Welcome to volume twenty-one my Literature series, The Ladies of Lit!
The premise here is simple. Below you will find an assortment of Literature features from a selection of female deviants here on DeviantART, all of them suggested by you. In this article, you will also find a variety of other things of interest, including:
This article’s deviant spotlight: featuring the sweet =CJWilde. She has offered to answer a few questions as well, to tell us a bit about what inspires her writing and which piece in particular she favors. Additional information about our upcoming events, including a special critique Q and A session in our official TheLadiesofLit chatroom. And we also have a selection of other interesting Literature news links to share with you. Our “meet our contributors” section. Be sure to note me if you would like to volunteer your services or offer additional suggestions as to how to improve this series. We also have a new series format for this news article, due to recent DeviantART website changes. Deviants are still able to 
this journal, so please take a moment to do so, to continue to show your support for our devious writers.Now – On With the Features!
Purple-Freak9
BinaryBinary
I am told you are not a word;
Void of emotions
That I crave to haunt.
Wrists scrawled with numbers-
Never my initials,
Mechanical heartbeats
And forced words.
I am told your name is false;
Like politicians
With empty promises.
Every tear is silver,
Tacks on my face for you
To invest time in.
I am told you are still lost;
Endlessly
Walking streets of broken glass.
I will join you
To skim stones across lakes
Until the water dries up.
Until the sentences you speak
Are digits in my memory.
TraumerTräumer
I've seen you in several dreams,
Crudely crafted when compared,
To the sweet realities you provide.
Questions raised to the skies,
On intentions and other nonsense;
We understand ourselves,
Though you I better than anyone else.
When I awake to a nightmare,
Rest assured the feeling will linger-
Call it romantic or delusional;
Both being a state more than I had hoped for.
But when sunsets steal my sanity,
The night wedges you further into my ribcage.
How much am I under your skin?
Whilst a lasting nirvana,
Can be found in cheap narcotics,
Forever with you would come close.
Tell me I am not alone once more,
So tha
Things I Could Have BeenThings I Could Have Been
Free
Like fireflies or snowflakes;
The drifter
Who never learned your name.
Now every word weakens me-
My Achilles' Heel.
Sometimes
I lay awake at night
Wondering when I'll kiss you again.
I could have been the stranger,
Yet chose to sign away
On your dotted line.
Be still
Like artificial flowers
In a vase.
Just give me time to think now,
I need to remember how to forget myself.
Suggested by: dreamsinstatic
“The only thing more stunning than Katie's literary prowess is the knowledge that she exists on such a powerful plain of writing at the young age of sixteen. If this is the genesis, the culmination will be mind blowing.”
Aconitum-Napellus
Of Virginia WoolfYou filled your pockets with stones,
a seed-sower sowing nothing,
nothing to cast away.
It must have been cold as you went down.
The bite of March water
must have brought blood
rushing in panic to your skin.
A gasp, perhaps,
as your chest submerged.
(Were you beyond gasping?
Were you so far behind the veil?)
And then the silence.
The hiss of water against the ears,
the stirred up mud against your startled eyes.
The water cold in your palms
and cold in your unravelling hair
and cold through your clothes
to your naked skin. And
the weight inside would hold you,
stronger than stones.
You stood, perhaps, for a time,
a naiad
The Thin HoursI.
Those of us here in this skeleton time,
this time of the year when the nights are thin
and dark, and dark with anxiety, peeling
as layers of an oyster shell, brittle and effaced
and somehow iridescent.
When the bell tolls out the time the sound is thin
and reaches into fractured air and softly
seeks the spaces between the atoms and
misses the vital Os and CO2s in a lasting,
failed pinball. The bell sound dies in
some space between midnight and thereafter,
and each tock tock of slipping cogs is
a repeat and not a moving on.
The air is filled with each dull sound,
each tock a repeat and a repeat again. And the
slip betwee
To Darwin, on Hearing of the 22 ChronometersDid the ticking drive you mad?
Twenty two clocks to tie you
to Greenwich, to the damp land,
to the paved streets and spires
and the blank glazed windows
of progress and age? Did time
become fathoms deep, and the
dwindling abyss transform to
thoughts of deep, deep time?
The blind eyes of bottom dwellers,
the feelers of those that survived,
the wellings of primordial soup
perhaps flavoured your thoughts.
