Sunday, August 20, 2006

The Z Project

I want to start a side project/side blog, but I'm not sure exactly what. I created one called Z Project (quite the blank slate, purposefully), so if anyone has any suggestions about what it should or could be, please give me some ideas.

Please leave your ideas here or at the Z Project.

I've had these ideas:

1) an online poetry publication for emerging and established Asian Pacific American poets

2) an organic, ongoing poem---write a few lines and pass it on. An entire blog as one poem

3) photographs of my cats

4) some sort of collaborative blog

5) an ongoing series of one question interviews with various poet-bloggers

17 comments:

Jessica Smith said...

i vote for 1, 2 or 5. as for your cats, don't you have a Flickr account? that's where it's at-- for cats.

Lee Herrick said...

thanks, Jessica. I'm getting antsy for something new, you know? I haven't looked into the Flickr account...but you're right about that & the cats.

btw, I read the review and (most of) the discussion about your book at RS's blog. It sounds like a great (and brave?) book...I've added it to my "to buy" list.

Emmy said...

I also like #'s 1, 2, & 5. Four too. And maybe the cats will appear somehow in whichever one you choose.

I feel the same way you do about feeling "antsy for something new" as I'm thinking of starting a new blog too. I say go with what will bring you the most joy through the challenge of it... what you will look forward to everyday.

I'm looking forward to it.

sume said...

I was thinking you could combine 1,2 and 5 with 3 and make a site for APA poetry about cats. I just realized though that I'm seriously over-caffeinated so nevermind.

Seriously though, I love the idea of combining 1,2 and 5.

Lee Herrick said...

Sume, thanks! Your idea wasn't so over-caffienated, or maybe I'm just right there with you. I'll come up with something.

Emmy, I like your idea and your advice. So, what are you think about in the way of a side project?

WannabeMe said...

I vote for #1 and #2 and #5. Maybe a combo of all three?

Bryan Thao Worra said...

The Z Project sounds great.

Glad you didn't take The Alan Parsons Project. That one's already taken.

Actually, the Z Project evokes images of giant robot anime in me for some reason, but I'll say maybe try Poetry written by Asian American Cats for Asian American Cats and go abstract on us for a while.

Ick on 2.

Or, else to paraphrase Dr. Evil: "Oh hell, let's just do what we always do: hijack a couple of nuclear warheads and hold the world hostage."

Emmy said...

Good to see you're getting lots of feedback.

I'm not sure yet about my new project. I'm now in another Texas town for the academic year away from my current blog's premise about place, so I might make a new blog. It's good to read your ideas to get inspired.

Looking forward to seeing what emerges with "Z Project."

Lee Herrick said...

Emmy, are you teaching somewhere? I'm eager to see what you come up with, since I really like your original blog.

And yes, everybody's ideas have been good/helpful. It's nice to just get people's feedback. I'm still not sure what will emerge (if anything) but I know that I can only post so many more Bush videos or Letterman Top Tens.

Dana and Jae Ran, thank you!

Bryan, man you're cracking me up over here. I have an image of a brown cat walking up to a mic, pulling off his cat-sunglasses, saying "ni hou ma," and reading some slam poetry about catnip and toy mice with no legs.

Alan Parsons Project. Yeah. Remember the song, "Games People Play?" Ah, the 80s.

daddy in a strange land said...

All are great ideas, and I hope a complete amateur would be able to participate. :) As for getting antsy for a side project b/c you're tired of posting humor forwards and YouTube videos, well, Lee, you know what I'm gonna say! :) There's always a place for you, writing you-know-where about you-know-what. ;) No pressure, though. :)

Lyle Daggett said...

Not to get too far off topic, but your comment about a cat at the open mike made me think of this --

Sometime a year or two ago on America's Funniest Home Videos, the showed a video clip of a cat, a large orange striped tabby type, wearing a bandana, and lip-synching -- and I mean *perfect* lip-synching -- to Bob Seger singing "Old Time Rock and Roll."

The cat's mouth moved in time to the music, its eyes were squinted shut, it's head bounced in time to the rhythm. I swear, it was the best rock video I've ever seen. I broke up laughing. I think if they'd given the cat a guitar, it could have played it.

For what it's worth, 1, 2, 4 and 5 all sound good to me. You could use a photo of your cats as the blogger profile photo.

Lee Herrick said...

DISL, yes, I know...and I am tempted sometimes to write about her. At the moment, she is joyfully smearing sweet potatoes all over her hand.

Lyle, that's a trip. And funny! I can almost envision it...

thanks for that.

Jessica Smith said...

hi lee, do look into a flickr account, it's a fun way to look at other poets' home lives (voyeurism is fun), like blogging but different. thanks for the interest in my book.

it's so easy to start a new blog, that you could always start whatever project seemed most interesting and then if it doesn't work out, nothing's lost. start a new one.

i love feeling these creative new-project vibes!

Lee Herrick said...

DISL, I forgot to say, of course anyone could participate. I'm pretty democratic about things.

Jessica, thanks for the perspective. That's what I'll probably end up doing---just experiment with something new and see what happens. Therein lies the beauty of the template.

Elisa said...

The Z Project almost sounds redundant, like "The El Taco." ("Zee" is how people with an evil accent pronounce "the.")

Cathy Park Hong said...

I like the idea of an organic poem where a few lines are passed on from one blogger to the next. along with cats. BTW, thanks for your response!

Lee Herrick said...

Elisa, good point. Now I'm imagining that evil laugh after saying "The Z Project."

Thanks for your input, Cathy. I'm torn, but getting people's input sure helps.