Happy New Year, poets! Thank you for making this another wonderful year here at PWB. To keep our site going in next year please make sure that you leave comments, visit the poets on our list, take part in our projects, and take about PWB on other web sites.

If you want to see this site thrive become an active part of it!

Thanks for all your support of poetry in the blogosphere. May 2009 be even better for each and every one of you. I wish you joy, peace, and that your muse will stay kind.

Hugs and love from your blog manager,

Sara

Read Nicole Nicholson at Young American Poets

One of PWB's very own had her work displayed at YAP last month. To read Nicole Nicholson's poem Elegy click here.

Do you have poetry news to share? Send it to poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com with Poetry News in the subject line. But if it is of a time sensitive nature please leave a comment on this blog so I know to be on the lookout for it or else it might not get read in time.

Your Blog Manager,

Sara

Hi- We bring news (a little late!) of the December poetry contest soon to close on WritingRoom.com- winners of which will be featured in the WR Winners Forum on Poetrydances.com. Along with other great prizes - such as publication and cash! All participants will receive a certificate of achievement. If you would like to find out more please go to www.poetrydances.com/poetrycontest.htm Kind regards
and Merry Christmas to you all.


Anthony French



contact@poetrydances.com
Poetrydances.com

Ever visited Lit Up Magazine Blog?

From their site:


Lit Up Magazine is whatever you want it to be. Send us your music, photos, video’s, news and events, your writing, opinions, whatever. This is your world. We want you happy. We want you here...all of you. Submit to litupmagazine@yahoo.com

If you decide to visit the site use the control F feature on your computer and search for the poems of Nabina Das, who sent in news to PWB about this site. Her two poems are Othello's Path and Bouquets. Her work has also recently appeared in The Cartier Street Review and The Toronto Quarterly.

Recycled Poet Joins PWB

We have a new site on our blogroll. It focuses on the work of DPoetry and the poetry scene in Baltimore, Maryland. He is a spoken word poet who is interested in encouraging other poets to do more readings. Click here to check out Recycled Poet.

PWB Second Anniversary Party

You are cordially invited to celebrate the second anniversary of Poets Who Blog being online. This site takes the hard work, generosity and dedication of many members to keep it going. On January 5th we will be gathering here to commemorate the fact that we have made it this far and that we are not going to go away any time soon.

Do you love PWB? Then be here to party with us.

We will have a Poetry Carnival that day. If you want your poetry featured then send a link to your poem to me at poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com.

Hope to see you here on January 5th. Its the first major event for PWB in the New Year but not, by far, the last. I hope to get more and more members involved in being an active part of this site.

Do you want to help take PWB to the next level?

Underground Poetry Project

Are you on Live Journal? If so you might want to check out their Underground Poetry Project. You can find it by clicking here.

From their page:
The goal is to take poetry to the people. We want to get the words off the page, and into the streets! The rules are simple:

Anonymously post poetry in a public place. Be it on a notecard left in a coffee shop or restaurant, written on a sidewalk, overpass, wall (preferably in a way that won't get you arrested for vandalism) or a spontaneous performance, take a photograph or a videotape or a voice post of the "mission" and share it with the community, then fade away into the day, night, et al. Or simply post a copy of the poem you left behind here in our forum.

Our goal is to take poetry to the people. To celebrate, shout, shine! You have your mission, get moving!

The Twelfth Day of Poetry- Bonus

The Forgotten Christmas Tree

In a time no longer remembered
Behind a door marked Midnight
There stood a Christmas tree
Who had lost its sparkling Christmas Light

Where the Christmas Wishes were hung
But the world could not see
Belonging to all the little children
Of the Forgotten Christmas Tree

These children huddled beneath its branches
To take shelter from cold nights
Awaiting with wide and hopeful eyes
The return of the beautiful Christmas Light

They held tight to each others hands
The tiny ones frightened by the dark
Making sure to stay clear of the great door
That claimed Midnight as its mark

They knew not what could lie
Beyond the darkness of the door
Only that it had been a hundred years
Since it had been opened, maybe more

Then on an extra cold and dreary night
A bitter snowy wind began to blow
And they all gathered hiding within the tree
Having no other place to go

Clinging to each others jackets
In fear they would all blow away
They tried not to be frightened
As its great branches started to sway

The tree was losing strength
And certain soon lost they all would be
They gathered up their Christmas Wishes
Looking straight to the top of the Forgotten Tree

Then each child read their Christmas Wish
Aloud, clear enough for all the world to hear
And with it sent their faith and love
To all the lost hearts whether far or near

Soon in the wind there rang a sound
From the other side of the Midnight door
Faint then louder as it came near
And suddenly they were not frightened anymore

The children’s hearts became quiet and still
As they listened to the sound of wings taking flight
“They are coming, they are coming,” the children cried
“They are bringing the Christmas Light”

The air grew calm, as peace filled the air
And slowly the Midnight door began to open wide
Spilling Christmas Love and Christmas Light
As a thousand angel wings carried Joyous Yule Tide

With One Little Angel taking his place
On the very top of the Forgotten Tree
Where he will remain forever for all who are lost
As a beacon of Christmas Faith, Hope and Love
For the whole world to see…

By bkmackenzie from Soul Intention and A Children's Garden
copyrighted 2008

_____

Thank you for sharing your work, bkmackenzie and for posting about the 12 days of Poetry Project at your site.

Merry Christmas, to all our poets who celebrate this holiday. Wishing you joy, peace, love and creativity today and every day.

Sara

The Twelve Day of Poetry

Christmas Poem for Bloggers

Christmas for Bloggers, I write this for thee

So many stories, for all us to read



My story starts here, in a Florida town.

With lights and a tree, many present around.



The neighborhood homes, decorated with lights,

Each RV with its trinkets, light up the night.



On my site is a reindeer, Rudolph I know

In addition some candy-canes, and a big red tied bow.



Down the street is a snow globe that lights up the lane

I think the owner’s looking, for some minutes of fame.



Each car that drives by, slows down by her house

She’s out on the doorstep, dressed up like a mouse.



Her costume from Halloween, so I shutter to think

What bottle she takes from the cabinet to drink.



She waves to the cars as they drive by real slow

On occasion I’ve seen her, just dressed in a bow.



Tonight it is different perhaps she is straight

She’s dressed in an outfit that looks really great



It’s a red and white pant-suite with a big red felt hat

If you look at her sideways she looks kind of fat.



But jolly she is, as she stands by the door

Waving to cars, as they pass by for more.



She’s yelling to everyone, anyone in her sight.

Happy Holidays to you, and have a great night.


by ofiact. To visit Ofiact's Blog please click here

_______

Thanks for sharing, ofaict.

There is one more poem left in the Twelve Days of Poetry. A bonus poem for this last day. Check it out later tonight.

The Eleventh Day of Poetry- Bonus!

One of our youngest poets sent in a link to a poem for this project. Milou is a grade schooler from Argentina.

To check out here poem, pleaseclick here and tell Milou "Merry Christmas!"

The Eleventh Day of Poetry

FAMILY ALBUM




It's colder than predicted
beyond
the mothering heat of the kitchen,
beyond the
comforting clutter
of once-a-year ingredients
and the waltzing scents
of nutmeg and ginger.

From the rooftop,
icicles hang down like
December fingers easing into view,
as excited as children underfoot
eager
to collect sweet and gooey batter
from mixing bowls full
of doubled recipes and grandparent traditions.

Mouths water
for the same sensations
our fathers
craved when they
were half our age and we wander,
hungry travelers
walking over bridges
between generations
to dinner tables
full of welcome,
invisible
guests.

Yes,
it's colder than expected
outside,
but inside
it's Christmas-cookie warm,
hearts rising from decades-ago burns
on the pages of old cookbooks.


by Bryan Borland from SHAKE: The Poetry of Bryan Borland.

___

Thanks, Bryan, for taking part in our Twelve Days of Poetry Project! Merry Christmas to you.

The Tenth Day of Poetry

Holiday Card Postmarked from Holland

A canal, from one who’s crossed the crowded ice.

A windmill, from one who’s felt the chill nearby.

Some birds, from one who’s heard their winter cries.

A Kerstdagen greeting without a single lie

for me to believe in.



by Therese L. Broderick from Poetry Inspired by Art. If you want to check out this poem in its original form and read about the inspiration for it then click here.

