#verseday Patriotism

#verseday is a Twitter hashtag I came up with to promote poetry writing. I invite Twitter people to suggest poetry topics by noon Eastern each Thursday. Participants must then draft poems by noon Eastern Friday. The resulting poems can be submitted anywhere.

Even if you've never written a poem before, you're invited. Taking the time to think poetically can help your creativity on other projects. If you'd like to participate, tweet your topics, tagged #verseday, by noon Thursday, June 28. My topic this week is patriotism.

Write a poem about patriotism by noon Friday, June 29.

Murderati: The Pace of Prose

I commented on David Corbett's post about whether a writer's success can be measured by quantity or quality.

At The 5-2: "Pantoum by a Puzzled Policeman" by Dorothy James

Enjoy.

The deadline for an original poem inspired by Raymond Chandler or Philip Marlowe is this Sunday, July 1. Please pass the word to anyone interested.

Spread the word about The 5-2 on your site with these promotional graphics.

Also, California Casualty Insurance, which named The 5-2 a top law enforcement blog, presents this profile of The 5-2.

Get 5-2 updates on Twitter @PJPress.

New 5-2 T-Shirts

Revamping my CafePress shop, I've made a small line of products for you who enjoy The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly and want to spread the word without breaking the bank. The t-shirt pictured, the main product, is only $11.

Now through June 28, use the coupon code, INDEPEN60, for $15 off orders of $60 or more. (An order of $73 could buy you one of every 5-2 product: t-shirt, cap, tote bag, gym bag, mug, and calendar poster.)

And speaking of spreading the word, feel free to add 5-2 promotional graphics to your website.

Heroes Behind The Badge

Seeing The 5-2 had been selected as a top law enforcement blog by California Casualty Insurance, retired Miami-Dade Police Lt. Bill Erfurth asked me to spread the word about a documentary film he's working on, Heroes Behind The Badge.

You can view the trailer below. When completed, fifty percent of the film's proceeds will go to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. More about Heroes Behind The Badge is on Facebook, Twitter, and in this news story.

Meanwhile, there are still a few days left to vote for The 5-2 to win California Casualty's June competition and a $200 donation to the American Red Cross.

The Heat Overwhelms the Thunder

I wanted Oklahoma City to foil Miami in the NBA Finals. I don't resent Miami's big three. LeBron's departure from Cleveland wasn't the first time I'd seen a sports hero alienate his hometown fanbase. My issue with Miami's big three was that none of them were that big physically. On paper, the Heat can't match up with the more traditionally balanced team the Thunder appeared to be, and paying so much salary to three players prohibits the Heat from improving their bench.

The Heat proved conventional wisdom wrong, but that's the best reason to watch sports, for unpredictable outcomes, for personal performances that defy the odds. I wanted the Lakers to beat the Bulls in the 1990-91 Finals that ended in Michael Jordan's first championship. I wanted the Red Sox to lose in 2004. Neither happened. You may want to continue throwing cold water on the Heat, but if you don't acknowledge they won this year's title by a wide margin, you are deeply in denial.

I've Finally Seen: MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS

The stars aligned for me to see the movie yesterday, almost seven weeks after it premiered, with one friend who had taken the day off for his daughter's pre-k graduation and another who had made time on a two-week swing into New York from Wisconsin.

In short, I thought the movie handled the tough task of showing how great individual characters would bounce off each other and eventually gel together. I'd seen Joss Whedon pull off nuanced team-building on BUFFY, ANGEL, and FIREFLY, yet I wondered how it would happen for Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton. Great characters are great because they seem like no other.

Don Bellisario Sues CBS

While following up on the rumor that Linda Hunt was leaving NCIS: Los Angeles, I came across the April 28 news that NCIS creator Don Bellisario was suing CBS over NCIS: Los Angeles.

From a personal standpoint, I'm glad to get any insight into what Bellisario thinks of the spinoff. I hadn't heard anything from him since he stepped down as NCIS showrunner in 2007. While I've remained a fan of NCIS, I can't help wondering where Bellisario would have taken it. (It's quite possible the show would have run aground had tensions between Bellisario and Mark Harmon persisted.)

