Poking through the places where I find news, poetry and interesting things on which to follow up, it occurred to me that I haven”t shared the Interboard Poetry Community as the resource most likely to drag me in for hours and make me late for everything else in my life. Rus Bowden introduced me to it a while back, when we talked about his blog BudBloom Poetry. He keeps up on the newswire there, posting interesting tidbits gleaned from news of poetry around the world, the types of things that often lead me on winding searches (and him, too, apparently). However, I digress.
The Interboard Poetry Community was originally conceived as the Interboard Poetry Competition in 1999 by founder Michael Neff, director of Web del Sol, the largest nonprofit publisher of literary publications. His intent was to
In the years since, IBPC has grown to include 22 poetry boards and sites, each of which sponsor and submit the best poetry by their members to the IBPC. It has also grown into far more than a competition – there”s a sense of community that extends beyond the borders of each individual “board” or site. Being chosen the winner of one of IBPC”s monthly and annual contests has become increasingly prestigious in the world of poetry, not just the world of online poetry.
If for no other reason (and there are many, many of them), the IBPC site is a valuable resource that links together 22 (and growing) communities of working, workshopping poets. If you”re looking for a place to learn, discuss and polish your craft, or just a place to read some of the best poetry from up and coming contemporary poets, this is the place to find it.
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