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?