Smallpressapalooza

If you didn't know, March is Small Press Month. (And don't forget--April is poetry month). To celebrated small and independent presses, Powell's is hosting Smallpressapalooza. If you're in Oregon on March 20, stop by. If not, read at least read about it here.

--AB

Poetry in Your Pocket

More accurately, it's poetry on your phone. The Academy of American Poets has launched a mobile poetry archive that you can download. Check out the press release here.

--AB

The 2008 National Poetry Month Poster

Here's an article and photo of the 2008 National Poetry Month poster. The article also includes links to the American Academy of Poets site, where previous years' posters are displayed.

--AB

What Amazon's Kindle Means to Self Publishers

I'm a big fan of the Publishing Basics newsletter. This month's issue just landed in my inbox, and one of the stories is about Kindle, Amazon.com's new e-book reader.

Amazon.com is positioning itself to compete with Lulu and other print-on-demand companies, so you should read this article if you're a publisher or self-publisher who uses these services.

--AB

Trends in Publishing

I spend every day reading and writing about the printing industry, so I’ve heard it all from both sides. It’s either “Print is dead,” or “Print will never die.” As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. What prompted this post was an article I saw from the Associated Press about E-Books. What interested me is that the article doesn’t say e-books are great or e-books are bad. It says that e-books are great for some things and not as good for others. For example, one company featured in the article published PDFs of role-playing texts. Why is the format popular for these types of books? Because the print books are thick, heavy tomes that players have to carry them to each game. The books are for reference, so the players need them, but in electronic form, they’re easier to transport.

Print books are a medium. E-books are a medium. Websites are a medium. Billboards are a medium. Television is a medium. CDs are a medium. The lesson here is that each medium has distinct advantages and disadvantages. The success of each medium depends on the kind of content it transmits. Print books and magazines still have advantages over an e-books and magazines and vice versa.

What's This Got to do with Poetry?
I think this discussion is relevant to poetry in a lot of ways. The internet certainly has made it easier to distribute poetry to more people. Digital printing has made it easier for authors to fund their self-publishing efforts. In terms of e-books specifically, I wonder when poetry publishers will start to really take advantage of the technology, by which I mean incorporate it into a viable business model. There are quite a few presses, journals and individuals who offer work electronically, but it's more often out of necessity than conscious strategy.

I wonder if and when, for instance, a publisher will have an ITunes model, where people pay to download their favorite poems. Another characteristic of successful e-books, according to the AP article, is their perceived disposability. Harlequin now sells short stories for 89 cents each. Why can't a publisher or writer do something similar?

--AB

Toledo to Get Poet Laureate

The Toledo Free Press reports that Lucas County in Ohio is planning to create an (unpaid) poet laureate position. I know what you're thinking...they didn't have one already? :)

If you live in Toledo, maybe you can throw your hat into the ring. Read about it here.

--AB

Call for Submissions: Poetry Calendar

The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets is accepting submissions for its 2009 Poets' Calendar. Although you need to live in Wisconsin to be considered, there's no reason why you couldn't start a poet's calender in your own state. Here's what you need to do it:

1. Poems
2. A friendly designer
3. Money

You can find lots of calendar printers online who will do the job for you at competitive prices. Here are a few I know about. I'm not endorsing them, but check them out: Some have instant quote calculators so you can get an idea of how much it costs.

1. PrintPlace
2. Printing for Less
3. VistaPrint

If you have questions about why some cost more than others even though they offer the same features, let me know. One piece of advice: Always ask a printer for samples before you commit a job to them. They should happily send you some so you can see examples of their work. If they refuse, don't use them.

--AB

MiPOesias Raises the Bar

I encourage everyone to check out the latest issue of MiPOesias and not just because RMP author Ivy Alvarez' beautiful shining face adorns its pages. You should check it out because it has production values, by which I mean it was designed by someone with talent.

Most literary journals do not look like they are professionally 'designed.' They tend to value page after page of text. Discussions about design revolve around what fonts to use. MiPOesias asks: Why not have photos? Color? Cover lines? Captions? It's designed like a consumer magazine, which I think is great.

Bonus points because the issue is offered as a PDF download OR you can buy a hardcopy at Lulu.com.

--AB

Bredle Published on Sharkforum

RMP author Jason Bredle's poem "Assist Your Boyfriend with His Suffering" is featured on Sharkforum as Poem of the Week.

--AB

I am BEOWULF

Has anyone seen the movie (yet)? It's okay--you can admit it. You wouldn't be alone. It grossed $28 million this weekend, so a fair amount of people ponied up for a ticket.

What I want to know is, why is Beowulf's body hairless? I don't remember reading the part where he takes a moment to wax his pecs.

Anyway, if you thought this was the first time Beowulf has been on screen, think again. Here's a story about some other adaptations.

--AB

Pub Named After Poet Laureate/Hitler Look-Alike

In poetry news this morning, residents of Wirral, U.K., are upset about a pub named after poet laureate John Masefield because he looks like Hitler. Specifically, they're upset about the pub sign, which includes a photograph of Masefield. Click here to read the story.

--AB

Gridiron Poets

I don't actually have a comment on this. I just thought you'd like to know that there's a college athletic program that has embraced poets as a mascot.

--AB

You Could Be Poet Laureate!

If you live in Boston, you could be the city's poet laureate. According to this story in the Boston Globe, the competition is weak. Only a few people have applied for the 2-year job, which pays $2,000 per year and requires you to give a reading or two. The application process is managed by the Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events. Click here for the downloadable application form.

--AB

The Top 10 (Modern) Korean Poets

The list and ranking formats are generally tired. How many ways can you write a magazine or newspaper article about the Top 10 [fill in the blank]? They're especially overdone in lifestyle magazines, where it's considered hack to have a list with less than 50 entries. The result are absurd numbers of mundane things, like "73 Things You Can Do With Your Tongue."

That said, I find rankings and lists useful when they're about a topic I know nothing about. A case in point is this recently published list of Top 10 Modern Korean poets. The rankings don't matter; I find it useful because it's a starting point for exploring the topic. I may discover eventually that I don't agree with the list at all, but without it I'd be overwhelmed by the total number of Korean poets and wouldn't know where to start.

--AB