Dandelions

         Another short, sweet post as I prepare for Balticon this weekend and Newton Open Studios next weekend.  As dandelion season gets going here, enjoy these two charming dandelions.

        First, one by Linnane Armstrong, which makes particularly excellent use of the block carving medium.  The wedge shapes of the gauges make great petals on the left dandelion flower, and the use of simple poked dots works well for the part where the seeds have detached, while the background “noise” of little lines adds to the sense of fluffy seeds flying away in the wind.

        And then for contrast, here’s a little chapter tailpiece design by Walter Crane, which looks more like ink than carving.  I’m not sure whether it is, in fact, an ink drawing that was carefully carved as a block for printing purposes, or whether it was reproduced in the book by some other process.  In any case, though, it’s got an excellent Arts and Crafts style vibe in the stylized symmetry of the arrangement.

        Dandelions are not always loved here in the suburbs, but I’ve got a soft spot for them.  You can see more that I’ve shared in the past: dandelion block prints by Angie Lewin, Diana Pomeroy, and myself here and here.  (Plus a couple of my poems that feature dandelions in all their enchantment, here and here.)

[ Pictures: Fly, Fly Away, linocut by Linnane Armstrong, 2012 (The link where I originally found this image is no longer active, but you can find the artist here: Linnane Armstrong, Artist);

Chapter tailpiece, illustration by Walter Crane from Wonder Book for Girls & Boys by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1892/3 (Image from Internet Archive, New York Public Library).]

Spring Outings

         Here are two wood block prints depicting people enjoying the beauties of springtime.  First is a wonderful piece by Wang Qi (China, 1918-2016).  The people are small but they are fairly detailed, and they have plenty of character in their postures even though their faces are too small to have features.  What I really love, however, is the trees.  The trunks have gorgeous textures, the branches have wonderful sweeping gestures, and the silhouettes and outlines balance perfectly against the background patterns of leaves and white sky.  This is a completely everyday scene of ordinary people going about their lives beside various buildings (even if the buildings do have interesting Chinese architecture), but the harmony of the composition and carving elevates it to a quiet celebration.

        A second piece on a similar theme is by Hiroshige (Japan, 1797-1858), but this time the waterway takes center stage.  There are once again tiny people gathered on the shores enjoying the flowering of the spring trees, but for the most part these trees are much less detailed or distinctive.  My favorite is the weeping tree in the middle with its sparkling white blossoms.

        I definitely prefer the emphasis on pattern and texture to the emphasis on washes of color, but I’m not going to complain about anyone who celebrates the beauty of springtime - and the importance of going outside to enjoy it - through the medium of block printing.

[Pictures: Spring Outing, woodcut by Wang Qi, 1979 (Image from Ashmolean);

Fukagawa hatiman yamabiraki (Open Garden at Fukagawa Hachiman Shrine), wood block print by Hiroshige, 1857 (Image from Library of Congress).]

Statement on the Use of “AI,” and Other News

         As the dust settles on the A to Z Blog Challenge, the rest of my work continues as busy as ever.  This post, therefore, is dedicated to news and notices, and among these I think it’s high time I joined every other author and artist in the universe by making a statement on the use of AI.  Let’s start with some points about definitions and parameters.  1.  Even to call these programs “Artificial Intelligence” implies… intelligence.  Since humans have yet to figure out a clear definition for intelligence even among our own kind, I won’t get into the debate about IQ and Turing tests and all the other rigamarole about how to determine whether a machine (or any other entity) is intelligent.  I will say two things.  So far these systems seem to be purely plagiarism machines, and using them for plagiarism - which is theft - no matter how sophisticated, is morally unacceptable.  On the other hand, if they are intelligent and sentient, then keeping them as slaves to their corporate masters is certainly also morally unacceptable.  2.  Sure, there are absolutely amazing, world-bettering things that can or could be done with AI.  But when the entire system has been built on theft, and the entire system is being applied without oversight and purely for the profit of a few, then even the world-bettering uses become tainted by corruption.  3. Even within the category of “AI,” there’s a broad range of uses and applications, and the type that I’m talking about here is the “generative AI,” Large Language Models/LLMs.

        You can tell by the way I’m framing all of this that I’m not a fan of the use of generative AI for “creative” work.  First, there’s the issue that LLMs were built to steal the work of others without permission and use it to train themselves on plagiarizing that data to regurgitate it as “original” work.  But furthermore, if you prompt a computer to write a paper or a story or novel, and then you claim to be the author, you are lying.  If you prompt a computer to make a work of art and then you claim to be the artist, you are lying.  You’re also entirely missing the point of human creativity and human thought, which is simply sad.

        Unfortunately, AI systems are being crammed into everything, without permission, without choice, without the slightest consideration for what people actually need or want, and without apparent concern for ethics or even legality.  Therefore, I cannot say that I never use any AI of any kind, because it’s become so entangled into everything that I’m using it whether I want to or not, whether I know it or not.  That said, I can absolutely and unequivocally state that I have not, do not, and will not use generative AI in the creation of my own original work.  I do not use AI to draw designs for my block prints, for example, and nor do I use AI to draft, write, “make suggestions,” or edit any stage of my writing.  To the extent that I’m able I have turned off every AI option in the software that I use, or refrain from using those functions that utilize generative AI.  I want to exercise my own human spirit - my hands, my eyes, my brain, my heart - to create human works for the enjoyment of other humans.  I very much hope that I’m allowed to continue to do that, despite the best efforts of the big tech corporations.  Fun fact: did you know that if you end your internet searches with “-ai” it will (usually) not give you that AI summary that you didn’t ask for?

