Raw Earth Ink
Spit mixed with dirt – Muddy words flow
Nature Photography: Sunset Edition
It’s no secret I’m a night owl. I could probably count the number of sunrises I’ve actually seen on two hands… I might be exaggerating, because where I live here in Alaska in summer, sunrise and sunset aren’t too far apart. I’ve been awake to witness the rise about the time I’m going to sleep…
I hope you enjoy twenty of some of my favorite photogenic sunsets.
Thanks for hanging out,
tara caribou | ©2021
All photos taken by me. Also, I apologize if some are repeats from previous posts, I don’t always remember which I’ve used on not. 😌
Video: 08 Jan 2020 Trickling Water Over Sea Ice
It was cold. Really cold. In fact, it hadn’t been over negative Fahrenheit for over a month, and it was only January. Winter lasts a long time in Alaska. It would be another two months before it would raise past single digits. Just a few days prior I had suffered a traumatic physical experience which saw me in shock and bleeding without stopping for hours, which turned into days.
I was weak. Body and soul. I was hurting. I was alienated. I needed to get outside. Let nature touch me as only it can. I was driven to the beach at my request and out I clambered of the truck, ice and negative degrees be damned.
Typically, the waves are crashing on my beach but today, it was calm. So calm and quiet. The sea water was freezing. Laying micro-thin layers and layers of ice on the sand, rocks, coal, and sticks which litter the beach. On top of the gently moving water was a thin layer of ice as well, though this was broken into small sheets with the movement constantly mushing them together and breaking them apart. These ice rafts varied in size and sat just slightly below the surface.
It was divine. It was magic. It was healing. I squatted near the edge of the high-tide mark, looking out at it all. Trying not to breathe in too deep because it was so cold in my lungs. Tears ran down my cheeks and they burned and froze.
Questions flooded my mind. Why do these things happen? What if….? Gratefulness, in spite of it all. I will be okay. But what if…? No point in obsessing. Look around. It’s so damn beautiful. I’ve never seen the beach just like this. And tomorrow it will be different. It will be the same. But it will be different. Like me. Tomorrow is a new day. I will never be who I was yesterday again.
I am the same. I am different.
tara caribou | ©2021
*video and story are mine from this same time last year. My how the days and months roll on…
December Nature Photography
Wait up, hold up, it’s 20 of my favorite photos I took in December. I hope you enjoy.
tara caribou | ©2021
All images by me.
As We Close This Year 2020
Dear friends,
Here we are again, at the end of another year. For some it has lasted forever and for some it was *blink* and it’s over. Personally I fall into the latter category.
This year I have accomplished so much making my dreams a reality. I’ve strengthened a few friendships, and had to walk away from others. People, as they do, come and go. On a personal level, I have grown and changed a lot. And the same could be said for Raw Earth Ink and what it represents.
I signed several authors and published their debut books, first Brandon White with his intensely emotional The Year that Stole the Light Away, poetry centered around the early days of loss, grief, and learning acceptance.
Around the same time, emje mccarty’s adult comic collection, Confusion Perfume and Other Neurotic Comics, released, which chronicles her alter ego(s) and recalling her early days of dating, relationships, and then parenting. We get to watch her art grow and morph, which is hilarious and immensely satisfying.
I myself put out a second poetry book, Four, in which I include twenty-plus black-and-white nature photos and for which I have received some very positive feedback on. The book, only available directly from me or the distributor lulu in paperback, holds some of my very best poetry and I’m very proud of the end result.
Along with these titles, the dark fiction short story anthology The Shadows of Blackout Island only recently released at the end of the year, contains seven twisted tales which center on a mysterious island and the creepy goings-on within.
On another platform I shared some of the books I read this past year and here they are for you too! Some of which I’ve written reviews for, others are on the way. At the end of this post I’ll add the list, in case any are of interest to you. I hope you’ll check some of these indie authors out because most of them are really, really amazing.
Moving into this upcoming year, I have several more books currently in the works to be released from Raw Earth Ink. This includes the next book from Brandon White, another from emje mccarty, a poetry book from Hidden Bear, the poetry and art anthology Creation and the Cosmos, poetry from John Graser, and more.
