You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April, 2009.
Poetry Month is almost over and I have been writing away, trying to catch up on the Poem-A-Day challenge. I wanted to point out the upcoming Poem in Your Pocket Day which is April 30th, but now I am hooked on this story:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6652066.html?industryid=47144
Lulu, the print-on-demand self-publishing company that you may be familiar with already, has purchased the domain http://www.poetry.com and created a whole new site built around the old name. It looks to me like a decent resource, complete with free contests that users vote on (and actually award $$), but also a well-played marketing move to encourage amateur poets like myself to invest in a self-published collection. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; poetry has a long tradition of self-published poets. It worked for Walt Whitman, among many others. There is of course, a darker [and slightly juicy] side to this story. You may be familiar with the original Poetry.com site which has been featured on such prestigious lists as Winning Writers’ “Contests to Avoid” and Professor Roy’s Amazingly Bad Poetry Journal. This is the site connected to the infamous National Library of Poetry, and several other aliases, which scammed innocent poets into paying for anthologies and awards that seldom materialized.The site has basically been considered a joke among literary and writing circles, though some others may have harsher words for it. It has even inspired parody contests for Bad Poetry.
Lulu legitimately paid for the domain name and are trying to change the tarnished image into their own shiny one, but now they are warding off dissatisfied customers and p.o.’d poets who
a.) want their money back
b.) want their poems back [yes, they got some of the archived poetry along with the domain, though they swear they did not buy the business itself. That company, Watermark Media, is double-dead].
c.) want revenge
d.) All of the above
The comment board on their blog already has ppl writing in all caps what they think about Lulu and poetry.com … I think they should have thought this one through a bit better, though maybe the controversy will be good PR. Hey, it drew me there, and the prize money sure looks tempting. I would just laugh, but many people really fell for the scam and it somewhat marred the image of poetry publications in America. So, I do question how legitimate this move can make that domain name now. Obviously it is optimal for the search engines, but as any former tween celebrity can tell you, it is hard to shake a bad rep, even if you change your name, Lulu.
The prompt yesterday was shockingly not about Earth Day, but rather, work. Now, I could have done a piece about how we all have work to do to improve our ecological karma, but you all know that already, right? So, this one is more personal, because work, and what it means to me, are very much on my mind lately. I did attempt a sonnet, though Shakespeare would probably shudder…
I obviously gave up on NaBloPoMo for the month. I fell asleep early one night reading to my daughter. So, then I decided I deserved a weekend off, and now, it’s Tuesday… But, I am still trying to catch up with the Poem a Day Challenge, so the next week will be a spree. Big family weekend coming up, of course, but I think I can, I think I can…
Monday was my birthday, and the prompt was “Rebirth”. I am a huge fan of irony 
Robert Lee Brewer also gave us a quick lesson on the Villanelle form, which was new to me so I took it on. I think that traditionally, the form may be a little more lighthearted than mine is, but what can I say? That’s where I was at…
4/20
I was born on this April day
which brings pain for so many
and others mark in their own way.
There are no words that truly say
how it can feel for any
person born on this April day.
I think of people left to pray
for the souls lost in Germany
and others marked the same way.
Think of children who could not play
in Waco, Colorado and many
other places marked in other ways.
Every Spring, I enter the gray,
reflect and then live again. See—
I was born on an April day
that others mark in their own way.
Since I am not finished with a poem today, I will share some other poetry resources from the Interwebs. I am counting this as the list post which was “assigned” Day 2 of the Build a Better Blog Challenge. [Obviously, I am not stressing myself to do that every day too, but I am learning some good hints and tips, just by reading the posts.] OK- in no particular order:
Shadow Poetry
This site has just about everything you could ask for to satisfy your poetic needs, including chapbook publishing. Some of the items are closed except to members, but the Reference pages [terms, poets, handbook, etc], Message boards and slightly addictive Magnet Poetry are free to use. If you are interested in having a chapbook published, check out their service. There are also a bookstore and two magazines available by subscription. They do accept submissions from non-members and you can submit directly through the site.
