Poet a Day Blog

One year and one week ago to the day, D. James and Sebastien Doubonsky (I’m sure I’ve misspelled the name), two poets on opposite sides of the Atlantic, joined forces to start Disposable Poetry - poems written on the fly. The plan? To post a poem a day, every day, in the hopes of being read by someone other than themselves. The result? A year’s worth of poems that are often short and pithy, frequently insightful and always fun to read. When all else fails, they write about writing a poem for the day. Check them out at Disposable Poetry

on those days when you just want a few bites of something that’s not too serious. Be forewarned, though - sometimes that little bite gives you something to chew on all day long.

Let me just say that I adore Mad Kane. A self-described recovering lawyer, she writes delightful poetic political parodies that always leave me grinning the rest of the day. She is brave enough to sing her own parodies (G.O.P sung to the tune of Frere Jacque is one of my favorites) and darling enough to regularly open her blog to invite others in. Mad regularly posts writing challenges and contests - generally for haiku or limericks (one of the most underappreciated forms of poetry, IMHO) - and publishes the entries over at Mad Kane’s Poetry Blog. She has taken to using the ubiquitous Mister Linky, just another example of why I love love love Mad. It’s so easy to add your links for her meme contests.

And did I mention that they’re always fun? The one she’s running as we speak is the Bad Job Haiku/Limerick meme - and there are already a ton of entries. Drop by - there’s always something fun over at Mad Kane’s. Oh… and don’t stop with the poetry. Mad has more fun stuff on her blog than most anyone else I know - even if you roll them all up together.

Poets for Human Rights is a new social networking site for - who’d a thunk it? - poets who want to advance the causes of human rights throughout the world with their words. The words of the founders say it best:

Our goal is to improve conditions through words of hope and freedom. For Human Rights to be observed, poets must shout them from the rooftops. Founded by human rights poets and activists, Larry Jaffe and Stazja McFadyen.

Brand new and already nearly 175 poets strong, this is a place where you can connect with other poets who believe that words can make a difference - who believe that it is their duty to shout from the rooftops when they see rights being abused, when they see wrongs that need addressing, when they see a world that needs hope and cleansing fire. I believe that poetry is all about making connections - and Poets for Human Rights is a great way to make connections with other poets who believe in the power of the word.

UPDATE And I’m member #175 - how cool is that?

I know him best as brokencrust at GotPoetry. He writes thought-provoking poetry that requires you to put on your thinking cap - at least if you want to read beyond the surface. bc’s poems aren’t easy - but whether he’s writing about a nut awaiting his fate at the hands of a squirrel or the enslavement of modern man by television waves, it’s always worth delving into his writing to find the kernels of meaning and nuggets of fun hidden beneath their surface.

It’s not a poetry blog, but it is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to be a better writer. Check out Criticism: Can You Handle It or Are You a Slave to Your Ego? for some great advice on how to deal with and handle criticism of your work. Then dig a little deeper and find out how to use a semi-colon properly and Five Key Practices for Poetic Growth. Written by Melissa Donovan, Writing Forward looks to be shaping up into an excellent resource for any writer.

Looking for something a little different? The Magical Blog is a blog of poetry built and maintained by its readers. The simple, barebones design is oddly appealing with muted colors and nothing at all to distract from the words. The poetry on the blog is all written and posted by registered users - and registration is open to anyone. Looking for somewhere different to post your poetry? Take a peek at this experimental user-written and maintained blog site. You can just sign up and start posting.

Looking for a poetry related event anywhere in the Pioneer Valley of New England? Poetry News, maintained by Lori Desrosiers of Westfiled, MA is one of the most important and helpful resources you’ll find. Lori has been maintaining the newsletter for Poetry News for several years now. Each week, she includes more poetry-related happenings than most people hear about in a lifetime of attending poetry. While the actual scope of her newsletter is the Springfield/Worcester/Hartford area, she regularly includes events that take place in Boston, on Cape Cod, in Providence and in eastern New York State. Her events listings include all the pertinent information you need to plan an entire week of poetry, or just a night out at a reading. From library readings of poetry for children, to poetry slams and hip hop battles, if it’s happening in Central or Western Mass, it will be in Lori’s Poetry News.

In addition to publishing at Poetry News, Lori also posts the weekly Poetry News newsletter to multiple mailing lists. Spreading the word about poetry - it’s what it’s all about.