The Ninth Day of Poetry

One Place to Go

There was no place to go
when winter dimmed
There was this all that came to light
When sacred fires skimmed our faces over fences of memory
I waited for the unfed Santa-man on my school's sidewalk
He didn't give, but begged for coins
For him there was no sweet crumbs baking
Warm dishes squealing in the little arc of holiday lights
Also there was this fat nun-teacher in our section who did a jig for us
She tall and big, sang throaty carols in the name of deserts, donkey and a child
We saw that kid everyday near the pale woman by the shops
She wore rags like royal attire and a smile to light the brightest
Candles lit by my Catholic neighbor that competed
With my grandma's heathen oil lamp flames chasing the Sun-god
Running askew at solstice behind the sky
To flicker till the rays fell straighter on her dew-soaked Tulsi
Grandma would scatter puja grains and chant her Uttarayana mantras
And tell me about a path that leads to a garden
Of ceremonies where we apparently could share
Sugardrop laughs with my classmate Maria Joseph -- also Humeira and Maya
There, where incense sticks burned around ravishing firepits,
There was no place for lines or walls
There was no place to go other than
Longings for prim days that opened their doors wearing festive shades.



by fleuve-souterrain from Do you see?

To read this poem in its original setting with the artwork that accompanies it please click here.

The Eight Day of Poetry

overnight bedlam
while driving,
hang right hand over and off steering wheel
thumb down connected to sharp cheddar
yellow moon,
connecting from earth to sky
back again, relating sequentially

radio aqua shimmer relates numerically
time sequences, bass lines, hooks and choruses
track number 5 on repeat, clasping, seeping lyrics a memoir
someone else might live.

night white light night light,
full spectrum windshield,
wind currents from crazed automatic windows at 62 mph
doom full chewing slow on tongue
paying bills on keyboard
all thumbs, castrating never questioning electronic memory

inside its warm, but testing patience
a flytrap with christmas trees,
glittering St Nicks,
fabricated home living

daylight still 5 hours and 23 minutes further,
yellow wax colored lights shaded with sheep skin
still pretending as natural
laundry in twisted grimace patterns,musty
some crusty, domesticated washer machine bases settings
Hot, Warm, Cold
orange eyes split form and drop through cycles,
never backwards only forwards, repeat

shit stains like a smile on boxer seams,
caffeine supplements taste strawberry, fake sugar flavor
water like family relations
television talks in japanese anime
sometimes scripted sports announcers lock eyes with
half feigning attention bored athletes
with golden hamster feeder lifestyles

waiting patient all thumbs
heart licking deep forward to chest walls
back, all cycles
repeating,
hang dry only

by Wedlock from Word of Mouth Coalition

The Seventh Day of Poetry

Christmas in Iraq - a Christmas Poem for Our Soldiers

'Twas the night before Christmas in an Iraqi town;
And our brave U.S. forces had all just hunkered down.
Not a Humvee was moving, not a Jeep stirred the sand
As troops dreamed of their homes, each and every man.

Some longed for their sweethearts, other men missed their moms,
Others missed sons and daughters not seen for so long.
Sugarplums would be nice, but much nicer to be
At home with their loved ones 'neath their own Christmas tree.

When what to their wondering ears should be heard,
But the faint sounds of carols, music and joyful words.
At first heard so faintly, then the sound grew and grew --
The sound of your loved ones singing carols for you.

For you are not forgotten, you are not alone;
You are missed by the people you keep safe at home,
And we remember you as the Christmas bells ring,
As you're watched by the Christ Child whose carols we sing.

For no matter how far from your home you may be,
There once was a Babe born for you and for me.
So hark to the carols as their music draws nigh,
And look to the stars in the Iraqi sky.

Remember the star which on Bethlehem shone,
The star that still guides those who yearn to be Home.
So as Christmas Day dawns over here, over there--
Merry Christmas to you, with our love, thanks, and prayers.

By Kathryn E. Darden from Christian Poets Pen.

The Sixth Day of Poetry

Holiday Meal


the extended family around a grand table
awaited the feast to begin
in joy, much drinking and laughter

a chorus of oohs and aahhs while grandma
placed the golden plattered turkey
in the center of our festive throng

fine spirit abounded, then all lights went out
there was a scrambling, some shouts,
until a cry of pain did command

when the lights came on,
grandpa had tears in his eyes, a turkey leg
and seven forks in his hand

by Jack Sender from A Warming Trend

________

Thank you, Jack, for taking part in our Second Annual Twelve Days of Poetry and helping to spread poetry through the blogosphere this holiday season.

The Fifth Day of Poetry

Solstice

When winter comes

The fire grows warmer

The snow bells tingle

Frosting panes

When winter comes.



The fire grows warmer

Sun-god defeated

The slaving hearth beams

With new found surrender

The fire grows warmer.



The snow bells tingle

Around ruddy cheeked children

Cool beams beckon

The new born sun-child

The snow bells tingle



Frosting panes

Glistening, glistening

The fire grows warmer

The wind thunders freely

Frosting panes



When winter comes.




By Dpoetry from Recycled Poet.
© 2008 David Drager

___

Thanks for sharing your poetry with PWB, Dpoetry. Its great to have a new member step up and take part in our site.

The Fourth Day of Poetry

Christian Doe

they found him, in a basket wove
of freshly whittled pine
on the stair steps of the orphans home
one late december night..

amidst the blow, and cold, and snow,
under a crescent moon-
swaddled in a red fleece cloak,
eyes sparkling,, lips a coo..

they brought him in, they coddled him
they rocked him by the fire
never knowing into their midst
was ‘born’,, retails own christ child….

by paisley. To read this poem in its original posting and see the photo that accompanied it please click here


_____

Thank you, Paisley, for taking part. I really appreciate the way you always support PWB.

The Third Day of Poetry

Bethlehem

My eyes are caught:

in one wide gaze, embers of constellations.

And there, figures on the moon.


I sketch a plan on the infinite blackboard.

At times I wish to be surprised - not tonight.


Moonlight casts its own shadows;

I share mine with no one.

Where I stand, few sounds reach me.

My heart pounds.


Suddenly, this night is unlike any other.

I turn to the strong star with my shadow

in fear that I know nothing.


Here I am on Bethlehem’s road:

I raise my right foot,

one single step into the unknown.


A dusty scent of hay:

a hint of the First morning.



Belén


Mis ojos están cautivados:

en una mirada vasta, destellos de constelaciones.

Y allí, figuras en la luna.


Esbozo un plano en la pizarra infinita.

A veces quiero que me sorprenda; pero esta noche no.


La luz de la luna proyecta sus propias sombras.

Yo no comparto la mía con nadie.

Donde yo estoy, me llegan pocos sonidos.

Me palpita el corazón.


De repente, esta noche se vuelve diferente a las demás.

Me vuelvo hacia la imponente estrella con mi sombra

temiendo que ya no sé nada.


Aquí estoy en el camino a Belén:

levanto mi pie derecho,

un solitario paso hacia lo desconocido.


Aroma de polvo de heno:

huella de la primera mañana.

by Gordan Mason from Catapult to Mars.



____

Are you enjoying the 12 Days of Poetry so far? Let our poets know you appreciate them sharing their work by leaving a comment. I'm eager to see many PWB members step up between now and Jan. 21st as we are going to have many projects, prompts and chances for your to share your work here between now and then.

Be an active member! Its a great way to keep poetry alive and kicking in the blogosphere- and tell a friend about PWB while you are at it.

The Second Day of Poetry

At Feast End

We congregate about the table,,,
Our bellies bursting with holiday—it was pristinely set.

The turkey carcass now
discarded,,,
the sweet potatoes observed
disrobed
(their brown candied toppings stripped to expose solitary
daubs of orange-carroty-color not fit to keep),,,
the blotched plates cleared,,,
the caked forks confiscated,,,
sweaty goblets still bathed in mostly melted cubes:
the table
tidied.

Was God’s grace gone so soon?

God’s grace
was gone
so soon

by the scôp from diatribalArts.

Please comment and support our 12 Days of Poetry Project.

The First Day of Poetry

"Eight Lights"

eight lights
eight lights borne aloft on
wax and gold
a story of old
retold in candle and oil flame splendor

eight lights
seven days beyond the
life span of mundane oil
death delayed to give up offerings
of light
to burn bright
out of sight
Hashem is here
Hashem is near

eight lights
eight lights powered
by pellucid oil
to see miracles through
the fog of centuries, old crumpled scrolls
and transcriptions from jot and tittle to
pixel and electron love
words, sonic souls, carry our blood
through the air
through the fourth dimension
and we are here
and we are near
to Thee

eight lights
eight lights to jog memories
while the Shamash lights up the house
the memories rise up, in spades
curl around the brains of the eyes
who see the lights dancing in
our window
below in the snow
the glow and soul live on
memories
blood
hands linked
Hashem
in
eight
lights


by Nicole Nicholson from Raven's Wing Poetry. To find details about her first chapbook, Raven Feathers, click here.

