Tag: Michael Gettinger

Son of Sonnet: The Ballad of Forgotten Dreams

The Portly Politico2 Comments

Son of Sonnet—now going by his given name, Michael Gettinger—is back with a mildly post-apocalyptic poem.

The premise is intriguing; Son tells me the request was for “a poem about being a feminist in a world where you’re the only female human left. Every other human is a male.”  That sounds like the premise of a 1970s sci-fi flick!

Naturally, it’s not a great existence, but the feminist seems to realize the error of her ways.  These lines were particularly poignant:  “I learned a lesson through romance/That man may build for woman’s sake.”  How very true—I’ve accomplished a great deal in my life simply because I wanted to impress women.  I think that’s probably true for most men.

With that, here is Michael Gettinger/Son of Sonnet’s “The Ballad of Forgotten Dreams”:

Read More »

Advertisement

Call for Submissions: Write for The Portly Politico!

The Portly Politico6 Comments

As my private lessons empire grows to gargantuan heights, I find that getting in time to write—and to write well—is increasingly scarce.  I’m more than willing to pull some late nights slamming out blog posts, but I’m not afraid to ask for help.  Indeed, that’s what I’m doing today.

I already have two excellent contributors:  Ponty and Audre.  Ponty contributes fairly regularly, especially as we’ve been rattling off our lists of the worst and best films; he also pitches in some occasional video game reviews and some photography from time to time.  Audre will pretty much write whenever I ask her to do so, but she has her own blog and is a regular contributor to Nebraska Energy Observer, so I don’t want to lean on her too much (although she knows she is welcome to submit to this blog any time, on any topic).

Of course, Son of Sonnet (now going by his real name, Michael Gettinger) submits poetry when I commission a piece, but his work commitments are making it more difficult for him to focus on his craft.  That’s unfortunate, but he always has a home here.

I’m looking for posts on virtually any topic—politics, religion, culture, art, music, movies, books, slice-of-life, human interest, history, opinion, etc.  This blog is mostly non-fiction and the occasional poem, but I’m open to publishing short works of fiction, especially as we enter the spooky season.

At this time, the blog doesn’t generate enough income for me to pay for contributions, but I will gift any contributor an entry-level subscription to my SubscribeStar page (assuming I can figure out how to do that).  I may offer a small “bonus” of $5 each month (paid via Venmo) for the contributor with the most views.

So, in other words, the compensation isn’t the greatest.  But, hey, if I’m not making any money, then can you really complain?  And I’m actually a pretty good writer—ding!

But if you’re looking to get your work out there and need an outlet, I’m happy to work with you to make that happen.

My guidelines are fairly simple:  

  • Submit proofread pieces in *.doc or *.docx format, or in the body of an e-mail
  • Include a title, as well as any formatting notes
  • Make sure hyperlinks to referenced websites are working properly (and preferably are already embedded in your text)
  • Again, proofread before submission; it saves me a great deal of time
  • Posts should be around 600 words, minimum, but may be longer; exceptionally long posts might be split into two parts

Also, this blog is a conservative one, and while I don’t mind hearing from other perspectives, I’m inclined to accept only pieces coming from a broadly Christian conservative or traditionalist worldview.  Of course, video game and film reviews are a different matter (usually), but I’m not looking to give progressives another outlet.  Y’all have plenty of those already, and I’d rather not amplify wickedness any more than necessary.

That said, weird stuff is always appreciated.  It’s up to you to figure out what that means.

If you’re interested in contributing, leave a comment below; visit my “Contact” page; or e-mail me.

Son of Sonnet: Change

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

I approached the Poet Formerly Known as Son of Sonnet (PFKSoS), Michael Gettinger, about writing a little something for the slowly approaching autumnality that I crave, and after demurring initially, he popped out this little gem about the changing of the seasons—of the world, to be sure, but also of our lives.

I’m always eager for fall weather, but Gettinger’s poem is a good reminder that we always forget the lows that come with each season, instead focusing on the highs.

Perhaps that’s not all bad; after all, how else are we to endure the heat and humidity of summer if we don’t forget them briefly and think about the pool parties and barbecues instead?

With that, here is “Change” by Son of Sonnet / Michael Gettinger:

Read More »

Son of Sonnet: Summer Nights

The Portly Politico6 Comments

We’re in the waning days of summer—at least, of glorious summer vacation—and I wanted to commemorate these fading, waning days with some poetry.

Ergo, I commissioned Michael Gettinger—formerly The Artist Known as Son of Sonnet—to twenty-three-skidoo up some summertime poetry.  Of the two themes I requested, the second was “The Hazy Nostalgia of Late Summer” (the first was “Back to School”).

There’s something about intense humidity and sunlight at 9 PM that conjure up heady memories of better times.  Michael captured that beautifully in this poem.

With that, here is Michael Gettinger’s “Summer Nights”:

Read More »

Son of Sonnet: For the Chads

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Well, it finally happened—Son of Sonnet (now known by his Christian name, Michael Gettinger) has composed the ultimate ode to Chads.

For the uninitiated, a “Chad” is basically a cool dude who is secure in his masculinity and faith.  At least, that’s the flattering definition; it started out as a pejorative term to describe super handsome dudes who get a lot of babes (known as “Staceys”).  But just like conservatives embraced the “deplorables” smear as a symbol of defiant glory, so the giga-Chads have taken to their name.

This website should prove of use to my older, less “with it” readers—ya dig, cool cats?

Now that I’ve insulted the majority of my readers, back to the poetry:  Son/Michael (Michael-Son?) received a request from artist The Republikid to write a poem “For the Chads.”  She’s a pretty dang good artist in her own right, and Michael is a big fan and champion of her work.  He’s commissioned her work, and her material looks great!

With that, here is Michael Gettinger’s “For the Chads”:

Read More »