Hi all! And welcome to Microcosms 88! Wow, I really can’t believe that…
Today is National Literacy Day in the US, and I wanted to highlight the work of one of my favorite authors of all time, a man who has contributed greatly to English Literacy due to his whimsical rhymes, Dr. Seuss. Unbelievably, it has been nearly 26 years since we lost this amazing author.
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an author, political cartoonist, poet, animator, book publisher, and artist. He worked for national publications and even produced several short films for the US Army during WWII (some of which are definitely considered politically incorrect by today’s standards). Of course, he is best known as a children’s book author. Per Wikipedia, “His work includes several of the most popular children’s books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death.”
His work has been praised for helping young readers learn phonological awareness through rhyme, and many of his stories have progressive moral messages that reflect his liberal Democratic views.
Despite his “moral blind spot” regarding the Japanese, which he overcame after the war, Dr. Seuss remains one of my favorite authors of all time (and just so happens to be the inspiration for my twitter handle @thebatinthehat).
Special Challenge (not required for entry): use one of Dr. Seuss’s books or cartoons for inspiration.
The characters and settings are inspired by both his occupations and his work. In honor of his creative spirit, I’ve include the “Your Choice” option once again.
If you do use/choose the “Your Choice” option, please specify what it is that you’ve chosen.
KM
(If YOU have an idea for a future contest and would like to be guest host, please contact us.)
Our contest this week begins with THREE things: character, setting and genre.
We spun, and our three elements are – character: A Cat, setting: In a House, and genre: Post-Apocalyptic. LOL
Write a story using those OR feel free to click on the “Spin!” button, and the slot machine will come up with a new set – character, setting and genre. You can keep clicking until you have a set of elements that inspires you.
*** HEY! Remember to include which THREE elements you’re using AND a title for your entry ***
*** NO FAN-FICTION, PLEASE, and NO USE of COPYRIGHT CHARACTERS ***
- A Cat
- A “Thing” (hmm)
- A Talking Fish
- Environmentalist
- Pacifist
- A “Grinch”
- Animator
- Cartoonist
- Author
- Creature
- Poet
- Traveler
- Businessman
- Twins
- Elephant
- Your Choice!
- Newsroom
- WWII
- Artist Studio
- Forest
- Mountain
- Village
- A Tiny Planet
- In a House
- With a Mouse
- In a Box
- With a Fox
- In a Car
- In a Tree
- On a Train
- In the Dark
- In the Rain
- With a Goat
- On a Boat
- Your Choice!
- Horror
- Memoir
- Sci-Fi
- Crime
- Steampunk
- Comedy
- Poetry
- Western
- Post-Apocalyptic
- Historical
- Drama
- Alternate History
This week’s judge is last week judge’s pick Valita Suzanne.
All submissions should be a maximum of 300 words in length. You have until midnight, New York time (EDT) to submit.
*** If you are new to Microcosms, remember to check out the full submission guidelines. ***
All being well, results will be posted on Monday.
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