The Twelve Days of Poetry Begins Again

I'm happy to be able to announce that this is Poets Who Blog's Second Annual Twelve Days of Poetry Project. Hopefully we will make it to our third.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who took part last year, stuck with this site all year, and has kept poetry alive in the blogosphere. Things have been a little quiet here for the last few months, lets end the year with a bang and kick 2009 by making PWB a rocking site again.

Are you in?

Be here on January 5th for our second annual anniversary party. More detials to come after the holidays.

And if you want your poetry to be part of The Twelve Days of Poetry Project you need to immediately send me a link to a poem about winter or Christmas and your screen name. Please put 12 Days of Poetry in the subject line or the email will likely be deleted. Send your submission to poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com.

Support PWB by supporting this project.

Happy holidays, poets!

Young American Poets Seeking Submissions

You have just a few days left if you would like to submit your poetry to YAP. The deadline is December 15th.

Click here for all the detials.

The President Loves Poetry?

Will Barack Obama spark poetry sales? Jonathan Galassi,recent winner for his poetry at the Mercantile Library Center for Fiction Awards, thinks the President elect just might.

Click here to read an article where he explains why.

(Please no comments about politics in the comments of this post).

Spend a moment with Lawson Inada

Oregon Poet Laureate Lawson Inada did an interview with Jim Lehrer about the times Inada spent in an interment camp as a child and how his writing reflects that expierence.

Click here to read the interview.

Poetry on the Beach

Every friday The Writer's Island puts up a new prompt to get your creative muses sparking.

Click here to cruise on over to The Writer's Island. Bon voyage!

Have you checked out the Online NewsHour: Poetry Series by PBS?

Click here to jump on over to their site and find videos of contemporary poets reading their work.

In the mood to read, review or maybe even write a limerick or haiku? If so head on over to Mad Kane's Humor Blog where you can take part in her latest prompt.

Click here to be whisked to Mad Kane's world.

Hello, poets! Hope all is going well in your writing world. Keep sending in those links for the Twelve Day of Poetry project. Make sure you put poetry in your subject line.

poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com

Looking forward to reading all the poems submitted.

Happy holidays!

Looking to have your poetry critiqued? Then check out Every Poets site's Poetry Free For All by clicking here.

This week Books Blog focused its attention on poet Andrew Marvell naming his To Coy a Mistress their poem of the week.

To read thier post click here.

The Twelve Days of Poetry

I'm not sure how many of our readers were around last year and remember our Twelve Days of Poetry. If you don't then use the search feature on this site to see what I am referring to or you can always visit

Anyway, its about that time of year to set up The Twelve Days of Poetry 2008, our second annual event.

To take part send a holiday or winter themed poem to poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com. Make sure you put PWB Twelve Days in the subject line.

Then I will feature a poem a day. If we have more than twelve poets who decide to take part I will feature more than one poem a day.

Make sure you tell me your screen name, or whatever name you want mentioned in the post, and give me a link to your poetry blog.

Please stop in during December to read our twelve days of christmas poems and please comment. Its up to you in order to make this year just as successful as last year.

Your Blog Manager,
Sara

The Library of Congress has a website with a section specifically for Presidential poetry.

To check it out click here.

The fantastic writer behind the comic Will Write For Chocolate has started selling a line of greeting cards. So if you need some cards for the holidays, think about supporting this talented writer.

You can find the cards at Snarkface.com

Click here if you would like to visit a forum that is holding what they title their First Annual Festival of Women's Poetry.

From our friends at Poetry Dances:



We bring news of the November poetry contest being held on WritingRoom.com- winners of which will be featured in the WR Winners Forum on Poetrydances.com. Along with other great prizes - such as publication and cash! All participants will receive a certificate of achievement. If you would like to find out more please click here.

Welcome, Jason!

There is a new blog on our list. It showcases the work of Jason Keath. Stop on into Argonaut and welcome him to PWB.

Nicole Nicholson Poet of the Week at PSH

Big congrats to PWB's very own Nicole Nicholson who is one of the Poets of the Week at Poetry Super Highway. Way to go, Nicole!

Click here to find out how you too could be considered for the Poets of the Week honor at PSH, and click here to read Nicole's biography and a poem by here titled Revolutionary.

Send in your poetry news

Our friends at Read Write Poem would love for you to send in your poetry news. Email it them at news (at) readwritepoem (dot) org. (Please include “news” in the subject line, thank you very much.)

Click here to visit Read Write Poem

The latest press release from our friends at poetrydances.com:

Poetrydances.com Welcomes Six New Favorite Writers in October, Whilst Extending Its Reach Following a Significant New Arrangement with Poetry Website WritingRoom.com

Six new favorite writers were created in October on Poetrydances.com, in a month which saw an important new arrangement with WritingRoom.com, a leading poetry website, come into effect.


Busan, South Korea, November 05, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Month after month, new writers and new poems are discovered by Poetrydances.com during its visits to other poetry sites, and blogs across the Internet. Poems are also often submitted to the Site directly. A proportion of the writers behind these poems are listed as Favorite Writers on the Site.

The six Favorite Writers created in October along with their poems and sites on which they are hosted are as follows:

Jenniffer Jude Slachtovsky with ‘Unzipped’ [on Poetrydances.com]

Joseph J. Breunig 3rd. with ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ [on Poetrydances.com]

Beatrice Van De Vis with - ‘Haiku LIX’ [on owlnight.com]
[discovered through poetswhoblog.blogspot.com]

- also ‘Diva’ [on Poetrydances.com]

- and ‘Tanka XIV’ [on owlnight.com]

Rachel Clark with ‘Unleashed’ [on Don’t take my wings- blog]

Nicholas Sheehan with ‘Found’ [on poetry.com]

John L. Snook, Jr. with ‘Pleasure’s Face’ [on Poetrydances.com]

Also, in a new and significant advance, poetry site WritingRoom.com has agreed to incorporate a ‘read request’ link back to Poetrydances.com, alongside all poems written and hosted on its website. These links offer to all writers of poetry on WritingRoom.com, an easier method of submitting their poems to Poetrydances.com for review and possible selection.

In recent comments about this new arrangement, Anthony French, the creator of Poetrydances.com explained:

“We are very pleased to be working so closely with WritingRoom.com- we see the Site as one of the most vibrant, friendly and accessible out there. Additionally, the standard of poems reaching us from the Site is highly impressive. This may be in part down to the broad array of ‘expert’ guidance made available to its members. In offering this guidance to help writers develop and improve their craft across so many areas, WritingRoom.com has presented itself as a truly excellent partner. We are confident that the read requests coming in from WritingRoom.com will steadily grow with time; bringing increased exposure for its writers along with the two sites themselves. We look forward to working more closely with other sites able to offer such a great platform to their members. ”

Lindsay Preston, creator and CEO of WritingRoom.com also recently voiced thoughts on the relationship between her site and Poetrydances.com:

“WritingRoom is thrilled to have established such a strong reliance with another website so dedicated to helping writers succeed. PoetryDances is a top-notch site and a must-visit for all poets. We are honored to have PoetryDances scouring WritingRoom for poets to add to their site and we are more than pleased to have a "PoetryDances Read Request" button on WritingRoom to help encourage and support writers and their dreams. We look forward to a productive future encouraging and supporting writers with PoetryDances.com.”

Poetry as mentioned can also be submitted directly to Poetrydances.com along with links to great poems found by users themselves. Additionally, the Site accepts general read requests, which allow its staff to visit and read the work of specific writers on various poetry sites or blogs across the Internet.

Poetrydances.com is free to use subject to the site’s disclaimer and terms of use.



###

WritingRoom.com.

Writing Room.com is for everyone because everyone has a story to tell; a letter to write; a school paper to finish or simply the need to communicate. Everyone has sat agonizingly in front of a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen and the words won’t come. WritingRoom is here for you.

WritingRoom understands the struggles and demands involved with writing; the blank page, the writers block and the stakes involved with wrestling through the creative process. We are a community where writers can work, independently or with others, communicate, stumble, get encouragement and meet people with similar interests.

WritingRoom can help publishers find the next New York Times bestseller or producers find the next Academy Award winning screenplay. We are here to help students achieve that desperately needed A on their next paper and the business person write the perfect letter. As a niche social network, designed for writers, students, readers and anyone who has ever had to or wanted to put pen to paper, WritingRoom.com is everything writing.

Did you get a chance to check out The Poetry Foundation's october podacast?

Click hereto listen to the English translation of Chilean novelist Roberto Bolaño's poetry.