(you never saw them. We know
you never saw the elemental broth,
the creatures like to dinosaurs
in a Blackpool of phosphorescence.
But the mystery, perhaps. The thought
that things exist beyond your imagining.
The thought t
Suggested by: LadyofGaerdon
“Aconitum-Napellus manages to write realistic poetry and still imbue it with literary magic. Her work is gripping and poignant, resonant and rhythmic, and always provides a thoughtful read.”
sprinkledinfinity
Stream of consciousness"I think I'm going blind."
My eye is bloodshot, a blistering red that greeted me this morning. It's rejecting contacts and solutions, oozing tears and giving everyone on the right side of me the advantage of not being properly seen.
That's why I went to sit to your right, so I could turn my head and see if your eyes watered along with mine. I didn't saying I was leaving. Or that I was unhappy. But I was saying exactly that.
Your eyes aren't watering. Your mouth hardly opens. I trust that you are breathing from an occasional sigh.
You offer up a break. Like the judge offering a deal in court, I sold you out so I'd get less time behind bars
Four kissesOne
You whisper,
afraid to touch, to speak loud enough
for this fragile flame to flicker
at your rapid breathing.
Our shadows drag across the walls,
hands brushing, uncertain of the
beige-walled labyrinth ahead.
Pulling back the curtains
as if a bolted door,
I'm blinded by the flood
of grey skies sunshine,
a ship sinking under the pressure
of streaming oceans,
my lips tremble
a last breath
before we both go under.
Two
Lukewarm winningsI said you'd be more likely
to drown in the bathtub
than to watch me leave you.
Now you're coughing up water
behind the locked bathroom door
while I search through
couch cushions for my keys.
I guess I was right.
Bittersweet victory.
Suggested by: SadisticIceCream
“With her beautiful imagery and her keen ability to cut to the emotional core of any piece, sprinkledinfinity is another emerging writer to watch.”
Mrs-Freestar-Bul
MotherMy longing for you weakens my heart
All the birds are silent as we grow apart
Will you leave me to my destiny
Will you come and find me
I spell your name in fear to remember
Scared to feel thorns in my pulse, burning rush
Your radiate face is more than a figment
Yet, impossible to touch
Mother,why didn't I kiss your hands everyday
Do you hear my prayers mother, they are all for you
I send them every morning with drops of dew
What words can do, when my all is still so few
You are here, when it rains on those hills above
When I imagine your laugh and feel your love
When the pink clouds come by, stand by and pass
You
When Your Lover is a MoonI love you, aware of my exile, your exile
Between us; clouds, wind, lightning,
thunder, ice and fire
Glad to tear myself apart
just for your eyes,
and sew you a cover from my skin
When love is big, and the lover is a moon,
do not tremble; one bird in winter nights
The tender sky touches all the scared wings
And cares for the wonderfully pale lilies
I walk on dry leaves, everyday
I create hope from that rainbow
I talk the language of trees
And I make a country from roses
Every day, I want to ride the sea,
every time they say no sailing allowed
Everyday, I build a home for our birds,
every time the floods take it away
I l
I am a PoetYou ask me who I am , where did I come from
I say: I am a poet, I was born out of the blazing silk of my words
My heart is an eternal rebel, since the dawn of creation
I'm the master of my own words, the keeper of God's secret
I'm the story of that rose shivering on the freezing hill
I live in that oasis of light, in a world beyond your world
The stars stare at my hopes, and hell trembles between my fingers
The night dreads my pain, the morning sleeps on my pillow
I create my words from the tissue of my veins
I weave the images from the feather of my eyelids
I wash my sins away, when I repent between the lines
My word
Suggested by: RavensQuill
“Her poetry is not only well written, but heartfelt and easy to relate to. You can sense her emotions in the lines and stanzas, and sympathize with her.”
My Spotlight Deviant:
CJWilde
:thumb296674414::thumb283004419::thumb285720882:
CJ has a great deal of passion and drive, and it shows throughout her numerous works. From poetry and prose, her engaging writing offers a great deal of wonderful imagery and powerful descriptions.
She has also taken a few moments to share some of her own insights as a writer. I asked her a few questions:
Why do you write?That is, perhaps, an impossible question to answer. I wrote my first story at five-years-old, was published at six and it's something I have been doing without question ever since. I read and write every day and am somewhat obsessed with grammar, orthography and descriptive language. I also enjoy learning new languages. When I'm writing, I feel almost intoxicated by it. I guess I'm like somebody who is addicted to smoking or World of Warcraft, only I'm addicted to language!
