x

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Allex Spires,

Well, there's no rule against this, and I won't delete it, but, again, I WISH people wouldn't post fiction and poetry to the board! Any such entries which draw protests, I will delete!

I beg your pardon for my ignorance, but what exactly am I supposed to put into a forum titled Inspired by Ray, and where do you recommend posting my stories and poems that have been inspired by Ray so that they would be accessible to fans of the style?
And if there's no rule against it, why would it be subject to deletion?

The objection is that someday someone will post an entire novel I don't have time to read, and somewhere in it will be something offensive to somebody who is either a regular or visitor here. We've already had a few near-incidents, and if shorter works are encouraged, people with whole novels will cry discrimination. So, just to go on the record, I don't encourage this.

The best I can suggest is if people have their own websites they could post links to them, as Nard and Phil Nicols have done for theirs.

Well, I'd hate for you to almost have an incident. . . .I'd hate for something to almost happpen, by all means, erase this. I'm sure that with Ray Bradbury screaming nigger nigger nigger in the middle of the Martian Chronicles, the last thing his fans want is an offensive situation, and they're all too stupid to read the last line and find out that in spite of the offensive nature of the subject matter, it all turns out all right. While you're at deleting this, you may want to run fresh edition of the 'rules' making it clear that you don't want anything that anyone might be offended by on here and boot me off of here, too, because I'm offended by you, coward of thought.

Allex Spires
A black fiction writer/poet

Ooh. A bit touchy, are we?
What's black fiction?

Only about idiots and censorship.
It's two seperate points, obviously independent of each other, combined by you to make me seem ridiculous.

Mr. Spires,

Goodness. Where to begin?

Since you’re new here, you might try a little respect for Dandelion. She’s the good – and, I might add, unpaid – moderator of this board and her word is law though, in my opinion, her kindness causes her to wield that authority too infrequently. An example: Your poem remains, despite your outburst. So, my friend, you might want to re-think your “idiots and censorship” remark. Maybe you’re thinking an apology is in order; I’d say you’re right.

A quick glance at some of the other posts on this topic would show most of them have to do with how Bradbury inspired them, not what he inspired them to create. So a more appropriate post would have been to tell us how Bradbury inspired you to write a poem and then perhaps invite us to read and critique (or not!) it.

Finally, I’m with Braling II: What’s black fiction?

Best,

Pete

Okay, I just updated the rules. In case anybody tries anything, they can't say they weren't warned.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by pterran:
Mr. Spires,

Goodness. Where to begin?

Since you’re new here, you might try a little respect for Dandelion.
[since I'm new here, I'd prefer a warning instead of repeating what had been told to someone else. This is not a job site]

She’s the good – and, I might add, unpaid – moderator of this board and her word is law though, in my opinion, her kindness causes her to wield that authority too infrequently.
[her law had not been written and her word was a tad insulting]

An example: Your poem remains, despite your outburst.
[surprised me]

So, my friend, you might want to re-think your “idiots and censorship” remark.
[I have a short fuse with idiots and censorship, I'm not going to change my mind because my inoffensive material was left uncensored. . . .hoswever, I'm quite sure that if Ray Bradbury tried to put Way Up in the Middle of the Air on this very board under circumstance that his and my places had been transposed, the firstr line, "The niggers. . . ." would have been overly offensive and it'd have been pulled immediately. I am not going to change my mind on idiots and censorship just because my uncensorable inoffensive material was not censored]

Maybe you’re thinking an apology is in order; I’d say you’re right.
[an apology for telling the truth. What's next, the liar awards?]

A quick glance at some of the other posts on this topic would show most of them have to do with how Bradbury inspired them, not what he inspired them to create.
[I was given no warning, I examined a few of the posts here and finding nothing along my lines, I assumed that maybe, way out there considering that there are only 2,000+members, I was the first]

So a more appropriate post would have been to tell us how Bradbury inspired you to write a poem and then perhaps invite us to read and critique (or not!) it.
[How can I say how I was inspired by him, I was born to him and raised by his word. I saw, 'inspired by Ray?', on a moderated message board, flipped through it and saw a community of Bradburian thinkers thought to myself, maybe they'd understand and chose to share my work]

Finally, I’m with Braling II: What’s black fiction?
[I am a black fiction writer/poet, I write fiction and poetry and am black]
Allex Spires