Are you a poet who lives in South Africa? If so think about submitting your work to Scavenger.

Remember, all other poets, if you stop by a blog after hearing about it on PWB tell them that Poets Who Blog sent you.

Last month writers in Great Britian used the power of their pen to protest a proposed anti-terrorism law. Forty-two writers banded together to lend their words to a collection posted online one day before the parliment voted on the law.

To read more about this click here.

We will be syndicated

Poets Who Blog will be syndicated through 1800blogger.com

That means you will find our posts and a link back to us at their site.

To find out who else is syndicated through them, check out their poetry blog.

We have a new member

Recently I added Karmic Kudzu to our list under Poetry Blogs.

It would be wonderful if you could stop in and say hello to our newest poet. Please take a moment and help to welcome Carrel Dweller to our ranks.

On November 1st Every Day Poets Magazine debuted online.

From their site:

Every Day Poets is a magazine that specializes in bringing you fine, short poetry. Starting on 1st November 2008, Every day at 12:01am Pacific Time (8am GMT), we will be publishing a new poem of up to 60 lines/500 words or fewer that can be read during your lunch hour, on transit, or even over breakfast.

Click here to visit them.

A press release:


If you're into poetry, a poet or visual artist the coolest place to go to in the internet now is PoetryVisualized.com. Although it's still relatively new and not yet discovered by many, PoetryVisualized.com can already give you hours of pure, literary, poetic enjoyment from some of the best, if not the best and most creative poets and artists in the internet. FOR FREE! Check for your self and join the new movement of the 21 century.

PoetryVisualized.com is the new place for short films and videos. On our site, Filmmakers combine poetry with visual techniques to create a new form of expression. Songs, poems and spoken word works are all fair game. Our services are totally free and you can have your material presented in our exciting yet respectful web site where serious film makers from around the world show off their talents. Short films can be a minute long if you wish. Urban poetry, politics, drama, comedy and topical subjects are all appropriate for our site. PoetryVisualized.com is one of the best ways to show off your skills as a film maker due to the brevity we allow film submissions. All submissions are accepted and some will be lucky enough to be recognized via our Film Festival Award.

-the visual poetry network-

Poetry Visualized™
www.poetryvisualized.com

polumi™
POetryLUMIere
www.polumi.com

Worldwide Open Reading

Tune in November 9th to the web broadcast of Poetry Super Highway Live, hosted by Rick Lupert, and hear poets call in and read their work. Click here for details.

The number to call in and share your own work is 1-(646) 716-7362.

A brand new talent

Last week I added a new blog to our list Groundwords Poetry. The young man who posts his work on this blog is only 15 years old but he shows amazing promise.

Check out his poem titled Soldiers and then please leave a comment welcoming him to PWB.

Thank you for taking the time to make this site work.

Poetry and The New York Times

The Op-ed page of the NY Times asked: What's left to say after the seemingly endless campaign?

Five poets answered. You can read their work by clicking here.

Have you checked out the Cleave Poetry Webzine yet?

You can vote on your favorite Cleave poem of October by visiting here.

Robert Lee Brewer, from Poetic Asides, is one week into his poem a day chapbook project now. Want to check it out....then click here.

Congrats, Nicole Nicholson!

Great news, poets, one of PWB's very own, Nicole Nicholson, recently had two poems published. You can read Rotate and Moment of Grace at the MW Society website by clicking here.

Congratulations on your success, Nicole.


If you have poetry news you would like shared with our members just email me at poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com with the PWB in the subject line.

Another press release from our friends at Poetry Dances :

Poem Website, Poetrydances.com Highlights a Total of Thirty Great Writers in Its First Six Months


Busan, South Korea, October 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Every month, new poems are discovered by Poetrydances.com in the course of its visits to other poetry sites, or blogs that host user submitted poetry. Poems are also sent into the Site directly. Many of the writers behind these poems are listed as Favorite Writers on the Site.

The number of Favorite Writers reached thirty in September-after six full months of operation, with the additional of four new great writers. These writers, the poems and sites hosting them are listed as follows; along with all other writers showcased on the Site in the last six months:

Michelle Hetzel with ‘My Shadow Man’
[hosted on writerscafe.org username ‘Spoken’]

Angela Rizzitano-Bellenis with ‘I Want’
[hosted on poetrydances.com]

Brandon Farinha with ‘Nothing To Say’
[hosted on poetrydances.com]

Leo Durrant with ‘Of Devils And Dust’
[hosted on authorsden.com]

Mamta Madhaven
Michelle Schaefer
Emily Burns
Ivana Plucinski
Joseph Michael Yeary (J. M Yeary)
Jason Lalli (Lalli)
Rambling Prose
Ray Neighbor
Cleo Harter Amos
Andrew Kelly
Milagros Cruz
Ernesto Pangilinan Santiago
Nicole Nicholson
William Laughlin
David Hixon
Robyn R. Gray [Lady Gray]
Claudia Anne Krizay
Holly White Valliant
Engtovo Bhodsvatan
Moqui Takoda
Nakya Cohen
Rebecca Lucente
Alicia K. Jones
Joanne Cucinello
Rex Cox

On the standard of poetry making it onto the Site over the last six months- the creator of poetrydances.com, A.C French commented recently “If the next half of the year sees the same quality of writers becoming part of poetrydances.com- we will be more than happy!”

Mr French went on to say "We should mention also that without the relationships we have in place with other great sites, such as writingroom.com, listenandbeheard.net, poetswhoblog.blogspot.com, gotpoetry.com and writerscafe.org to name only a few- our site would not have developed the reputation it has within the online poetry community. We can't thank these and many other sites enough."

In September the Site also launched two news areas to its operation:

Poetic inspiration
A page where users can send in their own particular inspirations for writing poetry, or read about those of others. Alternatively they can simply send in great line/s, from their own original work/thoughts- which they are happy to share. In return the Site puts up a link to the user’s blog/website or poetry page as desired.

Web Friends
Just a page - where people can get links posted to their personal page/s on Myspace, Facebook, or other social networking sites. In return for them posting a link to poetrydances.com on their own page/s on the site/s concerned.

Poetry as mentioned can also be submitted directly to the site along with links to great poems found by users themselves. Additionally, poetrydances.com accepts read requests, which allow its staff to visit and read the work of specific writers on various poetry sites or blogs across the Internet.

Poetrydances.com is free to use subject to the site’s disclaimer and terms of use.

Poetrydances.com

Poetry and Politics

Today is the last day for the PoetryPolitic project. From September 15th to November 4th their has been a daily post by a variety of poets at PoetryPolitic: A Blog in Fifty Days.

If you would like to check out what they are up to just click here.

Slate has just debuted a new poetry podcast, available through Itunes.

You can hear poets read their works. Click here for details.

You can listen to Poetry World Radio by clicking here and visiting Chicago Poetry.com

Today marks the start of National Novel Writing Month. Though Writers Who Blog is now closed down, I thought I would take a moment to wish well all the fiction writers diving into this project. Its an exciting time of year for us novelists and aspiring novelists who take part.

Not a fiction writer? Robert Lee Brewer is challenging poets to write a poem a day.

Check out his Writer's Digest column by clicking here.

Saturday Drop a Link

Leave a link to a poem you would like others to comment on. This is a perfect chance for all of us to interact. Jump in and make our first "Saturday Drop a Link" event a success!!!

Tomorow will be our first ever edition of Saturday Drop a Link. All you do is leave a link for a poem that you would like to have reviewed, then anyone else who wants to can review.

Please stop in and take part. This will not be a weekly event and will only be repeated if it is successful.

The post will go up tomorow.

Contest Details

Bookhabit.com and the New Zealand Poetry Society are holding an international poetry competition that celebrates written and performance poetry.

All entries must be submitted online by November 2nd.

For more details stop in at at Book Habit

You can listen to audio poems at Austin New Blog

Please cruise on over there and let them know that PWB sent you.

We have a new member!

Great news, poets, we have a new member on our blogroll. Henry Kinkle just debuted his poetry blog Bingo in the Raw.

His first poem posted was Winter With You. Please drop by and make him feel welcome to our group by leaving a comment.

I've noticed some of our members have stepped up and started talking up PWB in their own blog posts. Thanks! Keep up the good work.

For new members, how can you be a good PWB member?

Visit someone on our blogroll each week and leave at least one comment. Follow links given here and visit our other members. When PWB recommends a site and you go there, make sure you tell them that PWB sent you.

Take part in our prompts and games. Send in all your personal poetry news or any poetry news that you know to poetswhoblog at yahoo.com (make sure you put PWB in subject line).


