish things publicly on my blog and still meet qualifications for submissions to get published IRL. They all want the freshies and if it's been on a blog it's not virginal enough, I suppose. I've paused on writing poetry and have switched to fiction for a while. Also my father died and my writing had to take more personal dive for a while.
My return to poetry--TBDB (To Be decided, (B,W)itches). "
2017
Blake currently teaches vinyasa and community classes at Earth in Boulder, CO. Zhe also teaches Queer Yoga occasionally.
---
Blake spends all zir time either sleeping or working night shift.
ZZZZZZZZ
---
Blake lives in Boulder, CO and yes, was once pronounced a bachelor of philosophy by the scepter of some chancellor at the University of Colorado, Boulder in a stadium named for cheap beer. Ze lives with cats and housemates, works at a place (this is the internet, sorry stalkers), drives a scooter, and wears a lot of soft things in the winter.
Published works:
Blake Stone: "I still exist, weeeeeeee. This Blog is now getting old, but it might get updated soon. What happened was that I realized I cannot publish things publicly on my blog and still meet qualifications for submissions to get published IRL. They all want the freshies and if it's been on a blog it's not virginal enough, I suppose. I've paused on writing poetry and have switched to fiction for a while. Also my father died and my writing had to take more personal dive for a while.
My return to poetry--TBDB (To Be decided, (B,W)itches). "
2017
Blake currently teaches vinyasa and community classes at Earth in Boulder, CO. Zhe also teaches Queer Yoga occasionally.
---
Blake spends all zir time either sleeping or working night shift.
ZZZZZZZZ
---
Blake lives in Boulder, CO and yes, was once pronounced a bachelor of philosophy by the scepter of some chancellor at the University of Colorado, Boulder in a stadium named for cheap beer. Ze lives with cats and housemates, works at a place (this is the internet, sorry stalkers), drives a scooter, and wears a lot of soft things in the winter.
Published works:
Poetry: “Rex Dies'
The Examined Life Literary Journal
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
2018/19 Printed Volume # 7
Fugue: a journal of prose and poetry.
Winter print issue # 53
Non-Fiction: “A Dozen Years in Boulder”
Shakti Yoga Journal, 1st Place in Winter Writing Contest. 12/2014
Poetry: “The Moon Also Rises”
Elephant Journal, 4/2014
Gender Fun: "Ten Reasons You Should Try Cross-Dressing"
Elephant journal 3/2014
Philosophy: "The Non-Identity Problem, Overpopulation and the Quality of Life" *
Accepted and Published, Fourth Annual Cross-disciplinary Consortium. 12/2011