You are an administrator for several helpful groups on deviantART, including SolutionsSanctuary. What motivated you to get involved, and what tips can you offer for those looking for ways to also be involved on deviantART?I joined the LoveLiterature and Two-Points staff after signing up as a Peer Editor and Feedback Giver respectively, as I became very involved in the literature community as a critic and wanted to offer my guidance to a broader audience. I was then invited to help with SolutionsSanctuary by the wonderful LiliWrites after I entered her critique contest with an entry of thirty critiques! I like to think this proved my commitment and enthusiasm for helping others, and I wanted to translate this to addressing known issues on deviantART which is what SolutionsSanctuary aims to do.
For those wanting to get involved; join groups that interest you. Enter some prompts and contests, because it's a lot of fun and a great way to get motivated and feel good about your writing. There are always friendly faces at the WriteRoom. Get to know the CVs (they don't bite... much). Don't be afraid to use the thumbshare forum, as I've found some great critiques and friends in there. And most of all, you get what you give, so it's worth exploring the community and giving out some nice comments and a critique or two. You might just make someone's day, and a new friend.
What sort of writing goals do you have?I guess I'm a little cliché in this respect, as I've been working on a socio-political fantasy novel for the past few years and eventually aim to get it published. I recently found work as a writer at Load (reviewing games, which is wonderful being the geek I am) so I'd like to continue freelancing.
At the moment, I study an English Language and Creative Writing BA (Hons) course at university, and hope to follow it with a PhD. My eventual aim is to become a professor and critique postgraduate students' poetry and creative fiction for a living, so deviantART is great practice!
What motivates you to share your writing on DeviantART?I started sharing my poetry here for workshopping, as I found out about a poetry module I wanted to take for my course and thought a little feedback wouldn't hurt. I entered a few contests to get my poems seen, but I didn't expect to win so many and for my work to take off like it did! I had such wonderful, positive and inspiring feedback, I fell in love with the community and now want to share everything with you all. I would never have considered sharing my novel before all of this.
Which piece featured is your favorite and why? Prey is the working title of a novel that has been in the works for a long time. Inspired by some recent contests that carried the theme of my story, I was motivated to put together a final draft of the first chapter to share with my watchers. This piece is very personal to me, as I am perhaps too involved with the world and its characters (isn't that the curse of writing fiction?) but eventually, with enough support - and good critique! - I hope to share the second and third chapters, too!
CJWilde will also be joining us in the our TheLadiesofLit chatroom for a special critiquing session for her wonderful literary work. If there are any critiquing tips you would like to offer her toward any deviations that you have seen featured here today or others that interest you – this is the place to be on May 13th at 6:00 pm EST! (What time is this for me?) And as an extra incentive: for those of who offer CJWilde the best critiques, there will be a few extra goodies in store for you, so don’t miss out!
Meet Our Contributors:
I want to express my gratitude toward everyone for all of the ongoing support of this project. I duly hope to see even more suggestions in the future. Also – those of you who did not see your deviations selected and posted in this article, they may be featured on the next one. We will have plenty of upcoming deviants to spotlight in the future. If you would like to be one of those, or to suggest others, feel free to note me and be sure to tell me what you love most about them and why these writers appeals to you. Do not be shy – get involved! The more suggestions I receive, the more writers that get featured. For now, check out our volunteers who sent in their features and offered assistance, and don’t forget to thank them!
Our Wonderful Suggesters and Volunteers dreamsinstatic
LadyofGaerdon
SadisticIceCream
RavensQuill
CJWilde
WorldWar-Tori
If this article interests you, be sure to check these out! LadyLincoln’s previous issues of The Ladies of Lit. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII,IX,X,XI, XII, XIII, XIV,XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII and XX
LadyLincoln’s 30 Writers You Should Discover: Volume IX
The Literature Community Volunteer’s April Literature DD’s
DailyLitDeviations’ Daily Lit Deviations for May 7th
dreamsinstatic’s Friday Night Features: XLVI
SixWordStories’ #SixWordStories Showcase: April 9 -23
wyldhoney’s Writers with a Promise: #14
Dramira-Official’s Things You Should Read…
Blessings,
LadyLincoln
I didn't even know I was featured here 
Amazing surprise. Than k you so much guys 