An Online Poetry Anthology: Poetry.Us

Photo by Mark Thalman

I am delighted and honored to have been invited to have my work included in Mark Thalman's wonderful new online anthology, Poetry.Us. This is an evolving site which will continue to grow.  I'm already in some very good company, e.g., Alicia Ostriker, Pat Fargnoli, Marilyn L. Taylor, Barbara Crooker, Ingrid Wendt, Tess Gallagher, Floyd Skloot, and Ron Slate. There are 29 poets posted with more coming soon. I've just learned that Linda Pastan and Maria Mazziotti Gillan will soon join the anthology.

This should be a useful resource. Each poet has a brief bio, three poems, a photo, book covers, and writing tips. There is an index that includes links to each poet's page. A separate page hosts links to each poet's website.

I suspect that teachers will find this site a useful instructional tool. If I were still teaching, I might ask my students to peruse the anthology and select 10 poets for a closer reading. After each student has read the selected 30 poems, I might then ask everyone to select one of the 10 poets for a closer study, beginning with the poet's website. Or I might ask each student to select one poem to prepare for an oral reading and discussion. Or to select two poems for a comparison / contrast.

As the anthology includes all contemporary poets, all living, it should prove especially useful in a contemporary poetry / lit course. It could very well serve as the semester anthology with students being asked to buy individual books by the poets they choose to study more closely.

The Writer's Tips should also prove thought-provoking and inspirational. Here's a sample from Alicia Ostriker: "Read voraciously. Memorize poems. And write what you are afraid to write."

But the anthology is more than an instructional resource. It's a living anthology and should offer hours of pleasure to poetry lovers.

My three poems include one from each of my books. They are "'How Is a Shell Like Regret?'" from Temptation by Water, "Linguini" from What Feeds Us, and "My Husband Discovers Poetry" from Eve's Red Dress.

Check it out.

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