Poet a Day Blog

A very different kind of poetry blog, How a Poem Happens is fascinating reading for anyone who has ever asked the question “Where do you get your ideas?” Brian Brodeur, author of two award winning poetry books, posts a weekly interview with a published poet. Each interview focuses on one poem by that poet and asks them questions about the process of writing that poem - when did you write it? What inspired you? How many times did you revise it? There are other questions that speak even more directly to the process of poetry - consideration of forms, of publishing and of poetry styles and how they fit the particular poem chosen to feature. How a Poem Happens is a young blog - only begun in January - but it shows a lot of promise as a site to check regularly for good reading and interesting information.

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.