Poet a Day Blog

Quick, choose one to answer the following question:
Quickmuse is
a) quirky
b) quintessential poetry
c) quute

Okay, I reached for that last one, but the correct answer is d) all of the above. Quickmuse debuted back in 2006 with a bit of a splash in the poetry world. The quirk - watch nationally known poets compose poetry - in competition with each other. The quintessential poetry is a given when you bring in poets like Julianna Baggott and Robert Pinsky, and challenge them to write a poem in fifteen minutes - while an online audience watches. The trick is that they’re not watching your BODY via webcam - they’re watching your words as you type them out on the page. It’s an interesting look at how the creative process works - the poems are recorded as the poet types them, complete with hesitation, backspaces, additions and deletions.

How it works: the Quickmuse team presents the two poets with the same picture or passages to serve as inspiration, then tells them to start writing. The poets are timed as they type, and the software records every keystroke for later playback. On the site, you can click on an agon - that’s what they call the competitions between a pair of poets, a term that goes back to ancient Greek competitions between poets - and choose between reading the finished poem, or watching as the poet composes it. They’re fun to watch - you literally get to see the poem take shape on the screen as it is being written. It’s even more fun watching an agon live, which you can do if you sign up for the newsletter and keep up on the next upcoming bout. Definitely drop by and check this site out for a quirky look at how the muse works when she works quickly.

Allow me to introduce you to Sharon Brogan. No, really - ALLOW me. It is my true pleasure to share her work with you. Versatile, evocative and moving are just a few words that describe Brogan’s poetry - but don’t take my word for it. Click on the link to Watermark - A Poet’s Notebook and fall into the rabbit hole. Don’t just scroll down the front page and read the current posts - you’ll miss all the marvelous twists and turns that have taken years to develop and build. Take a few sideroads from the Watermark sidebar to discover photography, poetry and musings from a brilliant, sensitive poet with a soft spot for cats and a unique voice. Explore the Snapshot Poetry links to find gems like Snapshot Poem 18 March 02009, where a pair of turquoise poems become the centerpiece of a poem about maturing and relationships or wander through the Oratory section to find poems like Fibromyalgia ». And don’t just read the poems - scroll down to read the comments left on them to learn how a poet can make the very personal so very universal.

Are you still here? Why? Go read Brogan’s poetry! Now!

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.

These guys dropped by here a while back and I’ve been meaning to get back to their site and give it a look see for… oh, a couple of months? I finally made it, and I’m glad that I did. Don’t let the minimalist theme fool you. It just lets you focus on the important part of the site - the poems and the poets. Young American Poets is a poetry blog that accepts and publishes submissions from other poets on a regular basis. Daniel Bennett, Julian Bailey, David Weinglas and (editor-at-large), Kevin Bacon are responsible for housekeeping at Young American Poets, and they do a decent job of it, posting about 6 poems or short stories a month. If you were born before July 20, 1969, you’re welcome to read all the poetry you want there. If you’re a poet who was born after that magic date, you qualify as a young poet and can submit poetry for consideration.

If you’re one of those people who are always looking for a source of inspiration, A Thousand Words is a valuable addition to your writing toolbox. Every Sunday, Jenn posts a visual inspiration for writing. Each photo is linked to its source so that you an easily download and use the photo in your own posts on your own blog, and credit and link back to the original source. Participating is as simple as writing about the inspiration posted, then using the Mr. Linky widget at A Thousand Words to link back to your post. The inspirations are beautiful, the site is well-designed and Jenn has taken pains to make it easy to use. It’s sadly under-utilized as of my visit, but that doesn’t make it any less useful for prompt-y goodness. This one goes on my inspiration-starter list.

poetry prompts, writing prompts, weekly prompts, poetry, poetry meme

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One of the quirkier poetry projects I’ve run across, In Cinq invites readers to snap a self-portrait, write an identity cinquain and post it for the world to see. The in cinqs are fun to read, and contemplating the differences between the images presented in illustration and in words can be engrossing. Here’s the guidelines from In Cinq:

You’ve snapped the self portraits. Now snap yourself a self poem. Reveal yourself in a 9-word cinquain.

1st line: one word that represents you

2nd line: two words that describe you

3rd line: three words that show you

4th line: two words that express you

5th line: the essence of you, in one word

Also share your:

Gender, age, location.
Examples: “guy, 28, third floor corner cubicle”; “girl, 19, Boston.”

Link to a photo or illustration.
No standard yearbook shots, please (browse cinqpics for inspiration).
Your pict will be sized to 306 pix-width, and may be cropped (this is
rare).

Website or blog url. Optional, if you want your self portrait linked back to you.

Go on then. Show the world what you look like in cinq.

Check it out and leave your own in cinq.

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The Miss Rumphius Effect is a delightful blog written and maintained by a teacher and mom from Richmond, Virginia. Her reviews of kid’s literature, discussions of poetry, reading and literacy and her weekly “Monday Poetry Stretch” make this blog well worth reading regularly. In addition to writing poetry and writing about poetry, Miss Rumpious also shares insights on reading, teaching and sharing poetry with children - and maintains a list of links for anyone interested in children, what they like to read and what makes them tick.

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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.