Along with writing and sharing my passion for helping others realize their dreams of being published become a reality, I will be sharing more of my art and amateur photography with you. I hope you’ll continue along with me on this journey of creative ventures and keep the conversation going.
Love and light to you all,
~tara caribou
How about you? What are your plans for this next year? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!!
- Left Waiting by River Dixon
- Grilled Cheese and Whiskey by Brendan de Lucia
- Broken Confessions by Jared Presser
- Badcurious by Jeroen den Haan
- Lazy Prey by Jeroen den Haan
- Lines at the Amusement Lines by Eric Keegan
- The Raven’s Poison by Braeden Michaels
- Smitten by Indie blu(e) Publishing
- Until She Sings by MB Blissett
- 101 Chances by J Matthew Waters
- Thirty Days to May by J Matthew Waters
- The Poets Symphony by Raw Earth Ink
- A Scorched and Mystified Wilderness by Dave Matthes
- Darkness Under Siege by Reaper VX
- Lost Love by Dragon Soul Press
- The Lonely Young and the Lonely Old by Tim Miller
- The Saturn Time Cube Simulation by Nick Hinton
- Crimson Skins by Devika Mathur
- That’s Not Poetry by J Warren Welch
- Your Mom Thinks it’s Poetry by J Warren Welch
- Alchemy by Mark Ryan
- Verbal Vomit by Stephanie Lamb
- The Shadows of Blackout Island by Raw Earth Ink
- (un)fettered by M Ennenbach
- The Year that Stole the Light Away by Brandon White
- My Sober Little Moon by Jon Lupin
- And Other Things by Layne Ambrose
- Stella Walker’s Acquaintances by Braeden Michaels
- Lazy and Writing Wild by Jon Perry
- X and I by SK Nichols
- False Knees by Joshua Barkman
- Confuse Perfume by emje mccarty
- Black Snow by Mark Ryan
- The Side Effects of L by Alex le‘ Gare
- Twisted Blend of Wild by Jon Perry
- The Moon Will Listen by Beau Allen
- Face the Music by Mark Towse
- Four by tara caribou
“The Shadows of Blackout Island” a dark fiction anthology
Raw Earth Ink is proud to announce the release of The Shadows of Blackout Island, a collection of dark fiction short stories.
Inside you’ll find seven horrifying tales which take place on Blackout Island as told by:
- L.E. Aleman
- Darren Diarmuid
- Lauren Rylant
- A.P. Christopher
- -M. Taggart
- M. Ennenbach
- Joann L. Berg
Rumors and speculation surround the possible inhabitants of Blackout Island, located just a few miles off the coast. Conspiracy theories abound while social media leaks surface about government experiments gone wrong. Certainly something or someone must live there, for haven’t we all seen the shaky home videos of the occasional wisp of smoke or recordings of eerie sounds carrying far across the water on a calm summer night? Something wicked has been let loose within its depths… And it is time for the truth to be revealed.
Where Junior Officer Jaime discovers the sad reality behind the island’s Wallymoos; where a group of teenagers brave the dark to witness the mysterious actions of the Stump Maker; where a young woman named Eskyl is transformed into mind-controlling siren; and where William pays the ultimate mind-bending price after filling the role of a don’t-ask-don’t-tell Mercury.
In paperback at: lulu, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
As eBook at: lulu, Nook, Kobo, and Kindle.
Leave a review at Goodreads.
Collective copyright 2020-23 by Raw Earth Ink
Individual text copyright by contributing authors
Book Review – Darkness Under Siege by Reaper VX
Reaper’s Instagram link: @reapervx
The Amazon link
I read this book in paperback. This is an unsolicited review.
What I Loved:
I have followed Reaper VX on Instagram, oh about a year, I couldn’t say exactly when I found him over there but I was immediately drawn to his longer (for Instagram) pieces which trended towards the darker side of humanity, but full of layers, rhythm, and intelligence.
This, his debut book, is a collection of those works, all within a thought-provoking layout. His sections include “The Pendulum of Synchronicity” a collection of death (quite dark), “Frostbitten Warmth” a collection of love, “Kerosene Chains” a collection of dark/nightmares (very dark), “The Eternal Staircase” a collection of grief, and “Remnants of the River” a collection of self.