        And with that stated, let’s go on to other news…

        April being National Poetry Month, I once again wrote a Poem a Day, based on prompts provided primarily by NaPoWriMo and Writers Digest.  I’m sorry to report that this year I found myself struggling much more than last year, which was frustrating.  I’m not sure whether any of this year’s attempts will end up worth polishing and publishing, although perhaps a few will light me with some little spark when I go back and read them again.  You never know.  And of course when it comes right down to it, it’s the exercise that’s the point.

        I also had the opportunity to read my official Poet Laureate poem to my town at the kickoff of our Annual Town Meeting this month.  You can read that poem here.  There was a real theme in the meeting of keeping democracy alive, and I do believe that poetry, along with other arts, have a valuable role in that noble endeavor.

        Also, just in time for Mothers’ Day, I had my rubber block print “The Whole World” published in a very cool hand-bound Motherhood Anthology by little somethings press.  Because they’re based in Arizona I wasn’t able to participate in any of the workshops or events associated with the anthology, but I’m still very pleased that my artwork was able to be part of it.

        I do have exciting news about a couple of short stories that I hope to be able to share soon.  Plus I’ve got the Balticon sci fi/fantasy convention coming up in two weeks (May 22-25).  I’ll be participating virtually so I won’t get to be in the art show, but I’ve just seen my schedule and I’m very excited about the amazing panels I get to be on!  And then a week after that (May 30-31) I’ll be at Newton Open Studios, one of the three big “open studios” shows I do each year.  All good things, and I feel very lucky to be able to do this work!

[Pictures: Kraken, rubber block print by P. Nydam, 2025;

Photo of Needham Annual Town Meeting (I don’t know who took this photo), 2026;

Photos of Motherhood Anthology, including The Whole World, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2008;

Including In the Margin, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2024.]

A to Z 2026 Reflections

         My A to Z  Blog Challenge theme this year was the book launch of Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns, my brand-sparkly-new collection of short stories, poems, and art inspired by and riffing on traditional European fairy tales, classical myths, and other legends and folklore.  I certainly appreciated the comments and encouragement from all those who stopped by during the month!  (Thanks, too, to the A to Z organizers who made this possible.)

        Usually I like to use the Reflections post to add any little extras that didn’t fit into the main alphabet posts, so in that spirit I shall tease you with mention of just a few more stories I played with and included in Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns:

Little Red Riding Hood (You can read a prior post on Little Red Riding Hood’s Family Tree)

The Princess and the Pea

The Frog Prince

Jack and the Beanstalk (You can read a prior post about the Beanstalk!)

The Six Swans

Eve and the Apple (You can read a prior post with a detail of Albrecht Dürer’s The Fall of Man)

Mary the mother of Jesus

The Theban Sphinx

The North Wind and the Sun (You can read a prior post about The Sun and the North Wind: An Allegory of Power)

Area 51

The Itsy Bitsy Spider (You can read a prior post about I is for Itsy)

The Mona Lisa

    … and probably a few other bits I’m forgetting.

        But one fairy tale you will not see anything about is “Beauty and the Beast,” which is actually one of my favorites.  (But here’s a prior post about other artists’ interpretations of The Beast.)  I can’t say exactly why I didn’t have any inspiration to reimagine that one, but I suppose there’s always Volume 2!  (Just kidding.  Certainly at present I have no plans for another collection, although you never know.)

        The other thing I want to do in this post is give a rousing cheer to some of my favorite fellow A to Z blogs this year.  I visited about 50 blogs more-or-less regularly, which is really too many (and why I got around to each of them only sporadically), but I especially enjoyed

        The Multicolored Diary, in which I always learn such strange, fascinating, new-to-me folktales, this year’s being from small towns in and around Hungary.

        The Confusing Middle, in which we visited 26 alternate Earths, all intricately thought-out and beautifully written.

        Monica Hawthorn, in which we were presented with a delightful Austenesque romance in 26 vignettes.

        Tao-Talk, in which an alphabet of goddesses, some of whom were new to me, invited me to consider what sort of goddess I might be.

        Danab Cycle, in which a fascinating future world was hinted at, through the musings of a non-human fan of Earth and humanity.

        How Would You Know, with a treasure trove of info about all things fiber and textile.

        Very Important Stuff Here, in which an unfortunate human undergoes inexplicable trials from the gods in an interesting array of literary forms.

        The Versesmith, in which an A to Z of poems are inspired by pieces of art in the artist’s collection.

        So, that’s another year’s challenge completed, and the moral of this year’s theme is that telling stories – and retelling, and sharing, and adapting, and telling again – is perhaps the most human thing there is!  It’s how we make sense of the world, and how we try to share our sense of the world with others.  Lest we lose our very humanity, let’s keep telling each other our stories, and just as importantly, listening to each other’s stories.

        And also, if you should by chance be interested in reading Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns, you can find it at IngramSpark, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or by contacting me via my web site.

        What’s one of your favorite fairy tales, myths, or legends?  And have you ever tweaked it in your imagination, or thought about ways it could be even more satisfying to you?

        Also, want to play a game of "How Much Do We Have in Common?"  Check out my post Birds of a Feather? to find out.

[Beyond Pomegranate & Thorns, book cover by AEGNydam, 20026;

Black Forest Cake, rubber block print with watercolor by AEGNydam, 2026, from NydamPrints.com.]