World Class Poetry Blog

One of these days I’m going to publish a list of top poetry blogs. But for now I’d just like to make mention of a few of my favorite blogs that discuss poetry. It’s not really fair (or accurate) to call them poetry blogs because a couple of them, as you’ll see, are not strictly about poetry. But they are literary. That is, in the broadest sense of the word “literary,” they fit the description. I mention them here because these blogs do all mention poetry, discuss poetics, or include the publishing of poetry as an overall part of their mission and blogging character.

I have not ordered these in any way so don’t think that they are listed in order of favorites. Maybe someday I’ll get that far, but I just wanted to, at this point, because we are entering National Poetry Month, make a point to mention some blogs that I read on a regular basis. I don’t read every post from any of these blogs because sometimes time constraints prevent it, but I do read almost every post from these blogs and that’s why they are on my favorites list.

The following blogs are my favorite blogs that include poetry and discussions of poetics:

• The Kenyon Review - The Kenyon Review needs no introduction in literary circles. Some of the best poets and literary giants have been published there. Some of them have been editors there. But the blog isn’t the journal. Still, there is something distinctly literary about The Kenyon Review’s blog. Uncommonly so. Even for literary journal blogs. If you don’t believe me, just check out some of the blogs of other literary journals online. There are several of them and I read those that I’m aware of. The Kenyon Review’s blog is by far the best. It is literary. It is thoughtful. It is provoking. It is insightful. It is a fresh air in a forest of blather. I love it.
• Ron Silliman - Ron Silliman is the original poetry blogger. He’s been around longer than any of us. Just Google “poetry blog” and look who’s on top. That’s why every poet who blogs should read him. He’s the leader of the pack. But that’s not the only reason I read him. I also read Ron because he is engaging, thought-provoking, controversial, and embodies all of the qualities of a literary blogger that I want to develop. Of course, it will take me two lifetimes to get there, but Ron Silliman is what I’d expect a literary blogger to be. And he’s on top not because he’s good at SEO. Just read his blog. He’s lousy at SEO. And that’s good. It means you’re not going to read some spam-laden sentimentalism that belongs on the back of a cereal box. Ron Silliman is on top because he’s been here longer and he’s true to his voice. And that’s all one can ask of a literary blogger.
• One Poet’s Notes - Edward Byrne is humble, poetic, thoughtful, literary, and loves his craft. You can tell. He writes every day on his personal blog even though he’s likely too busy as a literary journal editor. He makes the time. And it shows in his work. Very insightful, poetic, and a fabulous read. Every day.
• Chekhov’s Mistress - Bud Parr has style. Just look at his blog design. It’s my favorite by far. And there’s something to be said for a literary blogger who isn’t mooching off of the biggest spam neighborhood on the Internet - Google’s very own Blogspot. He rarely writes about poetry, but he does. He also writes about a lot of other literary - quality literary - topics. Plus, I love his tag line. He’s one enthusiastic blogger and you’ve got to hand it to a literary man with this much style and panache.
• The Writer’s Resource Center - John Hewitt is a rare hybrid bird. His blog is about all things for all kinds of writers: Poetry, fiction, technical writing, job hunting, essay writing, getting published, you name it. You’d think he couldn’t pull it off, but he does. And his writing on poetry is no less quality than his writing on technical topics or anything else. He’s always insightful, delightfully humorous at times, and down to earth. Great blogger.
• New Verse News - New Verse News is the most unique blog on my list. That alone is worth a mention. It’s a blog that is a journal. That is, every blog post is a poem. They take submissions, hand out rejections, send out acceptance letters, and publish poetry. Pretty cool. And it doesn’t look like crap. It has a very simple design, hits you right up front with submission guidlines, then you get into the poetry. A lot of it. And they published one of my poems so I have to say I love them.
• Billy the Blogging Poet - I read so few of Billy’s blog posts it probably won’t seem fair to some of these other bloggers that he’s on the list. Truth is, I can’t keep up with him. He writes about 50 blog posts per day. I read the ones I can and make a point to read the ones that interest me. What I like about Billy is the risks he takes with humor, his local political flair, and his ability to market himself and others online. There is perhaps no other poet in cyberspace so adept at marketing poetry. This is one great blogger.
• 32 Poems - I wish Deborah Ager wrote every day. Her posts are always interesting and never pretentious. Her literary mojo is not as deep as someone like Ron Silliman’s or Edward Byrne’s, but her commitment to poetry and to producing a fine literary journal are every bit as serious. She cares about poetry and when you read her blog posts you know that she cares. Plus, she’s personal and accessible, not flighty, not uppity, just down to earth and good at sharing. Deborah Ager is the lady of the poetry blogosphere.