Cutbank Literary Magazine, published by the Lit Department at the University of Montana, has been publishing continuously since the Spring of 1973. They’ve built up quite a collection of published poets and authors, and have garnered a growing reputation in the little magazine market. The magazine has just announced three new prizes - one each in poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. The Patricia Goedicke Prize in Poetry carries with it a $500 prize and publication in Cutbank. Submissions are currently open and will be through February 29, 2008. There is a $13 reading fee, which includes a one year subscription to CutBank. For more details about all three contests, check out the contest page at CutBank.

Cutbank Reviews is a blog published by the editors of Cutbank, the University of Montana’s literary journal. For nearly 35 years, Cutbank has been publishing quality poetry and fiction. Started in the Spring of 1973, Cutbank’s mission was to be exactly what it is - a respected literary journal publishing quality fiction and literature. The Cutbank Reviews blog is an extension of Cutbank, the magazine. It features reviews of new poetry releases published several times a month. The reviews are written by volunteer reviewers, and the quality of the criticism is quite high. The reviews are worthwhile reading for a number of reasons - most particularly because the reviews are a good way to keep up with the newest trends and ideas. The reviews here are written well enough, though they can make dull reading for someone who isn’t a fan of academic writing. The books reviewed are the cream of the crop, though, and it’s well worth wading through some of the stilted prose of the reviewers to find some real gems to add to your collection.

The new issue of The November 3rd Club is up! It’s a great issue and I don’t just say that because it has one of my poems in it. The online literary journal has been publishing quality literature with a political slant since Fall 2005, in keeping with its mission is to “up the ante” of literary political writing. It publishes poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction that carries a political message and rises above rhetoric and rant. The editors make no bones about their politics, and the magazine’s mission is stated in their tag line - Literary Values in a Political Age.

We live in a world where poetry and politics make strange bedfellows, and we sometimes forget that it hasn’t always been that way. Once upon a time, the poets and novelists and playwrights regularly used their various stages and pulpits to poke a finger in the eye of society and stir the political pot. These days, the places for high quality political poetry have dwindled. The newspapers don’t print poetry (unless it’s sent by Ted Kooser). Few mainstream magazines print poetry any longer. Most literary journals are more concerned with “style” of poetry than they are wit subject matter. And to top it off, far too many political writers, be they poets or pundits, have slipped into the habit of using rant and rhetoric rather than solidly good writing. For the editors at The November 3rd Club, poetry and prose that tackles political issues with creativity, solid writing skills and clear thought are - or should be - the hallmark of political literature. If you’re not sure what that means, check out the Winter 2008 issue of The November 3rd Club and find out.

Contributors: Carlye Archibeque, Gustavo Arellano, Madeline Artenberg, Marcus Bales, Oscar Bermeo, Robert Bohm, Aurore Borealis, Roland W. Coryell, Brian Dauth, Rita Dove, Barbara Caridad Ferrer, Ragan Fox, Gerald George, Kirpal Gordon, Saurabh Gupta, Sam Hamill, M. Ayodele Heath, Joy N. Hensley, Bob Hoeppner, Jason Jonker, Marty Mcconnell, Chris Mooney-Singh, James Navé, Theresa C. Newbill, Cristin O’keefe Aptowicz, Sherman Pearl, Deb Powers, Keith Roach, Elizabeth Ross, Iris N. Schwartz, Skip Shea, Frank Sloan, Marc Solomon, Arthur Sze, Edwin Torres, Tony Williams And Sholeh Wolpé.

Bob Hoeppner is a prolific poet with a wide ranging voice and style. His blog, Write it, Blog it, Move on…, is a wonderful read. I’ve been reading Bob’s poetry in various places for a long while now, and always enjoy it. Finding his myspace blog was a serendipitous accident. If you think that poetry blogs MUST be gussied up and prettied, templated within an inch of their lives and sportin’ all the latest kicks, this is not the blog for you - unless you really want your assumptions challenged. He posts often - several new poems a week and frequent commentary. In addition, Bob writes book and poetry reviews that are thought provoking and insightful. His poetry has been published in a number of places, most notably, at The November 3rd Club journal of political literature, or literary politics, whichever your point of view might be. Bob has the distinction of having at least one poem appear in every issue of November 3rd Club since its birth. Great poetry, check. Interesting commentary, check. Poet picture, check. It’s got everything you really need in a poet’s blog. Read it. Really.

