h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bonnie Irish Lass, is how they'd say it, right?
In any case dear Jen, thought I'd drop you a personal line this morn. Read a few of your late night (for me) posts in POETRY.
Beautiful, Brilliant, and Stark.
To be frank, everything I like about MY poetry (no, THAT'S not conceited is it...lol), without my flare for angry adjectives.
You have a bare-bones style, almost a way of speaking to the reader. I notice I tend to show, yet your dissertations effectively portray your feelings.
Always (almost, none of us are perfect, I think?) a pleasure madame, always a pleasure.

The North of the Nevada Desert,

Johnathon

Kind Sir, Sweet John,

I've been meaning to drop by and thank you personally for all the honest, encouraging and personable feedback you've showered on me. Really honoured that you have taken the time and I 'do', (your astute observation - tá), place extreme value on your opinion. It means alot. That above description is just like me, (I wish!), less angry though. Don't intend to convert into female Incredible Hulk, as yet!

ANYWAY, I am compelled by the thrust, tone and temperament of your own work. I've only posted comment on a few so far, but have scanned others that I would like more time with. Your style is so unique, raw and inspirational, lyrically crude at times, but always with an essence of pure force, brilliance and brutal beauty. It is hypnotic and magnetic with a sense of outrage and shock-tactic. Mind you, you are obsessed with the dark side of debauchery, loneliness and the creative craft, told in a real voice which is hard to ignore! Makes me want to dig deeper and delve into those recesses of the mind. It is courageous, naked and flesh-fired writing. (Sounds like an extra from 'LOTR').
Bottom line is though, you've got my attention. Surprised you're not doing this for a living. Some of the drivel I have to read (book reviews for papers), nevermind the crap that actually gets published and hits the Top Ten bestsellers, it does make you wonder! Another time to rant, perhaps.
I just wish you'd stop posting for a wee while so I can catch up on the reading! Do you write them off the cuff there as? Me curious.

Re: "Read a few of your late night (for me) posts in poetry"
The poems or the night?!
Have you read the post on 'MFV' from fellow patriot? Interesting! Wee one there for u2.
Anyway, the pleasure is all mine, all mine! Thanks again, armchair man!
I bid thee goodnight (4:09am), or good morning with you. I think I've bestowed enough words of praise on thine Desert head for the time being!
I have work to do for 9am, unfinished-barely started, and have had no sleep for two days. Coffee and cigarettes have been my playmates.
Be good, Sir Mecca, I'll be back!

PenJen
xx

Coffee and cigarettes are the life-blood of a writer. I drink coffee like it's going out of style, and smoke just the same.
Tell you a few funny bits about the Mecca-Man:
First off, went and read my 'fellow patriots' post on MFV. Funny, well-written (both of you). Little secret(I know HSJ rather well! That should tickle the old mind a wee bit).
Irish-Americans- Funny, and true. So many people in this country wish for Irish heritage. Not sure if it's the ability to drink beer, the cool hair color, or the accent, but it certainly is prevalent. I, however, am an amalgamation of French, Welsh, tiny bit o' the English, and Scottish. Really funny thing being, I'm short, stocky, drink a lot, and have the most orange hair and beard. Everyone THINKS I'm Irish, and admittedly, I don't always correct them.
Would love to do this for a living, but writing, poetry especially, I've heard is such a difficult field to break into. The only writing career I ever pursued with any regularity or honest effort, was writing comics.
(incidentally, did you know some of the most famous writers and artists in American Comics hail from the Imperial Island and your own Emerald Shores? I'll throw out a few names, you tell me if they're recognizable:
Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Dave Gibbons, Jamie Delano, Carlos Ezquarra.)
Well, that's what you get for now, I'll be talking to you soon my dear.
Top o' (my) mornin' to ye!...as it were.


Johnathon

How 'WELL' to you know the 'scrunchy' man?! Don't think I want the answer to that! I have a image of a 'Kafka-like-one-bordering-on-child-thief-man' out of 'Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang'. Blame this freaky vision due to sleep deprivation and an overdose of caffeine and nicotine. (Should've hit the sack hours ago. Working Wed 9am-7:45pm in Library). Turning-strongly-brewed-with-ashen-face-and-twirls-of-smoke-smothering-my-senses...

Yet, you're a mixed breed! Say your wit is Scottish, at least, and the charm is French. But how can four nationalities, five if count USA, spurn a red-headed desert man? You know 'scrunchy' because you use same barbers for beard-trim, perhaps? AND you'd like to be deemed Irish!

I'm 110% Irish, and from profile page and one of posted poems, therein lies the physique of Jen. There is not a 'orange-redhead' within 10 miles of here. A rarity in these parts and no soft brogue accents either. Disappointed?
I, too, drink a lot, talk a lot, smoke too much and drink some more. Then one for the road...

How do you write comics? Elaborate. Do you draw also? Did I read in a piece of yours, or somewhere, that you're into interior design/architecture? Or am I really suffering the relentingness of sleep trepidation...

Off hand, the names that seem familiar are: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Dave Gibbons, especially the Gaiman guy (has he written childrens' sci-fi?). Possibly know of them only because I work with books on daily basis. Yet I didn't know the Grateful Dead Garcia, only my Andy. He STILL hasn't called... tut

There is a market for your style of writing, yet sadly, I hate to break it to you, but poetry is a non-earner in publishing and bookselling arena. Unless, you're dead, have won the Poet Laureate (Ted Hughes), Nobel Prize for Lit (Seamus Heaney - who went to school with my Dad; that's not saying that you have to go to school with my Dad to win the Nobel Prize to sell poetry. Just buy him a pint (my dad, not Heaney), that'll do him rightly), or on school/university reading lists (all the other known poets still dead, some alive). Most all the poetry we stock in bookshop is self-published and relatives and friends purchase them only. Your 'poetry' seems more prose-like though, as does my own. I'm sure there is a word for the mix of both forms, besides rambling rants. We can continue this spiel at another time. I have a particular author in mind who I think you would appreciate and enjoy, due to your style and content. He's Irish, (and from Derry), Sean O'Reilly: 'Love and Sleep' and 'The Swing of Things'. Read both. Absolutely brilliant. Not to everyone's taste though. He has published two best-selling novels and a collection of short stories and very poetic and stark in his style. Check him out on: amazon.co.uk Will elaborate at another time. Brain fried and thoughts too tired tonight.

Had intended reading some of your, and others, works tonight, but opted for poetry as felt I had to give back a little and it seemed an easier forum tonight. Forgive me, but am knackered and it's now 2:54am. Promise to return the favour this weekend, with a fag in one hand and a bottle in the other! Didn't see anything posted up from you today. The piece in 'life writing' is brilliant 'The God Father'! Did you have to denounce the Devil for the role? I had to three times, am God Mother to three boys, the little divils that they are themselves! Down with Religion.

Jaysus, this is way too long! My apologies for the streaming of semiconsciousness... You shouldn't have sent that first message...

How many hours are you behind our time? I've a brother in Baltimore and friends in NY, six & five hours respectively for them.

Will leave it at that, Sir Mecca. Get crafty and creative and shall speak soon. The bed needs me. I need it. Where is it?
'And miles and miles to go before I sleep...' Frost?
Take care.

PenJen