These are not by any means the only literary blogs I read. But they are the ones I read most often. There are some honorable mentions that may someday make the list:

• Poet Hound
• E-verse Radio
• Home-Schooled By A Cackling Jackal (I love that title)
• NewPages Blog
• and Poetmeister (Janet Leigh)

These are just some that come to mind. Perhaps one of these days I’ll put together a real objective list of top blogs, measured by some set of measurable criteria (if there is such a thing), but for right now, these are the bloggers that I’m reading. You should read them too.

What poetry or literary blogs are you reading?

Copper Canyon Press is acquiring Ausable Press.

An ode to sex workers.

Ron Silliman has his Woodstock. I’m still looking for mine.

Lost Frost resurfaces.

Lyn Hejinian to appear in Kansas.

Generation Y doesn’t like being called Generation Y. But they like poetry, evidently.

Tired of reading? Try radio.

Poet Hound is seeking your poetry tips. Help her out with an answer to the following questions:

1. How can you support living poets?

2. What are some tips for reading poetry?

3. How do you seek out inspiration?

4. What are the appropriate steps to take when submitting poems?

5. How do you keep submitting after many rejections?

Silliman says:

Poems read with too much concern as to “what the hell does it mean” will always miss at least half of life, maybe much much more.

Yes, but poems that mean nothing to anyone but the writer are worse. They are impostors, pretending to be literature while making a mockery of all that human. Now, a poem that means nothing at all even to the person who wrote it is far superior for it means that the poet is at least as human as the rest of us - if he admits he doesn’t understand his own poem. But then I’d wonder why he wrote it? What’s the point? A poem doesn’t necessarily need a meaning, but it does need a purpose.

Nancy Breen is saying goodbye as editor of Poet’s Market.

I tallied up, and Judson Jerome and I are tied for the most times our names appeared on the spine of Poet’s Market as editor (seven). In addition, I came in toward the end of the production cycle for the 2001 edition, and I’ve already done considerable planning and hands-on work on the upcoming 2009 edition. So it’s nice to think I was here long enough to leave my mark on the book.

Nancy certainly has left her mark on the book and World Class Poetry wishes her luck in her next endeavor.

Poetic Smiles And Cackles
Thanks Reb Livingston. This made her smile, it made me cackle out loud:

(rooted fool) If you continue to cut checks to have your poems treated like a little show dog up on a pedestal, to have the anus fur of your poems examined for dingleberries, to be tested for obedience, etc., than you are a sucker, a clown, and an asshole. And you can take that to the bank, you dentists in poets’ clothing. You simpering, obsequious chihuahuas.

Is it crass? Yes. And that’s what makes it so damn funny.

Thank God For The Videophone

A deaf poet and his partner practice via videophone because they live thousands of miles apart. Am I the only one who thinks this is really cool?

Words Of Wisdom From A Poet Who Knows

(Source) No other poet sounds like this. However adamant Oppen’s convictions, his meticulously shaped lines embody a music of deference–a constitutional unwillingness to dominate the world by virtue of having understood it. True poetry, says Oppen in an essay collected in Selected Prose, is written in “a language that tests itself.”

Taken from an excellent article in The Nation. George Oppen’s story is one worth telling over and over again. I have always felt that Communists in America got the shortest end of the stick. I’ve never had an affinity for their ideology, but I recognize their right to believe as they do. I’d never want to live under a Communist system no matter how benevolent.