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Allex Spires,

I was writing some science fiction. I realized that I was using the style, if not perfectly, of Ray Bradbury. I tried to present it at various web locations starring people who do not know or understand Ray Bradbury's work. I hunkered and asked myself, where could I present this.
RayBradbury.com, why not.
I posted a piece, titled Open The Stars, I was told that I had done it wrong. . . .they don't do literary here.
Upon asking what is supposed to be here, I was told not what is supposed to be here, but other ways which ar beyond my capacity, to present it here.
I was never answered.
I can't present it here, but I can run a link to here. Which may be just as offensive as I'd make it and worse than anything I'd ever dream of posting here. Idiotic censorship. You can't put it here, but you can take us to ten thousand times worse from here.
Doesn't make sense.
Ta,
Allex Spires

Mr. Spires,

Thanks for your replies. It’s amazing that a simple two-line post by Dandelion can cause such a commotion. If you would, take another look at what she had to say and point out to me where she was insulting, tad or otherwise.

As for the issue of censorship, just about anything goes here. Yes, your poem was inoffensive but that’s not what Dandelion was addressing. Again, take another look at what she said. It’s not content but form. (And of course Bradbury’s story “Way Up in the Middle of the Air” would be welcome here, if this board posted short stories. Bradbury would be professional enough to know where he could place his work and where he couldn’t. ) I don’t think the word “censorship” should be used lightly, especially on a site about Bradbury. We’ve had some healthy discussions before about censorship and you might find them interesting. Bottom line: editing isn’t censorship. Don’t like this site? Start your own. It’s a free country.

Thanks for clearing up the issue of black fiction. I don’t know what race has to do with anything but then that’s just me.

You’ve found yourself among friends, Mr. Spires. There’s no point in referring to them as idiots.

Best,

Pete

Don't want to see any of it because some of it at some time, might be offensive. Never had it happen before but almost had it happen before. I asked a question and was not answered.
"What is this for?" I asked
Came the reply "You can do exactly what you're doing but only in a way that it is not actually here."
Where's the answer? . . .didn't come up.
First response I get is obvious continuation of a discussion with someone else as though it was me who was being referred to in the first place that I wasn't present for.
I didn't refer to anyone here as an idiot. I said that I was touchy, specifically on the topics of idiots and censorship. Never said which I found either or both but I'm certain that It was a fine lean toward the censorship bit.
On account of the fact that I was told that there had never actually been an incident where someone had been offended but there had almost been such an incident. Which is idiocy. How do you know that there was almost an incident if an incident had never occurred?
I pointed out that I am black to prevent people from becoming offended, as I did use the most unpopular 'n' word to make a point and fearded that people who would randomly sensor anything that mnight possibly offend anyone would be offended by it. For some reason people don't mind a black person saying(typing) the word.
The only real reason I'm still here is because that, at the top, there, is still here and I want to see if anyone has anything to say about it.
Can you not say that fear of offense in a place that can very easily be incredibly offensive is at least silly, at most stupid and probably, just idiotic?
Your suggestion is wasted, that I write a tale of how I was inspired by bradbury and then present my poem because, poetry and prose are not permitted here because someone might write a book that might be offensive and might post it here.
Go back and find all of these points.
Friendly and good as dandelion might be, this silliness of preventing artistic expression for fear of someone elses fear is unfounded and idiotic. . . .some might call it a form of insanity.

One short story, not necessarily offensive, but rambling and pointless, was deleted. Another, despite drawing several criticisms, was left, but after that we started mentioning every time fiction or poetry appeared on the board that we don't encourage this practice. Does that answer your question as to what was meant by "possible incident"?

The individual whose story was deleted never returned or said anything about it.

Here, have a template of sensibility. I still think that it is ridiculous reasoning. The most offensive thing that you've had on here was confused rambling?

Hello(name here),
I appreciate your endeavor to present us with a piece of your imagination, but we would very much rather prefer that you would post such articles on another page and perhaps link it to this.
This is not a section for presenting works inspired by Mr. Bradbury, but actually a forum for people to share the ways that Mr. Bradbury has inspired them, not what he inspired them to do.
I appreciate your enthusiasm to share with other Bradbury fans, but this is not the place to do it.
Thank you,
(name here)
(may be left blank) P.S., I thought that your (type of work here)was(comments here)

Well, there's no rule against this, and I won't delete it, but, again, I WISH people wouldn't post fiction and poetry to the board!
[This I consider rude, it seems as though you feel you'd already told me before]