Houseboat Application
Houseboat Visitor Application
In the future, SFC members plan to live on a houseboat with their sister and invite
V.I.P. guests. Do you want to visit? It's not easy.
*This plan has not yet been approved with our spouses.
Do you have what it takes to hang with the SFC?
Tier One: Kindred spirit
→ Read at least two full sections of our book. Email (sfcpoets@gmail.com) or tag (@sfcpoets) us with a reaction to a poem you enjoyed.
Tier Two: Sibling Fun Club (SFC) honorary member
→Read at least six sections of our book and mention your favorite in an Amazon review, like so: “I enjoyed the Doubt section. Reading ‘This Voluntary Defeat’ felt like watching that mosquito get swallowed by amber in Jurassic Park.”
Disclaimer: Please be advised that the honorary guest membership, while certainly a great privilege in its own right, does not qualify you to learn the Flaherty sibling secret handshake.
Tier Three: Houseboat visitor applicant
→Read every poem in our book, and compose your own response (poetry or prose) to share with us.
The final tier requires some explanation to those not already aware. Very few names have ever been uttered by the four Flaherty siblings as potential visitors on the houseboat that we will live on in the future. Of course, it is a tremendous honor to even have your candidacy mentioned in connection with this privilege. Your presence must be of distinct value not only to the group, but also to each of us as separate individuals. (No one on the houseboat can be viewed merely through the prism of “This is Matt’s spikeball friend” or “Christina’s college book club friend.”) The remarkable individuals named to this unspeakably elusive club thus far, such as Jory Nagel, Dawn Hanson, or the Johnson brothers, must excel across a wide range of criteria that have yet to be adequately measured or specified. I once tried to articulate the ideal houseboat visitor’s qualities by working from actually existing members. I jotted down the phrases “Able to create the sound of frying Swedish pancakes interspersed with borderline uncivilized laughter in the mid-morning hours” and “able to incorporate the words ‘man,’ ‘hands,’ and ‘jam’ in the natural flow of conversation six times before the third hole of a golf course” before realizing these qualities were so singular as to be of little use to potential applicants.
Given that all houseboat membership votes must be unanimous and are cast by secret ballot with no rationale required, I regret to inform hopeful applicants that even meeting all three of these criteria may not be enough to earn your candidacy. (Sorry, Mom and Dad.)
Hopefully you see now what a weighty honor we’re talking about, and don’t take it personally that the third tier offered to you in this book merely opens your candidacy for consideration as houseboat visitor rather than guaranteeing your admission into this rarest of clubs.
As a teacher by nature and profession, my first impulse was to explain the criteria that more successful creative applications are likely to exhibit. But then again, if I have to explain it to you, are you sure you’re really houseboat material?
Good luck! We'll love you for trying.
-Matt Flaherty, Anne Angel, & Beth Peterson, aka "The Sibling Fun Club," aka "The SFC"
Matt, Anne, and Beth are three siblings of a reading, writing, singing Irish-German family who grew up in rural Minnesota. In 2004 they formed the Sibling Fun Club (SFC) to watch BBC period dramas when more responsible siblings went to bed. When Matt and Anne studied abroad in 2007, they started an online poetry group with Beth and two close friends. The group continued writing across the years until Beth invited them to collaborate on a book for their grandparents.
What if the Brontës had a brother? What if they grew up in the early 2000s? What if they wrote about the agonies of getting rejected via text message and the joys of finding dates who read books? This sweeping debut collection follows three fiery dreamers as they grow up—move away from their first best friend, compete with a perfect sister, find love in unexpected places, and experience loss. Life hurts when you love it. The lucky ones get to do it together.
What if the Brontës had a brother? What if they grew up in the early 2000s? What if they wrote about the agonies of getting rejected via text message and the joys of finding dates who read books? This sweeping debut collection follows three fiery dreamers as they grow up—move away from their first best friend, compete with a perfect sister, find love in unexpected places, and experience loss. Life hurts when you love it. The lucky ones get to do it together.
What if the Brontës had a brother? What if they grew up in the early 2000s? What if they wrote about the agonies of getting rejected via text message and the joys of finding dates who read books? This sweeping debut collection follows three fiery dreamers as they grow up—move away from their first best friend, compete with a perfect sister, find love in unexpected places, and experience loss. Life hurts when you love it. The lucky ones get to do it together.
Bethany Peterson, Matthew Flaherty, and Anne Angel write poetry to help dreamers cope with being human. The Flaherty siblings’ debut collection, In Sunshine or in Shadow: Poems for Every Season, was released in 2022.
One of the most common questions we hear at Forever Houseboats is, “What is the best way to anchor my houseboat for the night?” While it is absolutely necessary to safely secure your houseboat each evening, it doesn’t need to be intimidating for first-time houseboaters. We’ve compiled our top tips to ensure your houseboat is safely and securely in place at the end of the day.
Scope Out Your Spot
From a safety perspective, you need a place that doesn’t have much traffic. It should be out of the main channel and free of underwater hazards.
A large, open beach gives you plenty of space to beach your houseboat. If at all possible, you’ll find this wide, sandy beach located in a small cove where you’ll get some protection from the wind.Beach Your Houseboat
Once you have found your location, it’s time to beach your houseboat. Beaching your houseboat needs to be done carefully to ensure safety and prevent damaging the boat itself.