Communists may have had a right to believe what they believed, but they weren’t allowed to live by that right. This is the great injustice done by the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is unfortunate that the un-Constitutional injustices, such as the deportation of Charlie Chaplin, were carried out by this group of elected representatives and given the name of a senator, Joseph McCarthy, who had nothing to do with it. McCarthy’s mission was to expose Communists within government. When he couldn’t produce any evidence to make his accusations stick, he was censured. His actions are a far cry different than what was done by the lower chamber in the name of patriotism.

If Oppen can teach us anything about poetry and politics, it’s to stand your ground. Whatever it is you believe, believe it with all your might, no matter how popular. Don’t be afraid to state it. And if you should be forced to live in exile for your beliefs, live boldly. God bless George Oppen.

I once sent a few poems to Don Wentworth at Lilliput Review. He rejected them gently. Though he did encourage me to resubmit more poems later. I never did. It wasn’t because I was crushed, angry, disappointed, or bitter. I don’t write many poems of less than ten lines. What I didn’t know then was that Don was a blogger. Well, I couldn’t have known because the year was 2006. He didn’t start his blog until late 2007. But I like it nonetheless. Welcome to the blogosphere, Don.

Jacob Russell asks, What is meant by “taking a risk?”

I think David Hall might have a clue.

To answer the question at the end of Hall’s blog post, I’m not sure that you can. But you can damn sure give them a good swift kick in the balls. Just write a poem about them. That’s what I do.

Speaking of poetry that kicks, today is Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. Did you know that? I didn’t.

The Comstock Review is now taking submissions. So is Hyperbole.

Of course, what’s a caucus without a poem, right (you are keeping up with election coverage aren’t you?)? One of my favorite political bloggers has reprinted a poem by Leonard Cohen titled “Democracy.” I love Cohen. Mellow and provocative, just the way I like three of my other favorite things:

• Politics
• Tobacco
• Women

Not necessarily in that order. Can hardly wait to see who I’ll be voting against in the general election as I puff my pipe and kiss my wife’s ass.

I’m not British, but thank God for The Guardian, who’s probably better equipped to save the queen than His Highness the Almighty. The UKs online version of its national newspaper has published a list of worthy literary magazines that they think, and I as well, everyone should read. I especially like that first one on the list: The Paris Review.

Tom Mayo shares his list of the best anthologies published in 2007.

Ron Silliman caught nearly 1 million eyes last year. By contrast, the World Class Poetry Blog received 2,619 visits. But I made my first post on Sept. 10 and installed my analytics code on October 22. Taking my daily prorated rate and stretching it out over the whole year, my comparative numbers come to 13,656 visits. I’m off to a rocking world class start. Gotta catch Ron.

Virginia Quarterly’s Hart Crane

Virginia Quarterly announced the winners of its 2007 writing awards, among them poet Peter Balakian for three poems about the World Trade Center towers from the perspective of a mail runner in the 1970s. From the VQR blog:

Peter Balakian’s poems are a unique and haunting take on the tragedy of 9/11. Rather than focusing on the horrors of that day, these poems narrate Peter’s naive admiration for the towers when he worked there as a mail runner in the early ’70s. His language is lush and exuberant—I’m reminded of Hart Crane’s odes to the Brooklyn Bridge or Walt Whitman’s lines of praise for Broadway—but in Peter’s work, this energy is freighted with the coming loss that we see from our historical perspective. The effect is poignant without ever straying into the maudlin.

After reading the poems for myself, I’d have to agree.

Virginia Tech’s Litmus Test

Need to know what is considered “disturbing writing?” Virginia Tech policy makers can tell you:

• Are the characters’ thoughts as well as actions violent or threatening?
• Do characters think about or question their violent actions?
• If one set of characters demonstrates no self-awareness or moral consciousness, are other characters aware of or disturbed by what has taken place?
• In other words, does the text reveal the presence of a literary sensibility mediating and making judgments about the characters’ thoughts and actions, or does it suggest unmediated venting of rage and anger?