Thanks for all you do to keep PWB going.

PWB would like to wish the best of luck to the new zine Christian Poets Pen. If you stop in and check them out, make sure you let them know PWB sent you.


They are looking for submissions. Click here for details.

Share your thoughts with one of our poets

Mark Folse from Poems Before Breakfast would love for you to stop in and share your thoughts on what is and is not working with his poetry. Read this post for more detials and then let him know what you think.

The Boston Globe ran an article last week on the subject of bikers who also love poetry. Into motorcycles and the poetic verse? Click here to read about people who are.

Mr. Neal’s Creative Writing Classroom Blog asks bloggers to take part in a prompt. The idea is to make a post that describes what a poet's job is, in the same way you might describe what the president's job is.

Click here if you think you might like to take part.

Though each country has a different culture, all people use music, painting, and words, spoken and sung, to communicate their feelings. Now that the internet is becoming more and more a part of people's life worldwide they are able to use poetry to relate their personal struggles and joys. David Sasaki discusses this phenomenon in New Bloggers Use Poetry to Describe Their Communities, Feelings, Friends.Click here to check out the article.

Simon, a poetry blogger from Rhubarb is Susan, offers advice to all new poetry bloggers.

If you are new to the world of blogging, then cruise on over and check out his words of wisdom

More on "Misrepresented Poetry"

Poetry Foundation has a post up about what they are calling the "pirated poetry anthology."

Click here to view the post and read the comments

I am quite disturbed to come to the conclusion that so many poets are being taken advantage of by having their name associated with something they did not give permission for and then, for some, they claim the poem linked to their name is not even their poem.

This is a real shame to see something like this go on. From what I've read online, this is basically what happened:

Someone got the bright idea to use a computer program to write 4000 poems and then attributed them to popular poets online and to other notables, including e.e. cummings, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.

They posted the project and drew the wrath of many poets who didn't appreciate their name being associated with such a project. If you ask me it was the height of rudeness to do what this person did, and caused unneccasary upset in the poetry community. You can not just hijack someone's name and think that's cool. Its not.

I hope to never see something as distastful as this go on again. In the poetry blogosphere we need to help and uplift each other, not drag each other down.

Hopefully all our poets are doing well today. I'm very thankful that PWB is not the kind of site that would foster the mean spirited vibe that produced that project.

More Lend a Line Options for You

We’ve had two more lines donated to our Lend a Line Project that started September
5th 2008.



Click here to read the original post.



The idea is to use one of the lines as the first line in a new poem. Send the poem to me in an email and make sure you put PWB in the subject line. Then the poem will be posted here on PWB. Make sure you tell me your screen name and also give me a link to your blog. All readers can take part, even if you aren't a PWB blog member.

Here are the lines:

"Grass blades resonate under the breeze.."

From "Now that green is just green"
by AC French (AKA poetrydances man)



"Some as fools fall within without care,
the warm blanketed arms of comfort's kiss"

From "The wages of immoderate pleasure" AC French. (AKA Poetrydances man)

What's going on? Reason for concern or not?

After I read this post from Ted Burke where he states that his name was linked to a poetry project he never took part in ( though his name is not that uncommon) I was intrigued enough to follow it through to the actual blog that has the project. That is here.

In the comments several poets so they did not lend their permission to have their names used in this work. They also state the poems linked to their name are not their poems. I noticed that in the long list of names their is at least one PWB member.

Not sure if this project is on the up and up but since it is such a serious subject I felt I better bring it to your attention. Check for your name and make sure you are well aware of where you name is being used online.

Just a reminder that Matinee Muse is offering weekly prompts for anyone looking for some poetic inspiration.

Check out Alltop

Have you visited AllTop yet? Its a great place to see what's going on in the poetry blogosphere.

Click here to check the site out.

Writer's Island is Back

Great news, poets, Writer's Island has been revamped and its back with new prompts for you to try. Considering that I'm in a creative slump write now maybe I'll cruise on over and see what they are up to. Want to join me?

Click here to visit Writer's Island and tell them PWB sent you.

The End of Shine a Light On Poetry Comes Early

Sorry but our first edition of Shine a Light on Poetry has now come to an end. I had to go away for the weekend and didn't get a chance to do posts. I'm still busy so I won't be able to keep going. But I encourage you to visit all the poets we highlighted and get to know them. Just say hi and that PWB sent you. Send the PWB love around the blogosphere.

Thank you to anyone who jumped in and helped with this project. We'll have our second edition early next year.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Seventeen

Today Poet Who Blogs asks you to turn your attention to a wonderfully talented and profilic blogger who goes by Paisley.

Check out this beautiful poem Vernix and the raw and true words in this one Fifteen.

I hope you will spend a little of your day visiting Just Paisley, and letting the poet know that PWB sent you over.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Sixteen

I want to take a moment to sincerly thank every person who has taken a moment from their busy day in order to stop by one of the first fifteen sites suggested.

Today we are shining our light on the very unique Blogsboro Poetry Club. Run by the ever hard working Billy the Blogging Poet, this site allows poetry bloggers to post a snippet of their latest poem and then link to the rest.

Every single day you can find a variety of great, fresh poetry at this site.

Why not stop in and see if anything there peeks your interest, then follow the link to the bloggers site and let them know all about PWB and our project this month.

Be an active part of our site. I work for you but you all work for PWB.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Fifteen

This project is allowing me to visit lots of sites on our blogroll that I haven't been to in awhile. I hope that its doing the same for you.

I've always been a fan of this next site. Check it out and see if you are one to. When you drop by Amputated Moon you will be treated to the work of Pamela Olsen.

This poem is quite lovely: There.

An emotional haiku that you can take as light or dark, depending on your mood. Echo.

This one is a well crafted religious in nature work: Mary

It would be fantastic if you could stop in and read some of her work today.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Fourteen

Another beautiful autumn day here in Chicago. How is life where you are? Are you ready to dive into more words? Take a dip into poetry, perhaps? I hope you decide to stop in and leave a comment today at the site that we are highlighting.

Geraldine H. Hartman posts here work at

My Poetic Path. Her site is warm and inviting. She makes you feel as if you are sitting at her kitchen table with her while you are there.

I particulary enjoyed The Bleeding Hearts and The White Rain.

Won't you pay her a visit and let her know that PWB sent you her way?

Thanks for being a vital part of the engine that keeps this site running.

From our friends at Poetrydances.com:

Poetrydances.com - Newsletter: September 2008-09-30

Well, its been a while coming!- the first newsletter from Poetry Dances.

First, big thanks to everyone who submitted their own poetry or links to other great poems hosted on various sites around the Internet. Without you, poetrydances.com would not be here.

Good news for writers listed on the site. It seems from site stats that rather than clicking through, many people are spending a lot more time reading the great poetry that has been linked to or submitted directly. Which is great- since it is the main reason we are doing what we are doing!

Who are we ?

We are just three. Three people who love to read great poetry and seem to like similar kinds of work (don't know if that's a good or a bad thing!) We share post-its or emails about work we have found out in the ether of the Internet that would be ideal to post on our site. Two of us are based here in South Korea and another over in sunny Florida.

Favorite Writers

Many of the people submitting poems, and other writers that have seen their poems listed on poetrydances.com have become 'Favorite Writers' on the Site. To those whose submissions have not yet been successful we offer apologies again, and look forward hopefully to seeing further submissions in time.

Favorite writers shown so far on the site are currently, in order of appearance:

Mamta Madhaven

Michelle Schaefer

Emily Burns

Ivana Plucinski

Joseph Michael Yeary (J. M Yeary)

Jason Lalli (Lalli)

Rambling Prose

Ray Neighbor

Cleo Harter Amos

Andrew Kelly

Milagros Cruz

Ernesto Pangilinan Santiago

Nicole Nicholson

William Laughlin

David Hixon

Robyn R. Gray [Lady Gray]

Claudia Anne Krizay

Holly White Valliant

Engtovo Bhodsvatan

Moqui Takoda

Nakya Cohen

Rebecca Lucente

Alicia K. Jones

Joanne Cucinello

Rex Cox

Michelle Hetzel

Angela Rizzitano-Bellenis

Brandon Farinha

Leo Durrant

Big thanks to all of these people for allowing us to showcase their fine work!

New developments

Since the Site began we have pretty much stuck to our core activities; linking to great poems on other sites, hosting submitted poetry along with our own, and showcasing Favorite Writers. Recently we started a couple or three new ideas too:



Poetry is..

This is just for fun- a page where you can send in a line/quote or two or more if you want as to what poetry 'is' to you. For your troubles we'll list your name and blog/website etc alongside your quote/s.