I am a big fan of metrical poetry, as anyone who knows me knows. I especially love sonnet form. I once wrote an entire garland of sonnets, of which I have since lost most of the parts, but that should tell you just how much I love sonnets. I discovered Mike Snider about a year ago when I was blogging for the site that became poetry.jesuslist.com, and fell in love with his ability to write sonnets that didn’t sound like they were written back in ol’ Will’s time. I liked them enough to buy his chapbook 44 Sonnets (just click the Buy Now button on his site. It’s cheap - and worth more than triple the money. Trust me on this.) Mike’s formal blog at the sonnetarium is full of his musings about poetry, the art of creating poetry, why we should create poetry and how poetry can inform our daily lives.. along with a healthy helping of “what I’ve been up to”. From his blog, you can pop over and read his sonnets and other poetry just by clicking in the sidebar, or wander around the net reading other poets and poetry sites that Mike finds worthwhile. He may feel like he’s lost a year, but his blog doesn’t reflect that - and he promises to update more frequently. A definite many thumbs up for Mike and his blog, especially if you want to see how one of the most formal of forms can take on new life when you use everyday language and events to power them.

World Class Poetry Blog is maintained and written by Allan Taylor, a Pennsylvania poet who has been writing poetry for over twenty years. His approach to poetry - and to poetry blogs - is practical and plain spoken. Unlike many other poet’s blogs, Taylor’s World Class Poetry Blog doesn’t feature his poetry often - he does often feature the poetry of others, and musings about the world of poetry as well as tidbits of news about poetry and practical advice about how to get published, where to get published and why and how you should revise your poetry.In an entry about poetry contests, Taylor quotes poet and Writer’s Digest poetry columnist Robert Lee Brewer on poetry -and adds that it fits his own feelings about poetry. He says,

All the while, I’ve thought poets and those who love poetry should embrace the whole durned thing–from the teenage boy writing a poem for his unrequited love to the post-grad scholar constructing an anagrammatic series of sestinas that incorporate mythological interpretations of the meaning of pop culture references in the 1980s (hey, whatever floats yer boat).

Taylor’s feelings about poetry show in his blog. He’s as likely to post a critique on the Petrarchan sonnet form as videos of slam poetry off youtube. Throw in a hefty helping of newsworthy stories about awards being handed out, markets that publish poetry and whatever happens to strike his mind that has to do with poetry. He’s easy to read without being dumbed down - accessible writing about poetry that’s actually worth reading. What a concept.

In a review of Lewis Turco’s latest compilation of poetry, Daniea Gioseffi writes

“Is there anyone in American poetry quite like Lewis Turco — a prolific and highly versatile writer in all genres, a renowned teacher, translator, and a consummately skilled craftsman who also brought us The Book of Forms,

Years ago, I decided to work my way through Turco’s Book of Forms one form at a time - an exercise doomed to failure, but I did find myself enjoying reading this “reference book” thoroughly. Turco, writing as Wesli Court, penned one of my favorite poems of all time and inspired a love of the sestina. His criticism and discussion of poetry as an art and as a form can be heavy reading, but are always enlightening. So I was delighted to stumble across his blog. It’s updated frequently and always interesting reading. He also makes his posts very accessible by including a “listen now” button powered by Odiogo.com. Definitely worthwhile reading, especially if you enjoy reading poetry discussion and theory.

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There’s something truly beautiful about the simplicity of Bolts of Silk, an online poetry blogmag edited by Scots poet and crafter Juliet Wilson. The lines are simple, clean and organized - which can also be said of the poetry she chooses to feature. Unlike many other poetry blogs, Bolts of Silk is not a personal blog with musings by the author. It is a publishing venue where Juliet features one or two works per week by poets who submit their work to her. The poetry is varied and always worth reading.

I love promoting poets who promote other poets. Thanks, Juliet, for sharing beautiful poetry.

In her own words:

Bolts of Silk is an international online poetry journal in blog
format. Poems are posted two or three times a week, the newest poem
appearing at the top of the blog. Each poet has a link to their website
or blog below their poem and in the blog sidebar. All poems written by
any one poet can be viewed together via the sidebar labels list.

Bolts of Silk is primarily an English language blog, but Juliet is
happy to publish poems in Scots and related dialects, French, German,
Italian or Spanish. Please send English language translations of
foreign language poems to be published alongside the original. In the
case of Scots dialect poems, Juliet may request a translation to help
international readers of the site!

Juliet is looking for beautiful poems of less than forty lines that
have something to say. The topic or form isn’t important, the ability
to move the reader or cause her or him to think is. Similarly poems are chosen for the quality of the writing, not the reputation of the poet.

If you have poetry you would like Juliet to consider publishing in
Bolts of Silk, please email her on juliet DOT m DOT wilson AT
googlemail DOT com. You may first wish to read some of the poems that
have already been published there!

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