Winning Writers
This site is the home of the Poetry Contest Insider, which is a thorough database-for-a-fee. They also offer a good list of Free Poetry Contests when you sign up for their e-newsletter. Additionally, they have their own contests running throughout the year, including the Margaret Reid Traditional Verse Poetry Contest [taking entries now] and the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest [enter in August]. Also worth checking out is their page on Poetry Contests to Avoid which lists scams and questionable sites and organizations.
Poets.org
This is the official site from the Academy of American Poets, so I guess it is kind of obvious. If you are looking for a favorite old poem or information on any American poet, go here. They also are the main source for National Poetry Month [April, btw, in case you missed that], since they started it about 13 years ago. There are resources for educators and readers, event listings and contests. You can also sign up to get a poem in your email daily for the rest of the month. An interesting addition this year is the Free Verse group through Flickr which has readers’ favorite poetry incorporated into photography. Some of the interpretations and images are fantastic. It is definitely fun to browse.
Originally uploaded by MtGQ
Poet’s Haven
This site is for indy poets to share their work with the web. It is open to anyone, which means that the poems cover just about every topic, style and angst-ridden memory imaginable. You can share your poetry, discuss poetry in general on the forums, get and give critiques, and there are also other articles, reviews, etc. The highlite for me is the Saturday Night with The Poet’s Haven podcast which features readings from live open-mic nights [mostly in Ohio, where they are based]. You can submit a reading to the podcast too here. I actually have a couple old poems floating around on there from a few years ago. I may have to track them down… [BTW: they do protect your copyright- you reserve all rights.]
Giggle Poetry
This is a poetry site for kids, and it is published by Meadowbrook Press, so yes, they push their work, but there are some hilarious poems here. Teachers, and parents can find resources for teaching creative poetry writing to children and kids can read and rate poems, enter contests and play poetry games. The “Smoker’s Epitaph” fill-in-the-blank is a bit creepy, but sure to raise giggles in the youth and young-at-heart [assuming you do not smoke ]
I know there are many other worthwhile sites out there, and I purposefully did not include blogs, but I would love to learn about any you find particularly helpful or inspiring. Now, I must return to my journal, because I am way behind in the PAD Challenge. Is anyone else posting over there at all? Please share if you are! BTW: They are asking folks to post the favorite selection of their own poems done for the challenge so far. I cannot decide which one of mine I would pick. Any votes?
Today’s prompt on Poetic Asides is to “honor” a poet by creating your own version of a favorite poem, or at least by using a title and replacing some words. I believe this would be considered a parody, but in a good way. There are some interesting ones in the comment board.
I have been poetically slacking because I got all caught up in the Amazon Fail thing and because I do have other things to do but this one came to me rather easily. I am debating whether or not I should bother trying to garden this year. I like it, love growing my own, but I have two brown thumbs. My hubby is a natural farmer, but he relies on me too much since he is never home. And usually by August when it is just grossly humid, even in the middle of a drought, we are watching things die from the comfort of our AC’d living room. Anyway, here is my “tribute” to Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay”…thanks for reading!
4/15/2009 3:29:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
“With Respect, Mr. Frost”
Spring’s big thing is green,
A hue I’ve hardly seen.
The early leaves may bloom,
But they will be gone soon.
When summer’s months begin
And Hades’ heat sets in,
Although I hope, I know
Nothing green will grow.