Poetry Dances- Quotes




Web Friends

This might turn out to be a silly idea that goes nowhere- but we hope not for the sake of the site. Web Friends is a page - where people can get links posted to their personal page/s on Myspace, Facebook, or other social networking sites. This we do in return for them posting a link to poetrydances.com on their own page/s on these site/s.

Poetic inspiration
A page where you can send in your own inspirations for writing poetry, or read about those of others. You can instead simply send in great line/s, from your own original work/thoughts- which you are happy to share with others. Again, in return we'll throw up a link to your blog/website or poetry page etc.
http://www.poetrydances.com/poeticinspiration.htm

Search engine visibility
We are glad to report that our position on all major search engines is looking promising. A search for poetry on yahoo.com listed us around 60th out of 450M results. Other searches have returned better results; searching for poems by great writers on yahoo.com listed us 2nd out of 31M results. The other top engines have us on page one also for this particular search. Nothing is set in stone of course, and listings change everyday- but at least for the moment- our visibility is very good.
What this all means, who knows! (It can't be a bad thing for writers using the site though eh).


Press releases
So far we have issued five releases through PR.COM. These have a little info about the site- and also highlight Favorite Writers for each of the months in question. Another is due to go out shortly.
http://www.poetrydances.com/press.htm

User feedback -
So far feedback from various users of the site has been very encouraging- in certain cases listing on poetrydances.com has helped to increase traffic/visits to user poetry pages/websites and blogs etc.

Links
We have many successful reciprocal links in place with different blogs and poetry sites- thanks so much to all of you. We hope you are also enjoying some increased traffic to your site/s as a result. No favorites, we are grateful to all but, special thanks to Lindsay at writingroom.com, Martha at listenandbeheard.net, Sara at poetswhoblog.blogspot.com and John and staff over at gotpoetry.com.

Advertising on the Site/financing
We advertise using Google Adwords- on various sites on Google's content network- although our expenditure is quite limited due to the cash available. In terms of ads on our site, at this time we are using Google ads to help with running costs of the site. Revenue from these ads seems to be minimal though!.

The future of poetrydances.com?
A question perhaps best left for another day!
At the moment though it looks bright-

Thanks to all who have been in contact with us so far-and those that have contributed so much. Special thanks to those who have been kind enough to let friends know about us too.

Any help you can offer by linking us on your blogs, websites or social network sites would be gratefully accepted!

We look forward to keeping in contact- so please…
keep your poetry coming! And please keep sending links for other great work you find out there !

A very big thank you from us,
Tony, Young Joo and John.

PWB Business Post October

1. Just a remainder, when you email poetswhoblog at yahoo dot com, put something about poetry in the subject line. I only check the emails about once a month so it could be a while before I get back to you.

2. Has anyone asked to be linked here and not recieved a link back?

3. Remember PWB is a program and, if you join, it requires that you be an active part of this site. The minimum requirement is that you visit on site on our list each week and comment.

If all members did this, and mentioned PWB in their comments, our site would be a force on the blogosphere.

I ask this not so that I can say I run a powerful site but so that the power of those comments can lead to more poetry being created and appreciated online.

4.Problem with the blogroll? Comment here.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Thirteen.

Hello poets. Thanks so much for your continued support of Poets Who Blog. I hope some of you had a chance to check out yesterday's poet. If you do visit any of the sites from Shine a Light on Poetry, please let them know that PWB sent you, so it will be clear that this site is a driving force in the online poetic community.

The stronger you make PWB the more it will be able to do for bringing attention to your own poetry in the future.

Today I am asking you to cruise over to Bolts of Silk. Its another group blog that you could submit to if you wanted. This blog is run by the very talented and well known in the poetry blogosphere Crafty Green Poet.

Among the poems shared at Bolts of Silk are the work of your fellow Poets Who Blog members, such as Pam Olson from Amputated Moon, Melanie Bishop from Beloved Dreamer, Brian from Truth is Freedom, and Rethabile Masilo from Poefrika and several more.

Here are some poems I found that I enjoyed at Bolts of Silk:

Acts of Kindness by Amir Elzeni- a sweet and simple treasure.
Illusion, the second by Jennifer Blanc-raw fears clutch her heart in the night.
Moontides by Melanie Bishop- beautiful and delicate.
Sorrowful Extravanganza by Shakir Hasnain- another of our most talented poets.



Well, I've done my part. Now its time to decide if you will do yours. Stop by Bolts of Silk and let them know PWB sent you there way. They are doing a great service to all poets online and poetry lovers worldwide by sharing poems of many poets.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Twelve

Good day, poets! Everyone doing well today? I sure hope so.

Today I am featured one of the founding members of Poets Who Blog. There were just a few tough souls who had a dream on the day this site launched and Chris Sapp was one of them.

Clockwork Chris has published several books of poetry. If you think you might like to purchase one visit here.

Give yourself the gift of getting lost in poetry and read his mesmerizing poem
Red. Feel a woman's struggle when you read Revolution and feel a woman's confusion in Really is...


I hope you will take the time to stop in and see Chris. Along with others, he is the reason there is a PWB for you to take part in.

Former MFA students unite

There is a brand new blog that aims to bring together former MFA students and others disillusioned with "formal" poetry. If you want to remember why you fell in love with poetry in the first place, before you were writing to please others, then cruise on by Recovery Blog: A Refuge for MFA Poets.

Call for Submissions

The Black Market Review, Edge Hill University's new literary e-journal, invites submissions of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, art, photography, translations, and book reviews for its inaugural issue.

Please email submissions and a brief bio to blackmarketreview@googlemail.com or hard copies to The Black Market Review, c/o Daniele Pantano, Department of English, Edge Hill University, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP, United Kingdom. No 
previously published work. Simultaneous submissions are accepted as long as 
we are notified of acceptance elsewhere.


Deadline November 30.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Eleven

Hello everyone. The site I am featuring today is not the work of one poets but of many. Young American Poets accepts submissions of poetry and short stories. The editors are Daniel Bennett, Julian Bailey, David Weinglas and Kevin Bacon.

The voices portrayed on this site are youthful and fresh. Their poetry is not the studied, strict to form type but that seems to be the beauty of it, to me, because in each poem it is as if you are looking into the window of a dorm room on some college campus and seeing the life, heart, soul and pain of a real person.

I suggest you check out and comment on Harsh Words From Letdown Parents then catch your breath and dive into the very emotionally raw poem Silenced.

Stop in and support Young American Poets today. They haven't been online that long and I'm sure they would love to hear their efforts are appreciated. Feel free to submit to them if the mood strikes you.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Ten

Thank you sincerely to the members of PWB who are taking the time to visit the sites suggested. Your contribution to PWB is the gas that keeps this site running.

Today I would like to point your attention to the blog Monkeyboy and the work of Jack. From the first poem listed today Scrapbooking his talent shines through with every word.

I also enjoyed the wonderfully crafted Defibrilation, with its intense imagery, and Five Years Ago, a modern look at life in a time of daily madness.

Will you stop in and visit Jack today?

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Nine

I'm thrilled to see this project seems to be picking up steam. That's wonderful.

The site PWB will feature today is called Writing in Faith: Poems and showcases the work of Sandy Carlson. She is the author of Strange Attractions:Exploring Graffiti.

I found myself intrigued by her June entry for the prompt site One Single Impression. The poem is titled Doorways.

I found her poem beautiful poemGlory to be beautiful and also really was taken by
Wide Open to the World.

I found her style to evoke poignancy and thoughtful contemplation. Please stop in and check out her work for yourself.

Thanks for visiting PWB. Happy writing, poets. I wish all of you a wonderful day of creativity.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Eight

Hello again!

Well we have passed the one week mark of this project. Are you taking part? Should it keep going to the end of the month?

The site I am featuring today is called Reality Bytes which features the work of Daydreamer, who has been blogging since March 2005.

Read the poem Twisted in Silence that, to me, speaks of the distance that grows between two people that share the same roof and maybe even the same bed but no longer share their hearts. Or check out I am, part V: unheard that addresses the struggle to be seen and known by the world, to be understood and accepted.

Please leave some comments on Reality Bytes today and be a helpful member of PWB.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Seven

Hello again, poets! I hope you are stopping in excited to visit a new poetry blog. Today marks the end of our first week of this program. I really hope that it is successful and leads to you discovering new blogs you can enjoy.

Though I have less time these days then in the past to visit blogs, today's choice is one that I stop by at least one a month and one that has been featured in every addition of PWB Monthly Poetry Collection.