Reaper is clearly intelligent, gifted, artistic, and relevant, while still somehow including heart and oh so many layers of emotion into every single piece. I’ve never read a writer quite like this before, so it came as no surprise to me to see how well thought out his self-published book was.
Most of the pages are on a black background with either white or other colored font. There are a lot of artistic photos and digital art included, which appears to be the combined work of eight artists (he includes each of their Instagram handles). All the art is well done and adds fuel to the flames of his words. Some surreal, some thoughtful, some quite disturbing. Which really encapsulates his poetry as well.
The book is a great size, feels good in the hand, and the cover is intriguing. Since this is a higher quality “art-style” book, the pages are thick and glossy and feel nice on the fingers. The fonts are readable and the use of color here and there, I found, amplified the writing, rather than distracted.
What I Didn’t:
My only two gripes (and minor complaints they are) are one, I really wish there was an “about the author” or bio included and two, as par for course from the Amazon printers (which is well-known for its lower quality products), almost all the pages were poorly trimmed, showing a thin white band where it isn’t printed at the bottom of the pages. This is clearly not the author’s fault, and was somewhat distracting only because the pages were very dark to begin with.
My Favorite Bits:
Hard to pick favorites really, because with this sort of caliber, for me it really depends on my mood as to what is going to catch my fancy more or less. I really like his “love” section, and his “grief” section was hard-hitting. I felt every word in both collections. Some of the poems trend towards very dark inner struggle and turmoil which nearly take your breath away, such as many of the pieces in “self”.
My Overall Score:
5/5 stars
(it really doesn’t get much better than this and I can see I will keep coming back to this amazing collection of art again.)
Final Thoughts:
I am hoping that Reaper VX will continue this publishing journey because this guy has got some stories to tell. Having followed along on his social media, I know he is a lyricist as well as a storyteller, prose-style. I look forward with my fingers crossed to a day when he releases more books with those included as well.
It is quite evident that he is a gifted artist and so in light of that, I expect more, much more, from him.
Highly recommended to those like intelligent free-verse poetry which leans toward the darker parts of humanity and lovers of twisted art.
Read more book reviews by following the Book Reviews Category.
be a good writer: read.
~tara caribou
Book Review – The Moon Will Listen by Beau Allen
Beau’s Instagram link: @beauapoet
The Amazon link
I read this book in paperback. This is an unsolicited review.
What I Loved:
Nearly every piece speaks of some aspect of the moon, in relation to love, it’s unattainability, it’s beauty, its loneliness, and more. I felt Mr. Allen really put together a stellar collection of free-verse and micro- poetry. At a slim just-under-100 pages, I wanted more but it wasn’t “too short”. There are throughout the book, (which, by the way, is printed on black background entirely) a smattering of very dark photos that go perfectly. When I say dark, I don’t mean emotionally, but more nighttime photography (stars, the moon, and the like). There is no mention if he is the photographer or who is the artist, but regardless, they all enhance the overall theme.
When I first unwrapped this book, I was impressed with how good it looked with those dark pages. Great font choice, it was a joy to read through it. His grasp of the heart and the emotions are tangible and relatable.
I liked reading his letters to the reader as well as his acknowledgments. They felt very personal and truly made me empathize even more with the author. This goes a long way with readers, the gratitude, humility, and humanity of a writer.
What I Didn’t:
Of course, Amazon being… well, Amazon, known for its low-quality printing, there are some pages which were trimmed poorly, but not a huge distraction, and certainly not the author’s fault.
No, my only complaints were, I do prefer longer books, say 150-pages+ but it didn’t feel TOO short. And secondly, there were some awkward formatting when it came to headers and page numbering, but that’s all aesthetics.
My Favorite Bits:
“Spent Every Wish” – wishing on everything from the stars to birthday candles to dandelions… in the end, all wishes have a cost. I loved this piece.
“Silhouette” – “looking back I can tell you the exact moment I became more of a silhouette than a man…”
“Letters to the Moon” – “… I will be your setting sun to set you free into the night”
My Overall Score:
4.75/5 stars
(1/4 for minor formatting flaws and the shorter length)
Final Thoughts:
This is actually Mr. Allen’s second book, I realized after purchasing this one, so I will be getting his first book as well. This is one of my favorite poetry books right now and I’d love to see more from him.