The #amazonfail tweet-a-thon is still going strong. Amazon is calling the whole thing a glitch and there are several conspiracy theories floating around. I think they are trying to cover their assets because they really did not expect to get such a backlash. The thing is several authors have been reporting these issues going on for months and there are reports that Amazon employees stated that certain books deemed too adult would be kept from the searchable rankings. But now it is a glitch. Right…I am no techie, but the glitch theory is bunk ["why it's not a glitch" is explained quite technically HERE]
The only theory I am partial to is that a puritan hacker/Amazon employee created the term-specific-glitch, which still makes it censorship (even if it is not authorized). But that’s still pretty weak because it does not explain why people were being told in February that their books would not be listed in the sales rankings. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has been covering the story well and DailyKos has a good round-up of info and posts. Meanwhile, this hilarious chart from the National Coalition Against Censorship illustrates the recent buzz:
This is not over, even if they think they can whitewash it and move on. A boycott of Amazon has begun and several petitions are available upon request. I personally don’t use Amazon, and recommend independent stores and sites like BetterWorldBooks [link on sidebar!]. One of the things that turned me off of Amazon in the first place was that they seemed to be taking so much biz from the stores. I had to create an account at some point when I received a gift certificate [which I still haven't used!] but now I can’t figure out how to delete it…Let’s hope we see a surge in bookstore sales now. BTW: Powell’s Books, a very established indy store also has a discount going on…on tweets its being called the #amazonfail discount, but the folks at Powell’s are a bit kinder than that. Here’s how they put it:
#powellswin deal!
At Powell’s, all books are created equal. We hold this truth to be self-evident. Whether any given title is deserving of a wide readership, we leave that decision to you, our customers. In the spirit of such freedoms that perhaps we too often take for granted, today we’re offering friends a special, winning deal.
Coupon valid online only, not in our stores. This discount cannot be combined with other offers. Offer not valid on eGift Cards. Limit one coupon per customer.
So, go buy a book! Anywhere but Amazon…
I know I talk about writing and books a lot more these days, but when I first began this blog, I was often ranting about media issues, and I was “dedicated” to fighting censorship and the demise of print media. So, this topic tweeked my ire last night and now I return to my roots:
In case you haven’t heard, there is a huge controversy going on about Amazon’s ranking system which is suddenly [from some accounts drastically] dropping sales rankings of books which they deem to be “Adult” in nature. No, we are not talking the smutty books which honest people used to have to go to dark rooms in the back of “those stores” to purchase. Some of the books being affected include feminist books and especially LGBT books. I am reading what I can, before I pass too much judgement, which is always recommendable, but from what I have read and seen, not surprisingly, Amazon is bowing to the puritanical pressures which have been dictating what we are supposed to read, watch and think for about as long as we have been here. I don’t really use Amazon often, and some arguments in the comments are that they “can do what they want with their sales rankings” but this reeks of censorship to me. If books are being bought they deserve their rank. And how are they deciding what is too “adult”? Which seems weird to me anyway… Because most books are written for adults and there are some pretty hot scenes happening in plenty of hetero romance novels. Once again free speech, literacy and the pursuit of happiness are being hindered based on what other people think is appropriate? Anyway, I need to read more, but you can follow it on Twitter, hash #amazonfail or at Jezebel here and here or …A brand new update at NYTimes I am going to read now…
I am apparently not writing a poem today, just surfing and recovering from the sugar overload. And sharing stuff with others, too…Here’s a good list to check out: 10 Best Writing Books on Editor Unleashed
http://editorunleashed.com/2009/04/08/the-10-best-books-for-writers/
I am so glad I have some of these 
It is a good sign.
ova
orb vivo
old yet neo
other forms too
oval, round, goo
object holding bio
order inside the exo
only will come to
ounce or two
of oxo
NaNoWriMo
http://janflora.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/120_240_vertical.jpg
Even though there is nothing there for me.
I scan the freelance sites with ambition
that’s not reflected on my resume.
I work at home with kids all around me
and have little to show when I am done.
Between dishes, diapers and the laundry
I squeeze in blogs, poems and sometimes work on
some novels that may never be ready.
In the eyes of many, I’m just a mom.
There are some who know the real me,
writer, teacher, reader, thinker, and some
who are glad I am there every day
willing to put aside work just to play.