Noah the Great is a young man but that only makes his poetic talent that much more remarkable. I suggest you read the stunning and beautifully descriptive poem Photosynthesis and the hauntingly romantic Flight.

Thank you, Noah, for sharing your work with the world and being part of PWB.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Six

A million thanks for stopping in again today to check out another entry in our latest poetry project.

The site I'd love for you to cruise on by and check out today is The Storialist.


This New York City poet's work takes you around the city, making each poem a reflection of a moment in time in the Big Apple. Visit a cafe with Emily by reading the poem entitled Monday, September 8, 2008: On the Street.....Bryant Park, NYC or head off to a Marc Jacobs sale at Christmas time, or meet a Soho resident as she rediscovers herself when you read Thursday, August 7, 2008: On the Street...Masha, Soho.

This blog is unlike any other. Don't miss this chance to check it out.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Five

Thank you for coming back for another day of project to promote poetry blogs on our list. I hope this is a way to allow readers to find blogs that they otherwise might have overlooked. I am trying to showcase all different types and styles of work. No two hearts or souls or minds are identical, and no two poetry blogs are indentical. They all have their own feel and identity, born from the imagination of the poet who posts there.

Today PWB is shining our spotlight on a blog that is a personal favorite of mine- Brief Poems from poetry blogger Brian. Always succinct, these poems vary in tone from the heartwrenching but calmy told commentary on life- like you'll find in the poem Okay- to the funny, sad and lonesome. Brian covers the full range of human emotion with his work, leaving me constantly amazed he can make me feel so much by saying so little.

Drop by Brief Poems and see for yourself what I mean. Because this poems are always so short they are great to check out on your lunch hour or while you are waiting to see if you won that auction on ebay or for a song to download off Itunes. His work really does fit into the rapid paced lifestyle most people lead these days.

Thanks for being a member of PWB, Brian, and for sharing your brief but always thoughtprovoking work with us all.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Four

Its another beautiful fall day here in the midwest. Hope you all are enjoying the weather wherever you are. Today is the fourth day of our October project that is aimed at spotlighting some of the poetry bloggers-new and old- on our list.

Have you gotten a chance to visit the first three sites listed yet?

I'm pleased to dedicate today's post to featuring the tireless efforts of Janet Leigh Dowd who runs the poetry information blog: Poetmeister 4 Poets. This site is jam packed with news of what is going on in the poetic blogosphere. Its a labor of love that benefits all other poetry bloggers and well worth your time to check out.

Remember to mention that PWB sent you when you stop by Poetmeister 4 Poets. And if you want to read some of Janet Leigh Dowd's poetry cruise on by her blog Poetmeister....on the road to Parnassus, a site I've visited often.

Thanks for working hard on all of our behalf at Poetmeister 4 Poets, Janet Leigh. You deserve applause for making the poetry blogosphere a better place.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Three

Today, poets, I have a real treat for you! I am spotlighting the work of a talented and well known poet in the blogosphere, Tiel Aisha Ansari from Knocking From Inside.

If you haven't ever visited her blog, don't miss your chance today. You'll find poetic gems like Ruby Cross Rubaiy- a deeply romantic short poem- and Found Baggage Lost Here- an introspective tale of searching for self and companionship.

Tiel Aisha Ansari is a poet to be read, studied, and enjoyed by all who love poetry. Click here to visit her at Knocking From Inside.

Shine a Light on Poetry- Day Two

Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed checking out Fragments of Reality yesterday.

The site that I have picked to highlight today is Poems Before Breakfast. This blog showcases the work of Mark Folse. His poems have an unmistakable southern charm which fits well with the tag line of this blog- Poetry from and sometimes about New Orleans.


I found his work to be thoughtfully composed. His poems transport the reader to time and place of his work- dropping you right into the deep South and making you glad to be there to sit for a spell. My favorite that has the ability to do this is titled
Blinded by the Sunrise: For Everett Maddox, which is a darkly romantic piece. To read an amazingly stunning poem about the devastation wrought from Hurricane Katrina, click here and read The Tsunami of St. Claude Avenue(Version 2).

Take a moment to visit Mark Folse at Poems Before Breakfast and you won't be disappointed.

Shine a Light on Poetry Month- Day One

Hello poets and poetry lovers! This month PWB will showcase a new poetry site from our blogroll each day in an effort to bring attention to some of our newer sites. So cruise on my as many as you can and leave the poet at least one comment, so they know that PWB works.

Our first featured site is Fragments of Reality from poetry blogger Punatik. Hailing from Hawaii, he lives on the side of volcano, and is brand new to the blogosphere. His poems speak to the everyman with refreshingly honest simplicity- check out this one called Smiling to see what I mean. But I also found one that is quite lush and sensual- click here to read Salt Spray. I also stumbled along a post that is filled with his own unique take on writing what he calls a Pseudo Haiku.

Punatik is just getting started on his poetry blogger adventure so I'm sure he would appreciate all the support he could get.

Poets Who Blog wishes great success to Fragments of Reality.

Literary Times Plus, the childrens magazine, has appointed a new poet-in-residence, Paul Cookson. Click here for more details.

October will be Shine a Light on Poetry month at PWB. Each day I will spotlight a new blog off our blogroll. Your challenge is to then visit that blog and show some support for that blogger.

I obviously can only pick a small percentage of our blog list to highlight but I hope to get a good mix of different styles. Please take the time to visit some of these sites and show the bloggers that PWB works.

Note- When looking for poems for the September Collection, I found a lot of bad links on our list. I am going to have to delete those blogs, when I find the time. If you would like to readded, leave a message. I check my email sporadically so it could be a while before I can get back to anyone. I found blogs only open to invited readers and blogs that were erased. I want the list to be of blogs that have poetry so it will have to be fixed, as soon as I find time to dive into it and get it right. Please USE the list, when you can, so that the effort I make to make it better is for a good cause.

PWB Poetry Collection- September

This is the fourth month of this feature at PWB.

The idea is to list twenty poems, from different bloggers on our blogroll, that I have found enjoyable.They are not listed in any particular order. Do not submit poems to me for this feature.

Please check out some of these poems and leave comments. If there is a positive response then I will continue this next month. It takes about two hours to compile this list so please, if you have time, take a moment to stop in to some of the blogs listed below.

Thank you for supporting PWB and making it a wonderful haven for poets in the blogosphere.

1. Dementia: Forgotten Sounds by Phuoc-Tan Diep
2.Drowning by Noah the Great
3. Haiku LIX by Wordcrafter
4. Vernix by Paisley
5.Homeless by Angelica
6.Flooding by Corinne Elizabeth
7.Whence by The Mad Celt
8. A Poem for Tuesday by Constance Brewer
9.Smoke from Muse Kissed Lips
10. Never to be by Fenny
11.Untitled by John Barthel
12. September 5,2008 by GRH
13. Topography by Heather
14.Unleashed by Rachel Clark
15. Poisin by Craft Green Poet
16. Writer's Prayer by Tiel Aisha Ansari
17. Untitled Brief Poem by Brian
18. Black by Lissa
19. Broken Body, Shattered Mind by Jane Doe
20. Versus by Adi

Congrats, Tim Green!

Tim Green, who edits Rattle Magazine, will have his first book length collection published by Red Hen Press in January 2009. It will be titled American Factual. Check it out if you get a chance.

Ever try the poetry form Cleave?

A poet who just joined PWB created a poetic form in 2006. Its called Cleave.


How to read a Cleave poem?


1. Read the left hand poem as a first discrete poem.
2. Read the right hand poem as a second discrete poem.
3. Read the whole as a third integrated poem.


To get a better understanding of this type of poetry, and maybe try one yourself visit The Cleave

Have you checked out Moondance's Summer Issue yet? To read their featured poetry, click here.

Bird's Eye reView, a new online literary journal, seek submissed.

Deadline December 1.

They are looking for "strong narrative poetry based out of personal experiences."

Editors say, "We believe everyone has a story to tell and a unique voice with which to tell it." Formal and free verse both welcome, but no experimental or avant-garde work. Send 1-5 unpublished poems by mail or email.


Click here for more details.

Anyone a member of Neopoets?

Its an online international poetry community.

Congrats, Benjamin Taylor Lally!

Benjamin Taylor Lally was named the winner of the seventh annual Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest sponsored by Winning Writers for his poem First Edition, 2008.

PWB wishes Mr. Lally congrats on his win!

Little Lovin' Monday is a day we celebrate the work of fellow artists.

We share our work and hope others will enjoy it. Online, comments let us know our work has been read and appreciated. On Monday, come by BES and check out the links to works published by your peers.

