Lark's blog and personal site https://lark.gay/processed_images/icon-padded.0eab696fef3b3f14.png Zola 2026-06-16T00:00:00+00:00 https://lark.gay/tags/carnival/feed.xml Lark Aster 2026-06-16T00:00:00+00:00 2026-06-16T00:00:00+00:00 Lark Aster urn:uuid:43df140f-361b-4481-b91b-5cacbe994f1d <p>This is a call for submissions for the July 2026 <a href="https://lark.gay/furry-carnival/"><em>Midway Menagerie</em></a>, a monthly furry blogging carnival.</p> <blockquote> <p>A <em>blogging carnival</em> is an event that gets people blogging around a particular topic. Every month, there's a theme or discussion prompt for folks to respond to, and at the end of the month there's a roundup post linking to everyone's submissions. A rotating "host" decides that month's theme, collects responses, and posts the roundup. The idea is to encourage discussion and helps folks discover new blogs. Think of it like a book club, except instead of reading books you write essays and share them.</p> </blockquote> <p>This month's theme is "Fandom and Community". Here are some specific prompts to get you started, but feel free to take the theme in a different direction!</p> <ul> <li>We often call ourselves the "furry community" or the "furry fandom", but what does that mean? What makes something a community; where does "community" start and end, and what does it mean to be part of one?</li> <li>What aspects of furry community have you found rewarding or challenging?</li> <li>How have you seen the furry community evolve over time? What do you think about the direction it's headed?</li> <li>What was your introduction to the furry community like?</li> <li>What has your experience of online vs IRL community been like? To what extent do you engage with each, and what is different between the two for you?</li> <li>Some folks use the terms "furry fandom" and "furry community" interchangeably. Others use them differently, or prefer one over the other. How do you feel?</li> <li>What makes the furry community different from other affinity, interest, or identity groups you may be a part of?</li> </ul> <p>Submissions are due by the end of July. I'm posting this first edition of the carnival mid-June, but giving folks until the end of July so the people who told me they're interested in setting up their own blog have a little extra time to do so.</p> <p>You don't need a blog to participate! If you don't have anywhere to post your submission, feel free to send it to me anyways and I'll host it here as a guest post. I'm also happy to post your submission anonymously.</p> <p>You can send me your submission by commenting on this post, <a href="https://lark.gay/contact/">via email or Signal</a>, or messaging me on any other platform (Telegram, etc.) where you have my contact info.</p> <p>Still not sure how this whole carnival thing works? Check out <a href="https://lark.gay/furry-carnival/">the home page</a> for the carnival.</p> <p>Happy writing!</p> Copyright © Lark Aster 2026 CC BY-NC 4.0