Essay Review: Are Poetry Boards Good For Poetry, The antithesis of 'What do poets enjoy most at MM' Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hello all,

Rus from the IBPC has put forth a new email loop and link even as some of our members are still researching the first, "What do poets enjoy the most about your forums" at the link below.
What do our poets enjoy the most at MM?

In this new thread, we'll look at an antithesis to that one. Click into this article carried by an E-zine:
The Pee in the Pool of On Line Poetry, by Terreson

This article focuses on the questions posed at its start: Are poetry boards good for poetry?

Do the boards benefit poets, the new and inexperienced especially who, in most cases, are grappling with the vital stuff of finding an authentic voice, gaining confidence in themselves, working through the canon, trying to figure out if they have something essential to say, and all at the same time? Do the boards, viewed as communities, engender poetry whose language is also authentic or do they falsify the poetry experience? Another question comes to mind. Is even the notion of an online poetry community good for poetry? And maybe one last question. What impact on poets, and on poetry itself, do the parameters, the rules of conduct and the by-laws, of many boards have?

As we all strive to build a knowledge base of what makes a poetry forum work best for the poets who sign into our forums, let's also examine what we do that is not working.

Please share your own thoughts here.

I, for one, hesitated on posting this thread, but do agree with some of what the essay alludes to; SOME, not all as you'll soon read for yourself.

Cheers,
~Cleo

[AMETHYST]

Hi All,

Due to time constraints I have not read through all of the posts, but just skimmed a few- the title of the thread, "Are Poetry Boards Good FOr Poetry?" brings an immediate "YES" to mind.

My poetic journey is probably many can relate to in one way or another, so as short as I can I will share it.

I loved 'words' when I was very, very young- by kindergarten I was reading, writing in script, and had a great relationship with definitions and understanding the grace of words used poetically. I was about 6 or 7 when I began writing (immature) poems. Simple things, but they rhymed and they were deep in thought for a young kid - I had tons of composition notebooks with dabbles, dribbles of every thought I can have. I wanted to be a writer, a poet and a child psychologist by the time I reach early teens.

By 15, my mom had gotten very sick - I left school just shy of 16 (missing most of my 15th year of school anyway) to take care of my mom during the day and work to meet bills at night. We were not financially stable and life took its course. I never returned to school, I had my daughter, and took care of my mother till she passed in 2001 - The point is, over those years I hadn't the money or time to learn anything. Finally around 1997 or 1998 I got my first real computer and entered into the world of poetry workshops. My first was a private email based critique forum, where I met Bethy and she pointed me to Poemkingdom, where I met life long and life saving friends- That is where I first learned what a ballad was, was introduced to the Sonnet and learned what Iambic, trochee and other meters were. Until online poetry workshops, I hadn't known ANYTHING about poetry - I was nothing more than a vanity poet, writing anything and thinking it was pretty good.

It was through online poetry sites and friends that took the time to 'TEACH ME" how to improve my vanity poetry, how to smooth out the rough spots and who taught me about techniques I otherwise would never, ever have learned. I have met true professional poets who have taken the time to offer their knowledge of terms, techniques, habits and ability that I could see the light in my dreams of becoming a poet. Without on line poetry workshops, I wouldn't know anything about form, tools or possibility. I would say, A Poetry board is good for anyone who is looking to do good with poetry - and that, in the finality of it all - is GOOD FOR POETRY. Without online poetry boards, I would never had read 90 percent of the poets I have been introduced, or learned about far off places and world issues - I would be as ignorant to life as I was to poetry. I believe they are as good for poetry as the member what the member puts in and takes out of them -

As for MM. AFter poemkingdom closed I had become a member of many, many, many various sites. Wetting my feet while looking for the atmostphere that was 'right' for me- ALthough Recently I only post at MM, before my time constraints and illnesses, my primary place of participation and focus was and is MM - but I always found posting a poem after the dust settled and after it received feedback from those who knew me at MM and after revisions settled - I would repost the poem in an approapriate site; Such as A sonnet I wanted to fine tune I would post at Sonnet Central, another place where knowledgable poets took the time to 'teach' me how to create an improved Sonnet; or I would post it at The Critical Poet, where although they knew me, they didn't know me well enough that they would spare my feelings... getting pats on the back doesn't help my poetry - it only gives me a false sense of finished when it isn't.

Well ... Mosaic Musings offers that - They offer feedback and guidance, they offer inspiration and friendships to share this poetic journey and most of all a home atmostphere that always makes you feel you are right where you belong. The poetry is always the main dish on the table with good conversation as a side dish.

Hugs ALl ... Liz