I have a reading on the first day at World Fantasy Con – 11:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. Thursday 6 November in the Arlington Room. Please come along. I think I might read Augustus Clementine. It’s an Oscar Wilde inspired fairytale about a roller skate and will be coming out in XIII in winter 2015. I’m also tempted to read from a short story that took me a very long time to write and will be appearing in a Table of Contents soon!
In other exciting news my Spotlight Interview with Nalo Hopkinson about her story The Glass Bottle Trick (read it free online) has gone live at Fantasy Magazine. I particularly love how Nalo speaks about colonialism and beauty… and listening to Nalo is often like a really nice hug. ^_^
First I write about my body parts, scroll down to see a comprehensive list of ways you can help Rat City.
As you may have noticed roller derby has become something of a consuming passion for me. It’s challenged me and rewarded me in ways I never thought possible. Our derby sisters in Portland, the magnificent Wheels of Justice have done the best job I’ve seen of evoking what derby means to me.
2013 was the year of the calves. The year I learned to skate my calves grew so fast that I’d wake up in the night with growing pains. My increased muscle and good PT shrank my feet and cured my plantar faschitis within 6 months of coming down with it (turns out repeatedly carrying 40 pound bags up hills can create scar tissue & inflammation if your feet don’t have muscle to support it).
2014 was the year of thighs. I love how they’ve grown, and hamstrings to match. I look down or look in the mirror and think “I look like Wonder Woman!” I grew in my strength, challenged myself, grew in terms of what I can hold physically and emotionally. It’s been blood sweat and tears. It’s been teamwork, incredible highs and lows and frustration and being a part of a community that pushes itself and pushes each other. I grin from ear to ear every scrimmage night.
I want 2015 to be the year of the back. I can already feel my mid and lower traps growing. I want it to be the year I bust out chinups and find new depth to my practice. I want it to be full of lateral leaps and figuring out how to juke at long last. I want to hit people and send them flying. I want to give my opponents high fives after they utterly blow me up. I want to slam sideways through tight walls. I want to sit on people, frustrate the heck out of them and have them curse my arse.
Here’s the thing though, there won’t be a 2015 without support. When Rat City moved to our new amazing practice space in Shoreline we bit off more than we could chew. We’ve restructured, gone to all volunteer, got more tenants in, but we need help to get through the restructuring process. I think we’ll make it. I know we’ll make it. But we need help. Fortunately there are lots of options and they can be accessed by people around the world.
You are of course welcome and encouraged to pursue more than one option ;-)
November 8 – Officially Reviewed. Training for Referees and NSOs “Every referee and NSO knows, there is truly no better way to up your game than in-game feedback and critique. With that in mind, RCRG officials Reed d’Rulz, Nine Inch Wheels, Eric RAWK and Sir Osis are joining forces to put together a unique scrimmage training opportunity November 8, 2014 at the Rats Nest.” Papa Getsome will be videoing the scrimmage too. Thank you!
November 13-15 – ArtSplosion Art Gala (grand opening with live music on Thursday November 13) Love art and roller derby? The Rat City Rollergirls will be hosting an art gala & silent auction starting November 13 through November 15th. Free admission.
November 15 – The Debutant Brawl, starring the Seattle Derby Brats and Rat City’s newest league members.
Option 3 – give us your love creatively
Momentum is an important thing. Joy and creativity are important things. The more people who hear about our call to arms the more people are likely to come helps us. Please help us spread the word and put cool images into the world.
Grab a Band-Aid
Write #SaveRatCity on it
Affix it (put it on your face, your dog, your dragon, your bloody handprints, your halloween) take a photo, and either post it on Instagram with #SaveRatCity on it OR e-mail your image to me.
For extra points put words like Donate at gofundme.com/SaveRatCity in the comments of your Instagram post :-)
Tweet it, facebook it, Livejournal it. Tell me how awesome you are in comments so I may shower you with my virtual love beams.
Wohoo! Rat Lab will be playing the Port Scandalous Strait Shooters on Saturday 25 October. If you happen to be in (or feel like heading over to) Sequim come and see us play. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets are $10 in advance $12 at the door. I’m excited.
If you’d like to read one of my love letters to Oscar Wilde’s fairytales now is a great time to head over to Apex Magazine and read Soft Feather Dance for free.
This month brings lots of new content over on the Clarion resource page. Blog posts by Harry Markov, Kayla Whaley, Martin Cahill, A.J. Fitzwater, Marian Womack and Vida Cruz.
The game on Saturday went really well. We lost by a whole lot of points, but we played every jam like it was a new game and fought the whole way through. It was a lot of fun, I learned a bunch and enjoyed working with my team. Rat Lab and the Outcasts also KILLED it at the after party, Karaoke ftw!
Folks told me that I took some big hits! I got hit out and down, but I didn’t register them as big. I think all the Aikido practice has really helped – one would hope so given I spend hours every week falling down and getting up again at the dojo! I’m more bruised from practices leading up to the game!
Dear internet, I will indeed play derbies this coming Saturday. Rat Lab (all female rookie team for Rat City) vs Puget Sound Castaways (all male B team for one of the best men’s teams in the world).
It would be lovely if you could come. I shall tell you on Sunday how it went!
Mike is being is awesome sauce referee in Duluth for Division 2 Roller Derby Playoffs and this seemed like a good opportunity to fill the puppy-less hole in my life.
Behold!
I even fit into the box it came in!
Gender and name yet to be determined, but George is tempting.
… and that is what responsible pet ownership looks like when you enjoy your freedom and don’t know if you have the time! ^_^
Sooo, you’d like to see me play Roller Derby, or would you like to support me skating many many laps either in person or from afar (in person having the bonus that you can enter a cookie decorating competition AND/OR help make posters to support our all stars at divisionals). BOTH options are available!
23 August – Napolitano Icecream of Derby aka THE THREE RING CIRCUS
On Saturday 23 August Rat City will be hosting the Three Ring Circus. The final game of the night will be Rat Lab, THAT’S MY TEAM the fresh meat/rookie development team of Rat City, playing Puget Sound Outcast’s B team. Puget Sound Outcasts are one of the top men’s teams in the world. We won’t know who’s on the roster until closer to the date, but I’ll be working really hard to be out there playing this game. It would be really cool to have people come out and support us, in what will be a very physical boys vs girls game cheering will be really helpful.
If that’s not cute enough the between game entertainment will be an exhibition game by the Tootsie Rollers, under twelve roller derby.
30 August – Rat City Roller Girls Skate-a-thon
The night will be full of cookie decorations and poster making AND lots of skaters (including yours truly) trying to skate as many laps as they can in one hour. I’ve never done a skate-a-thon before, so I’m going to set my minimum number of laps at 200 and try to stretch up as close to 300 as I can!
I need sponsors to justify my presence on the track and to give myself something to think about as I skate for a very long time. Money raised will help Rat City and Old Dog Haven. Please contact me, either in comments, e-mail or in person and I will write your name onto my awesome sponsors list.
If you would like to come skate with me at the skate-a-thon all you need to do is grab one sponsor and you can join me on the track (hit me up for paperwork).