Beginning on Saturday through Tuesday evenings, post a link to previously posted work that generated zero to few comments. Works can be short stories, essays, poetry or visual art.

On Monday let's have a marathon posting of comments. Show even greater appreciation for your fellow bloggers by commenting to a new piece as well as the shared link.

*For definition purposes, older will be any post that is no longer visible on your front page.

To take part in Little Lovin Monday, please visit Black-eyed Susan's.

A poet stopped by last month and left a link to his blog. He blogs villanelle poems. Check it out by clicking here.

Tell him PWB sent you.

Ever visited the site Classic Poetry Aloud? If not, you can click here to check it out.

If you have published two collections of poetry think of submitting your second to the Barnard New Women Poetry Prize contest. This prize "is given every other year for an exceptional second collection of poems written by an American woman who has already published one book of poetry (in an edition of 500 copies or more). The winner will receive an honorarium of $1,500 and publication of her manuscript by W.W. Norton & Co."

Deadline is October 15th.

Everyday poets is looking for submissions. Cruise on over there to find more detials by clicking here. They will stop posting poems on November 1st.

Cruise on over to the Writer's Digest online column of Robert Lee Brewer, Poetic Asides, to read an exclusive interview with poet Sandra Beasley by by clicking here.

Tell them PWB sent you! Spread the word about us all around the blogosphere.

Sandra Beasley is the author of Theories of Falling. You can currently find her work Summer/Fall 2008 issue of Cave Wall.

Poetry News?

Send me all poetry related news that you would like shared on PWB to poetswhoblog at yahoo.com

Please make sure that you put something poetry related in your subject line.

Thank you,

Sara

Congrats, Mad Kane!

All PWB members please share your hearty congratulations with one of our very own, Mad Kane, who has recieved the great honor of taking first place in the 2008 Robert Benchley Society Award for humor. One of the judges on the panel who picked the winners was legendary actor Bob Newhart. Please stop into her blog and give her your congrats on this great honor by clicking here.

The London-Atlanta connection: poets set up a poetry and art journal



Poets Christine Swint of Atlanta, Georgia and Jo Hemmant of London, England have joined forces to set up a new poetry and art journal, ouroboros review.



The pair met while blogging. 'We are part of an online community of poets,' Christine explains. 'As we have similar attitudes to poetry, we teamed up and became writing partners. We read each other's poems and offer feedback before they are sent off to publishers. It has worked really well for us.'



A couple of months into the partnership, they decided to set up their own magazine. Ouroboros will appear online quarterly and in print biannually (a combination of winter/spring and summer/autumn issues respectively) -- using a print-on-demand service to keep costs down and save paper. Jo says, 'Ouroboros wants to be one of the first fully hybrid poetry and art magazines -- most are either in print or online. We feel this model offers the best of both worlds.'



Jo worked as a managing editor for many years, for a variety of publishers, and is

excited by the prospect of combining her two loves: poetry and publishing. Christine is a former high school Spanish teacher who studied English and Spanish literature. She has written poems and stories all her life, loves to read, and is excited about discovering new authors to share with others.



The editors say that ouroboros will showcase new, emerging and established poets who are passionate about art and craft. They believe that a strong poem speaks for itself. 'Poets shouldn't need a cv with a long list of publishing credits,' says Christine. 'We are happy to work with writers who are not widely published, if at all.' Jo agrees, 'It's about use of language. We want to read vivid, modern poems with impact, poems that change our perceptions.'

The submission call for the maiden issue reads: 'Poets — got rhythm, does your work sing, play the piano, dance? Do you paint amazing visuals with words? Experimental, concrete, satirical, lyrical, narrative, prose poem, if it's different and really speaks out, send it in, we'd love to publish you.'

Ouroboros is also keen to publish art works – digital art, photography, paintings. They are interested in work that reflects the poetry of visual images -- representational, narrative, mythic or abstract expressionism.

The deadline for submissions is November 10th. The first issue will be online in early December. For further information and detailed guidelines, visit the journal's blog at ouroborosreview.

The New Plains Review is seeking stories, essays and poems on the subject of writing workshops and MFA experiences for its fall issue, devoted to the theme of how writers grow--or not--in educational settings.

Submit original work by email to Editor Douglas Goetsch at douglasgoetsch(at)gmail.com (replace (at) with @)(as Word attachment or typed into the body of the email); or send hard copy to
Submissions
New Plains Review
100 N. University Dr., Box 184
Edmond, OK, 73034.

Deadline is Sept. 24, 2008. Note: Will consider previously published work if the author owns the rights to it.

Another Lend a Line Poem

Emilio used my line to write the following poem. Thanks, Emilio! To read more of his work, please visit Fragments of Reality.

SCREECHING

Like ice scraping against the glass, glass, glass
He moves reluctantly
Scuffing, lifting
The soles of his shoes
Along the boulevard

Finally reaching
The place to sleep
A little Volkswagen
Parked in the 24 hour
Grocery store lot

Leaning back
As far as he can
Instead of sleep
He thinks and weeps

Hearing the parking lot
Guard pass
His mind is screeching
Like ice scraping against
The glass

You can use Poetryvisualized.com to add graphics and sound to your poems. Read about the site here and visit it by clicking here.

The Urban Poetry Project is seeking submissions. Click here for details.

The Favorite Poem Project sought out Americans to submit their favorite poem, and to tell a little bit about themselves and about the poem they chose. In one year, 18,000 Americans took part. Several collections were born from the project. Click here to find links to Americans reading and discussing their favorite poems, and an interactive gallery for viewing the favorite poems.

Call for Poetry for the Punto Poetry Project

The Punto Poetry Project, "an intergenerational anthology that will reflect the historic & expansive contribution of Latina/os to the art of performance poetry," is seeking submissions, postmarked no later than November 2, 2008.

Click here to learn more about this project.

Third Lend a Line Poem

This poem uses Emilio's donated line as a the first one.



CATFIGHT



Barking neon illuminates
the trash strewn street – dogs
crying for night;

the city burns
under their electric canine piss.
The Quarter hums,

poised, stomach tight,
bracing herself for a sadistic
sideways rain lashing.

Neon and souls
still churn inside her flesh,
clutching at beads

which soon float
as shiny plastic rainbow legions
inside new rivers

that flow where
rivers didn't used to flow
with asphalt avenues

for riverbeds. She
is held underwater until she
loses thirteen hundred

souls. A cosmic
catfight: her versus Katrina. Nails
and hair are

flying in a
whirlwind of chaos. She falls,
bruised and bloodied,

onto the earth.
Even now, she still tends
to her wounds.

But she is not dead yet.



By Nicole Nicholson from

Raven's Wing Poetry

You may purchase her new chapbook, Raven's Feathers, by visiting here

Have young kids? Well then you might want to read Home Appreciation by Susan Thomsen. The article, posted at the Poetry Foundation, talks about spreading the joy of poetry to children, specifically those that are home schooled.

Click here to read the article.

Ever been to Litstation? Its an " online radio station dedicated to streaming the best radio and archival work done in the literary arts" founded by Jim Finnegan. Finnegan is the founder of Brick Walk Poets.

Click here to check out LitStation's schedule.

Say hello to the newest poet to join PWB by stopping by The Storialist.

Make this poet feel welcome among the ranks of PWB members. This site works when poets like you make it work.

Thanks!

Sara

Lend a Line Poem Two

This poem uses Raven's line, just like the last one did, as the first line in a new poem.

Rising ...


Trailing her midnight cloak behind

an ache for flight she spirals rage,

flays time with scorn though it's blind

trailing her, midnight cloak behind



her now. Caught in the wires, unkind

visions and a drowning madman age

trailing, her midnight cloak – behind

an ache for flight. She spirals. Rage.




By Shell from Forget Me Now

Thank you to our Poetry Prompt Friends

Well I just found out that facebook had a National Poetry Prompt Appreciation Day
on August 8th. Though PWB is one month late in recognizing it, I would like to take a moment to think all the sites that put prompts out. Those sites work tirelessly to bring the poetry blogosphere together. Your work is appreciated by myself and many more.

Thank you!

First Lend a Line Poem

Hello poets. Recently we started a project where you can lend a line from one of your poems to be the first line used in a new poem. Punatik from Fragments of Reality used
Raven's line to write the following poem:


Moonlight by Emilio

Trailing her midnight cloak behind
She move within the circle
Passing by the sigils
She speaks words
Of a tongue
Long thought lost

The light of the moon
Casts a glow
On censer, book, and sword
She performs the
Ancient ritual
No one is ever told

Of questions asked
Or answers given
They are for her alone
She is the triple Goddess
Maiden, Mother, Crone