When I first read this I thought we might be entering a new Victorian era in literature, but then I read the original piece upon which the above-mentioned blog post was based. Maria Hummel gives a much more thought-provoking treatment to the subject.

Perpetual Folly On LitMagBlogs

Someone else has had the same idea that I’ve had and have started to slowly implement. Clifford Garstang, who writes the Perpetual Folly blog, waxes poetically about litmags, litblogs, and litmagblogs. God bless him. He’s got a good list.

ZyzzyvaSpeaks Speaks About LitBlogolandia

Howard Junker picked up the mantle from Clifford and ranted for a little awhile about the sophomoric rantings of the LitMagBlog faces. Then he decided to broaden his purview by criticizing Ron Silliman’s link strategy. I can’t say his observations are not without merit.

Yevtushenko’s Oxford Revolution

Bernard Wasserstein reminisces about his nomination of Yevgeny Yevtushenko as the Oxford poetry professor. Too bad history has been written. He failed. But we still forgive him. Bernard, not Yev.

C For Effort

Speaking of LitBlogs, this one from Eastern Michigan University gets a C for effort. What? No header image? See, that’s the problem with the default WordPress template.

I couldn’t wait until this evening to make a post. The following items appeared in my inbox this morning along with my Google Alerts for the key terms I track:

Robert Peake laments the late arriving issue of North American Review. What on earth could it mean?

Nicholas Manning wonders if visual poetics and poetry videos should have their own Pushcart Prize. Personally, I think that’s a good question. What do you think?

Finally, a poet named Ezra opened a restaurant called Ezra’s Pound.

While reading my favorite blogs and news stories the last couple of days, I’ve noticed there are quite a few noticeable notables. I’d just like to mention a few:

First, the names of the Best New Poets of 2007 have finally been published. Publishers are beginning to take nominations for 2008.

The Virginia Quarterly Review clues us in on the submission review process. Yesterday on VQR: Gore, Bush, and tete-a-tetes.

The 50 Books/50 Covers competition.

Sally Vickers praises Paul Muldoon’s The End of the Poem.

Ron Silliman on Jean Valentine. As usual, Silliman is exacting in his analysis. If I could choose a critic of my poetry, I’d want it to be Silliman.

Howard Junker on Absinthe.

Nancy Breen shares how (and how not to) submit greeting card verse.

John Hewitt updates us on the status of his novel.

The New York Times lists the 100 notable books of 2007, including Time and Materials by former poet laureate Robert Hass. Any idea how many more are books of poetry?

Jim Harrison talks about Charles Bukowski.

An interview with the woman who wonders What Is This Thing Called Love?

There are still poets against the war. Really?

W.S. Merwin, 80 and still going strong.

The Kenyon Review announces two winners of Pushcart Prizes. “Bicameral” by Linda Gregerson and “War Lullaby” by Meghan O’Rourke, which is simply fabulous. O’Rourke writes for Slate.

Yesterday, KR blew me away with a brilliant critical analysis on the state of the book review in American culture. Noting that many daily newspapers that once published book reviews now do not, or have cut the space allotted for such reviews, the market response has been to make us all reviewers. Amazon allows anyone and everyone to post reviews of books, but are those reviews reliable? You can vote on the reviews to let the reviewer, Amazon, and everyone else know whether certain reviews helped you or not. Personally, I miss the days when experts who can speak the language of form gave us an intelligible defense of their biases. They may not have been perfect - can you say “haughty culture?” - but at least they were informative and stimulating, unlike those Amazon reviews, which can often be scathing and lacking in depth or meaning. Yes, the way we give (and receive) reviews have changed, but that doesn’t mean we should surrender.

Speaking of reviews, if you have a book or a chapbook that you’d like reviewed for the eyes of thousands, let me know. Like Joan Didion, if I like it I’ll review it. If I don’t then I won’t mention it. How much more fair can I be?

Finally, Deborah Ager at 32 Poems shared links to the art work of Ron Mueck. These sculptures are absolutely stunning.

And now, your thoughts?