Both Bellisario and CBS claim to be supported by contract language. However the case turns out, it does seem one worth hearing.

UPDATES: On June 21, 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon ruled in favor of CBS under a 2006 agreement between the studio and Bellisario. However, Bellisario may re-focus his suit based on a 1992 agreement.

On January 18, 2013, a week before the scheduled start of a trial, Bellisario and CBS settled.

#verseday Summer

#verseday is a Twitter hashtag I came up with to promote poetry writing. I invite Twitter people to suggest poetry topics by noon Eastern each Thursday. Participants must then draft poems by noon Eastern Friday. The resulting poems can be submitted anywhere.

Even if you've never written a poem before, you're invited. Taking the time to think poetically can help your creativity on other projects. If you'd like to participate, tweet your topics, tagged #verseday, by noon Thursday, June 21. My topic this week is summer.

Write a poem about summer by noon Friday, June 22.

At The 5-2: Robert Cooperman's "Lily Bartell, About To Be Murdered..."

Cooperman returns with a Western poem. Thanks again to longtime friend of The 5-2 Nancy Scott, who stepped up to record the poem as my computer time was limited last week.

I'm currently seeking a poem inspired by Raymond Chandler or Philip Marlowe for the week of Chandler's birthday, July 23-29. Submission deadline is July 1.

California Casualty Insurance has selected The 5-2 as a top Law Enforcement blog. If we win the June vote, California Casualty will make a $200 donation to the American Red Cross on our behalf.

If you're on Twitter, feel free to spread the word about The 5-2 and tweet your comments on 5-2 poetry to @PJPress

Finally, I'd like your opinions and suggestions on some 5-2 t-shirt designs. Feel free to e-mail me or use the Comment form below.

Father's Day

My father was a pediatric surgeon who was often called into work in the wee hours of the morning, on weekends, and holidays. He was also an avid gardener and fisherman, and though I never warmed to these hobbies, he was very present in my life.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1995 (at age 61) and underwent surgery that gave him five more years. I wish we'd had more time together, but he remains present in my humor, my discipline, and probably countless other qualities.

Happy Father's Day, everyone.

My New Supporting Role

I've just been elected vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society for 2012–14, and will take office July 1. Having served as president from 2008 to 2010, I now look forward to supporting President-Elect Tom Sweeney and Awards Coordinator-Elect Tony Rudzki, representing a genre I love.

THE LOST ONES by Ace Atkins

Atkins' Edgar®-nominated THE RANGER ended with Deputy Lillie Virgil prodding Quinn Colson to run for sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi. Having recently won election in THE LOST ONES, Quinn is confronted with two complex cases, one involving fugitive foster parents with eleven young children in tow, the other involving Donnie Varner, a disgruntled Afghanistan veteran looking to sell stolen weapons to Mexican drug dealers. On the homefront, Quinn has to deal with the reappearance of his sister, Caddy, who claims to have found religion, and wants Quinn to revisit a painful episode of their childhood.

THE LOST ONES shines in its moral complexity. Donnie is a reflection of what Quinn might have become had his uncle and the Army not straightened him out, but he isn't all black-hat villain, nor is the alluring drug dealer he falls for, nor the fugitive foster mother. Because none of the characters can be reduced to type, at no point can you assume how things play out. You have to keep reading, keep watching which way the characters turn. There is no better suspense.

I Have the Power!

I'm back to spontaneous blogging and regular computer use, having received and installed my replacement power supply battery today. I think I'll go for a walk.

#verseday Power Outage

#verseday is a Twitter hashtag I came up with to promote poetry writing. I invite Twitter people to suggest poetry topics by noon Eastern each Thursday. Participants must then draft poems by noon Eastern Friday. The resulting poems can be submitted anywhere.

Even if you've never written a poem before, you're invited. Taking the time to think poetically can help your creativity on other projects. If you'd like to participate, tweet your topics, tagged #verseday, by noon Thursday, June 14. My topic this week, inspired by my current predicament, is power outage/blackout.

Write a poem about a power outage by noon Friday, June 15.

