Poets Forum on Aesthetic Diversity

A full report about the recent poets forum on aesthetic diversity can be found here. It makes for interesting reading, and would have been an event well worth attending.

Embargo Poets

Read the poets that you would never otherwise read: Embargo Poets are poets from those countries, such as Iran, North Korea and Cuba, that the west is refusing to deal with. These are the human voices that we don't hear, these are the consciences of nations that we demanise and dehumanise into charicatures of our own definitions of evil. And these are the voices that may well help save us, in the end.

Good Witz

You can find the entire run of Witz magazine being put online in pdf formats at Christopher Reiner's website. This is an indispensible resource for studying late 20th century poetics, and is well worth a browse.

The Threat of Cheap Books

This article discusses the threat on the German book by cheap Swiss imports. Interesting reading.

Charles Bukowski

Why should we read poetry?

John Lundberg at the Huffington Post just might have some answers you need, in case you're wondering.

Five Books a Week: can it be done?

The Poetry Foundation has an interesting article by by Paisley Rekdal, on her attempt to read five poetry books a week. You can read it here at http://poetryfoundation.org/journal/feature.html?id=180140.

Some sound to spice up your day

The Poetry Foundation podcast and audio page is a good place to start listening to poetry on the web. If you get the chance to hear other poets, take it, as I have to make do with reciting what I read. Sometimes, that just deadens the experience, listening to your own voice all the time, but you get some practice at least, in reciting. But here, at least as with the Radio National Poetica website there are other poets to listen to, other ways to hear the poem (and the poem previously unheard) that will satiate the jaded palate.

Concordances

The Christopher Brennan concordance is proceeding apace, and I was wondering what other Australian poets should have concordances done. What do you think: who would you recommend as the recipient of a concordance?

Looking Forward to the Future

APRIL -- the Australian Poetry Resources Internet Library -- is in the process of being set up. It will be open for business about mid-2008.

It looks like it will be an exciting site to visit, and I am eager to see what they have in store.

Their website is at http://april.edu.au/2home/home.shtml.

DIY - How to Make a Zine; Paper, Scissors, Pen - Rockin!