Highly recommended to those who appreciate short free-verse and micro-poetry and love, loss, heartache, and the human condition.
Read more book reviews by following the Book Reviews Category.
be a good writer: read.
~tara caribou
Book Review – Verbal Vomit and Other Poetry and Prose by Stephanie Lamb
Stephanie’s Instagram: @stephanielambpoetry
The Amazon link
I read this book in paperback. This is an unsolicited review.
What I Loved:
I’m not sure how anyone could equate Ms. Lamb’s intensely beautiful writing to “vomit” and yet that’s just what she has done. She writes some of the most heart-wrenching, incredibly gorgeous poetry and prose I have ever read. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill “Insta-poet”; no, what we have here is some exquisite free-flowing work, mingled with nature and indeed the cosmos itself.
When I read her work, I feel it, deep in my bones. It’s like I have known her all my life and have never known her at all. It’s exploratory while feeling like home. To be honest, I’m not sure how she does it, but it’s magnificent.
It’s a smaller book than I prefer but at just over 100-pages, it’s a good break-in to her work.
What I Didn’t:
I hate to pick on a book with such incredibly elegant writing, but this is a review of the entire book, and so I must be true to the analytical reviewer part of me, without remaining solely in the drenched soul of poetry.
For me, I didn’t care for the general “look” of the book. The front cover didn’t work for me, feeling incoherent and sophomoric. The colors and background image, and the title, weren’t the problem, more the fonts/sizing. It just doesn’t fit the delectable inner parts. With work this good, I need the cover to reflect the artist within.
Inside there were other amateur publishing faux pas which made it harder for me to stick with it. The font, which I liked for the poetry, was too large as if trying to fill up the space. There are industry standards and this was larger than that standard. The prose, with all its impressive and pleasing imagery, needed some breaks to give the eye a break, the heart a small rest, in between thoughts.
There were a few minor punctuation and editing errors but they were few and pretty easy to dismiss.
My Favorite Bits:
Oh goodness. Don’t make me pick!! Not with this author! Her prose pieces are out of this world amazing. “Lonely Nights”, “Fickle and Feverish”, “Moonbeams and Beautifully Broken Things”, and “Vagabond Soul” could have all been ripped right from my own soul. Subjects of love, loneliness, longing… all my own common themes.
And then there’s the poetry, so many that remind me of… well, me. My thoughts and struggles and triumphs. She writes with such heart, I am swept away.
My Overall Score:
4.0/5 stars
(minus 1/2 for the cover, minus 1/2 for awkward editing/formatting)
Final Thoughts:
Ms. Lamb has presented us with a lovely flower, though one I feel should have been finessed in the editing and publishing arena. There were cringe-worthy issues in the book that screamed “self-published” though the book was actually put out by a small-house publisher, as I see by the copyright page and logos. It was the editing and formatting which was the only downfall for me. The actual writing itself is absolutely superb and I quite simply adore (darn near idolize) the author.
Regardless of all the other stuff, I will happily pay for any future books I am sure she is going to put out because man-oh-man can this woman write. From here, I see her going straight to the stars.
Read more book reviews by following the Book Reviews Category.
be a good writer: read.
~tara caribou
A FINAL NOTE ON REVIEWS: it may seem that I am harsh on many writers for their editing, formatting, grammar, punctuation, etc. I do so unapologetically. First, because this is a review not a popularity contest. Second, because honest criticism should help us grow as artists.
The fact of the matter is, these things MATTER. A mathematician must use his tools and use them correctly to be an effective mathematician. A surgeon cannot simply say, “I know I can’t sew the wound closed but at least I could remove the appendix or whatever that thing is called.” Same with writers. We can’t claim to be writers yet refuse to use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. We can’t claim to be a photographer just because we know how to push the button on the camera (or phone). There’s an art to it.
So while I may appreciate the artist as a person and their words, I believe that it does us all a disservice to claim that lower quality editing is okay, whether in word, deed, or omission of criticism. Instead: believe in yourself! Believe in the power of your words! Put the effort into being the very best you can be. Ask for help. Grow and learn.
Raw Earth Ink 