Poet a Day Blog

It occurs to me that in trying to be ‘fair’ and ethical by not promoting sites with which I am affiliated, I’m not giving props to one of the best online poetry sites it has ever been my pleasure to find. GotPoetry.com is one of the most comprehensive poetry resource sites on the net. The site is simply ginormous - but still manages to feel cozy and homelike, thanks to the awesome involvement level of various members and staff. My own favorite part of the site is the Workshop Forums, where you can post your works in progress for suggestions, encouragement and critique. The forums are lively and active, both in the poetry sections and in the off-topic sections. Free membership gets you access to the forums - paid members (and membership is a measly $25 a year) get to create their own forums on the subjects of their choosing and run them as they see fit.

In addition to the Workshops, there is a Finished Poems section where anyone can post their work (paid members bypass the poem approval process and get to see their poems posted immediately) to be commented upon and rated. The Finished Poems section includes pages where you can read the Most Popular Poems, the Top Rated Poems, check out the Highest Ranking Poets or Read a Random Poem. You can enter a Page Slam with your finished poems, or start one of your own.

In addition, there are regularly Featured Columns by poets, slammers, and other commenters, Poet Blogs and home pages for all members (there is FREE membership that entitles you to almost full access to the site), games to play, Encyclopedia, a Rhyming Dictionary, a Book Creator and a Chat Room that doesn’t see near enough use. Oh - and there is News, which includes updates from multiple poetry communities around the country, listings of local events and feature readings, a poetry map of poetry venues around the country - really, there’s a laundry list of valuable resources that never seems to end.

Site manager and owner John Powers is a daily presence on the site, and adding/refining features constantly to keep up with what the readers want. Long-time members frequent the forums and the finished poems sections to keep conversations moving and engaging. There’s a place for everyone at GotPoetry, from the hobbyist to the professional, and for every type of poetry. It is, in short, one of the most open and welcoming active sites on the Web, and I apologize for taking so long to spotlight it here.