Poetry – ask ten poets to define it and chances are that you will get ten different answers. For most, the answer is closest to the old cliche definition of art – I can”t define it, but I know when I see it. Or, in this case, hear it. Or read it. We know that the answer to “what is poetry?” is one that”s often debated in some circles – and know that even more often, someone somewhere scoffs that “that isn”t poetry!”. Here, we like to take the broadest possible view without attempting a definition. We write about poetry – the events surrounding it, places to publish it, resources to help write it, publicize it and find others doing the same thing.
Finding those events, stories, publications and resources means that I spend a lot of time looking and reading what other people write about poetry. This week, instead of offering one resource of the week, I”m giving you a whole handful of the best places I”ve found to find news about poetry on the net.
– Poetry Society of America maintains a list of resources that include publishers, journals of poetry, conferences, organizations, literary bookstores and contests. The list is well-maintained and up to date.
– Poets & Writers, Inc maintains a list of links to other resources that is one of the most extensive I”ve seen anywhere. They include conferences, grants, national organizations, regional organizations, small presses, writing programs and a special list of resources for young writers.
– PMPoetrymaintained by Patrick Martin is a full-fledged site of nothing but resources for poets. His list, unlike many others, includes several hundred links to sites where poets post their own poetry, as well as such miscellany as search engines to help you find particular poems. Lots of broken links scattered among some pure gems.
– Poetry Links @ Drowningman.net is a comprehensive (and coincidentally very pretty) list of poetry publishers arranged alphabetically. Again, lots of broken links – which is more a sad statement on the state of poetry publishing today than a reflection of the site”s maintenance.
– Topix.net Poetry News is a great source for quick links to current poetry news around the world. Topix subscribes to thousands of newsfeeds around the world and publishes the results in filtered lists. You”ll find newspaper articles from all over the world that are related to poetry here – from a story about the heaviest book of poetry in the world (133 poems by Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam) to pleas to help save the poetry program at a Santa Clara library.
– The Library of Congress Poetry page includes news about poetry on a national level, as well as links to such things as the Poem A Day program, and to personal projects of the Poet Laureate and grants available to poets and educators.
– At poems.com, there”s a frequently updated list of news stories appearing in newspapers and magazines around the country about poets and poetry. Interesting if you enjoy reading what well-known poets have to say about their new books, poetry in general and writing.
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