First, turn off the generator to prevent the cooling intake from sucking in sand. Next, slowly approach the shoreline. Maintain a near idle speed as you ease the houseboat up onto the shore. It’s especially important to watch for shallow areas or hazards beneath the water at this time.
Secure Your Houseboat
Keep the engines running at a low speed while you finish anchoring your houseboat. Throw the ropes out to the beach, at 45-degree angles from the side of the boat. The next step will depend on whether your houseboat has steel stakes or anchors.
When Using Stakes
To secure your houseboat with steel stakes, you want to pound the stakes deep into the shore. The stakes should be pointing away from the houseboat at an angle. Tie the ropes to the stakes. If it is windy, be sure to start with the stake closest to the direction the wind is coming from. After all ropes have been tied, retie them to tighten them up.
When Using Sand Anchors
Houseboaters on Lake Powell will find their Forever Houseboat is equipped with sand anchors, not steel stakes. You will need to dig holes for each anchor. The holes need to be wide enough for the widest part of the anchor and between two to three feet deep. Once you’ve dug the holes, drop the anchors in with their points aimed toward the houseboat. Tie the ropes onto the anchors. Retie each rope, one at a time, multiple times. Alternate between the anchors until you are confident neither anchor can be further tightened. Then bury the anchors.
At Forever Houseboats we are honored to be the go to choice for many first time houseboaters every year. We work hard to ensure all newcomers are thoroughly educated and feel completely comfortable before they leave the dock. If you are ready to give houseboating a try, contact us today to make your reservation.
What if the Brontës had a brother? What if they grew up in the early 2000s? What if they wrote about the agonies of getting rejected via text message and the joys of finding dates who read books? This sweeping debut collection follows three fiery dreamers as they grow up—move away from their first best friend, compete with a perfect sister, find love in unexpected places, and experience loss. Life hurts when you love it. The lucky ones get to do it together.
Bethany Peterson, Matthew Flaherty, and Anne Angel write poetry to help dreamers cope with being human. The Flaherty siblings’ debut collection, In Sunshine or in Shadow: Poems for Every Season, was released in 2022.
II. Battle
Jaw clenched with resolve,
I march to Professor Krug’s office,
Determined to hold her to account,
Perhaps even to foment a small revolution
To preserve my legacy as a Shakespearean scholar,
Much as Prince Harry waited patiently Under his father’s scorn, only
To arise as the burning sun
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wondered at
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
Professor Krug meets me with steely poise,
When I drop my gauntlet:
“You gave me a B minus…”
For this masterpiece of my imagination
I leave unsaid, because surely having read my paper once
Will be enough for her to understand.
When Professor Krug doesn’t seem rattled
And invites me into her office, I’m
Unprepared for seemingly friendly advice about
How I could learn to Dig into the Text.
Feeling stunned from this unexpected
Reversal, I suddenly realize my war has multiple fronts:
I must slay this new Text Dragon before Essay 2.
Yet, today’s battle is not yet done!
I will not go quietly into the night
Nay, I shall still smite one parting blow
To this silver and black-haired Empress
On behalf of the genius of youth:
“But… you didn’t tell us; you didn’t show us how…;
…You set us up to fail!” I blurt out.
Exhausted by my final blow,
I burst into tears.
Professor Krug hands me tissues
Then looks me in the eyes.
“Your grade is your responsibility.
You can do it.”
I rise.
—M.T.F.
RAIN
I spent the night in restless, anxious pain
The morning, drained, long waiting in a queue
When I came out it had begun to rain.
It rained and poured; I was wet through and through
Mere moments after stepping out of doors
As if the gods my troubles all foreknew
And sent the rain to aid my saboteurs
For mocking sport. I looked up at the sky
And shook my fist at them; but still it poured.
And then, I laughed. Too comical that I
Should have just such a night and such a day
And it should start to rain at such a time
When I was just from home so far away.
I shook my head and smiled. The rain was cool
The day was hot and muggy, and my way
Not far enough to make the water cruel.
Slowly wet diluted my disdain
And I started grinning like a fool.
I chuckled at my slight compounded pain
And opened up my arms and savored rain.
—B.F.P.
DAYS AHEAD
When I was young, my world was bright and clear
I laughed and played and followed my heart’s song
Through meadows green and flowers full of cheer
But as I grew and summer days grew long
My heart met disappointment, fear, and pain.
I learned to persevere and become strong.
I thought that strength and will were wisdom’s way
That I would fight, courageous, on my own
That I’d try, learn, and tire day after day—
I never thought that when the geese had flown
And autumn leaves had fallen, brown and dead
That I’d be here with you, on our way home.
With you, the coming winter holds no dread
My heart finds rest and welcomes days ahead.
—B.F.P
CUMMINGS HOME
you and I live in a pretty cow town
cry we up and laugh we down
sun snow here there
you go I go everywhere
tease we wake and kiss we sleep
all by all and deep by deep
children come and children go
kiss them fast and hold them slow
hand in hand and side by side
brace we storms and ride we tides
when by now and tree by leaf
never alone we joy we grief
summer autumn winter stars
yours is mine and love is ours
—A.E.A.