Pide, Poetry, and Putting Authors Together

Pidepidepidepide... Pide!

My favourite food ever.

Just look at it:
(image taken from The Turkish Muse)

Now, imagine a bit of salad on the side, some freshly squeezed lemon... Maybe a couple of hot peppers...

Yes, these are the images and flavours that distract me from editing. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel, though. A couple more weeks, three more chapters, and then! Then I can return to drafting, once I've made a list of all the missing scenes.

Those are my ROW80 goals for Ayten's story at any rate. Rosa is still out on queries, poor girl. Please send her some pink lights!

For those of you who are at the beta reader/critique group stage - do you need readers? Kate Kaynak is hosting a beta match!

In other distractions, I discovered a lovely poem the other day, by Scottish poet Stephen Watts:

A Very Little Light by Stephen Watts


   Uma pequenina luz - Jorge de Sena

Simply for the breath of staying alive
   I should talk to you,
simply to pass some words across a table
      as bread or oil,
and not have them die in me. Or
            die in you.
         And as I
measure by measure slowly toss the crisp
herbs of speech over towards your face,
a very little light will come into my eyes,
   a very little light
will glow out at you and enter your eyes
and will be returned to me and calm our
   mouths against duplicity.
And when all the bitter fratricides are
   piled up about us
this little light, this tiny flame out on the
         waste patch,
this wind-shaped tent that is your eye
      with its slow torch,
this flickered heart with its ventricles
         that beat and pump,
will provoke in us a bonfire and the will
            to live,
and even from the embers there will glow
      a little light, a very little
            shining light,
as we pass some words across the table,
      simply for the breath of
         staying alive.

 -- from the collection The Blue Bag (Aark Arts, 2004, ISBN 1899179925)

Here's Watts reading his Praise Poem for North Uist. And here are some scenes from Uist, Scotland itself:

Comments

Unknown said…
Damn that Pide looks good. I can see how that can be distracting *drools*
Nadja Notariani said…
That beta match sounds great! I need to have betas from a few different romance sub-genres...thanks for the link.

And stop posting food pics...I'm ready to google recipes and get lost in the kitchen for awhile instead of getting much needed work done! Ha!
S.P. Bowers said…
That looks delicious. And all those pictures on the link, Yum. I've never had it but now I'm going to have to track some down.
Nas said…
Oh, I never knew Pide! Looks good.

The poem is lovely.
Trisha said…
I only heard of pide for the first time yesterday. Even though I totally adore Turkish food. It looks damn good!
Anonymous said…
I enjoyed the poem. I don't think I've come across it before.

Pide looks delicious.
DL Hammons said…
Pide looks like Pizza, and I'm always up for Pizza! :)

Loved the poem!
Chris said…
Hi Deniz, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/
Talli Roland said…
Oh, yum. I'm starving now!
Kate said…
What's a pink light? Is that *fairy dust* for TTC people?

Anyway, good luck with your queries!
Deniz Bevan said…
It's making me drool too, Jamie!

I can't help it, Nadja - I miss Turkish food!

I hope you find a good restaurant, Spesh. I *think* there're a couple in NYC...

Thanks, Nas, Trisha, Medeia and DL!

Hugs to you Chris and thanks for the follow! Will drop by as soon as I can :-)

Hee hee, Talli :-)

I think it *is* like fairy dust, Kate! Thanks :-)
Naina Gupta said…
That Pide looks good, I feel really hungry now.
Hey Deniz! I'm updating my book review blogs on my sidebar and wondered if you are still doing regular book reviews?
Deniz Bevan said…
Me too, Naina!

I am, Karen! Not very regularly, but...