2012 Epeolatry Contest!

Attention writers, friends, and epeolatarians!

Whether you write for pleasure, money, or to quell the voices in your head, I'm holding the second annual (newly named) Epeolatry Contest.

What is it? I give you a writing challenge with a set criteria, and you produce a piece for the contest by the anniversary of my birth, September 16th at 5:47a.m. Pacific.

Why would you do this? Because it's a fun, creative exercise, and if you're one of the top three picks (I'm the only judge -- pander, pander), you'll get a handmade gift from me. AND I'm going to take on the challenge of providing audio versions of each winning story to accompany the written pieces. (So if you like the sound of my voice, yay! Bonus!)

This year, in honor of naming the contest*, I've picked a selection of 35 obscure words I believe ought to be in more common use (that's 34 for each of the years I'll have been alive, plus "one to grow on"). From those, choose three to seven words, and write a 600 word short story or sonnet. So, makari, brush up on your iambic pentameter!

You may choose any genre, but try to make your story or sonnet as sensual as possible (i.e. strong sensory descriptions, not necessarily sexual). After all, as the name of this contest suggests, you should show worship in your writing to the words you utilize.

The word list:

1. arenaceous. adj. 1. Consisting of sand or sandlike particles. 2. (of animals or plants) Living or growing in sand.


2. bantling. n. A very young child.


3. cyprian. adj. Lecherous, licentious, and lewd.


4. deliquescent. adj. Becoming liquid or having a tendency to become liquid.


5. eidolon. n. Phantom or spirit.


6. eyot. n. Little island in the middle of a pond or lake.


7. fen. n. Swamp.


8. galanty. n. Shadow play.


9. graip. n. Pitchfork used for hurling manure.


10. haruspex. n. A fortuneteller who used animal innards and lightning for her predictions.


11. horrisonant. adj. Making a horrible sound.


12. imago n. Adult form of insect.


13. izles n. Sparks and soot coming out of a chimney.


14. jampan n. Indian sedan chair.


15. kaddish n. Jewish prayers for the dead.


16. lenocinant adj. Lewd.


17. lochetic adj. Waiting for prey; in ambush.


18. makari. n. pl. archaic Scottish term for poets (s. "makar").


19. myrmidon. n. A faithful follower who carries out orders without question.


20. nympholepsy. n. 1. Trance incurred by erotic daydreams; 2. A state of violent emotion, esp when associated with a desire for something one cannot have.


21. obeisance. n. 1. Deferential respect; 2. A gesture displaying deferential respect (e.g. a bow, curtsey); 3. Paying of homage.


22. pataphysics. n. The branch of philosophy that deals with an imaginary realm additional to metaphysics.


23. paynim. n. A pagan.


24. quiddity. n. The essence or nature of a thing.



25. quockerwodger. n. 1. A wooden toy puppet manipulated by strings or pulls; 2. insult c. 1859: A politician whose strings are being pulled by another.


26. ravissant. adj. (f.) Ravishing; causing rapture.


27. scopperloit. n. Rude and rough-housing play.


28. thaumaturgy. n. The working of wonders, magic, or miracles.


29. uxorious. n. A man submissive to his wife.


30. vernorexia. n. A romantic mood inspired by Spring.


31. wittol. n. Complacent cuckold.


32. xanthic. adj. Yellow in color.


33. yarborough. n. A hand of cards containing no card above a nine.


34. zephyr. n. 1. A light or west wind; 2. one of the Anemoi, Greek god of the west wind.


35. zibeline. adj. Pertaining to sables.

This contest is open to ALL AGES, although adult themes have been and may be published for any to read (a cut tag will be utilized for winning entries either way, with a caution for mature content where necessary).

Post your entry as a comment to this post, or email your piece with a pseudonym to mme.calico@gmail.com with the subject: Epeolatry Entry.

*epeolatry, adj., the worship of words.


UPDATE: Since the question came up, this year, I'm specifying only one official entry per person. You're welcome to post any pieces inspired by this word list, but mark your official entry as such. Thanks and happy writing! <3

My tweets

• Mon, 02:37: Just for fun (and weird handmade prizes): 2nd annual EPEOLATRY CONTEST. Details: http://t.co/WuTRXj0R #epeolatry #pandertothejudge #contest

Must Remember: Lessons After Death

While in Germany, there were habits I was forming I wanted to hold onto, but upon my return to the States, immediately gave. While there, I was eating better, since there weren't very many refined non-wheat flours with which to provide me gluten free baked goods. I took my vitamins religiously. But there were things I told myself I would do or do more of when I got home and haven't:

1. Drink teas (incl. tisanes, herbals, etc.) -- at least two cups a day. While in Germany, we were constantly making tea, and I'd placed the big basket of tea offerings right in the open where we could easily grab, brew, and drink them. It made me feel comforted, it hydrated me in a way I didn't feel drinking the heavily calcified water there, and it added to my feeling of physical well-being.

2. Spend more time with friends and attend more Soulfood Books events. I've done half of this. I have pushed myself to attend more social events and keep my visits with friends even when I wasn't feeling at optimal health. However, I've only visited Soulfood twice since returning -- not including brief visits to grab a chai or stop in to say hello -- once for their anniversary party, and once for my mother's memorial service. With so many people I love living far away, whether it be across the lake or across an ocean, Soulfood is a place I can go, socialize, be healed, and not feel exhausted or judged by those around me. It's a place where being social actually rejuvenates me.

3. Spend more time outdoors, go for walks, and explore the world; spend more time moving, less sitting. While my initial return from Germany left me with a five day fever, and I was horrendously weak afterwards, I've not been going out for walks even half as much as I did while over there. In two weeks, I must have walked twenty or thirty miles both with someone and alone. We gardened, explored the neighboring town, went for long walks through the nearby cities, and organized the house. I spent a lot more time on my feet or moving around than I do at home. Even without a car, I had plenty of things to do to keep me going, and even with the distraction of the internet, I spent far less time sitting down. I know there are places near our house we've never gone to that might be quite enjoyable, I can see some of them on the map. We live within walking distance of a decent park on a lake, but except for a couple of visits in May when I was insistent and remembered this lesson, I've not been back.

I post this here as a reminder to myself, and an encouragement for others to poke me when I forget. I need to follow through on these lessons. They're far from the only ones I've gained in my grief, but these are the ones I've had trouble following through on.