Performer Needed for The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly

My UPS battery hasn't shipped yet, so I'm still on limited computer time per day and scrambling to find a female reader for the June 18th 5-2 poem, Robert Cooperman's "Lily Bartell, About To Be Murdered..." (narrated by the character Lily).

Email g_so AT yahoo DOT com if interested, and I'll send you the poem to read. I would need your recording by Sunday, June 17th. You can either email me an audio file or call my dedicated voicemail to record. Also email me your bio, so I can credit the reader whose recording I choose as a Voice of The 5-2.

Thanks in advance for your help.

UPDATE: Nancy Scott has agreed to record the poem. If you're interested in recording future poems, please email me.

Sharapova Wins French Open to Earn Career Grand Slam

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Saturday, I caught the second half of the French Open women's final that saw Maria Sharapova complete a career Grand Slam in eight years (2004 Wimbledon, 2006 U.S. Open, 2008 Australian Open, 2012 French Open).

This latest was a mismatch, scrappy but lighter-hitting Italian Sara Errani having beaten some of the best to earn her spot. Still, Sharapova's victory attests to her endurance, proving yet again she's more than looks.

Waiting for BackUPS

We had a three-minute power outage around ten A.M. yesterday. I was watching the French Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but my computer was on as usual and went down right away, the battery in my uninterruptible power supply having served three and a half years.

As I wait for a new battery this week, I'll be offline several hours a day to limit the time I could be hit by power surges. I do have THE LOST ONES, Ace Atkins' sequel to THE RANGER, to finish reading. Also arriving are COVERT AFFAIRS Season 2 and WHITE COLLAR Season 3 on DVD.

At The 5-2: "Ed Gein" by Alec Cizak

This week, Indianapolis writer and Pulp Modern editor Alec Cizak's poem about Wisconsin killer and body snatcher Ed Gein.

I'm currently seeking a poem inspired by Raymond Chandler or Philip Marlowe for the week of Chandler's birthday, July 23-29. Submission deadline is July 1.

California Casualty Insurance has selected The 5-2 as a top Law Enforcement blog. If we win the June vote, California Casualty will make a $200 donation to the American Red Cross on our behalf.

If you're on Twitter, feel free to spread the word about The 5-2 and tweet your comments on 5-2 poetry to @PJPress

Finally, I'd like your opinions and suggestions on some 5-2 t-shirt designs. Feel free to e-mail me or use the Comment form below.

#verseday Video Games

#verseday is a Twitter hashtag I came up with to promote poetry writing. I invite Twitter people to suggest poetry topics by noon Eastern each Thursday. Participants must then draft poems by noon Eastern Friday. The resulting poems can be submitted anywhere.

Even if you've never written a poem before, you're invited. Taking the time to think poetically can help your creativity on other projects. If you'd like to participate, tweet your topics, tagged #verseday, by noon Thursday, June 7. My topic this week is video games.

Write a poem about a video game by noon Friday, June 8.

California Casualty Blog Awards

California Casualty Insurance has chosen The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly as a top blog for law enforcement officers. During the month of June, you can vote for The 5-2 in a charity competition with other top blogs. If we win, California Casualty will donate $200 to the the American Red Cross.

At The 5-2: "The Widower" by William Dylan Powell

From Texas noir writer Powell, this haiku of a homicidal husband.

Also, I'm seeking an original poem inspired by Raymond Chandler or Philip Marlowe to publish the week of July 23. Submit by July 1 to be considered.

Not My Type

Members of the Short Mystery Fiction Society are sharing typewriter memories. I was neither very fast nor proficient with a typewriter, and was always conscious of how much paper I wasted. Luckily, by the time I had to type term papers, several relatives were on their way to becoming programmers, and I had access to computers and printers.

Working on a magazine in college, I had basic knowledge of MS Word and ClarisWorks, but always preferred WordPerfect.

I've been a Linux/OpenOffice user since 2004. I bought my current computer new for $800 in 2006 and in six years of system updates, it has never slowed down like my two previous Windows machines.

All this said, I brainstorm with a pen and memo pad, which might be conspicuous in public if people ever looked up from their laptops and smartphones.