Welcome to another great poetry week. I've got some good stuff for you this week. Some great updates and new pages too. You'll love the book review and the recommendation of our new literary publication, which we've added to our small, but growing list. If you know of any journal editors, send them our way to get on the list.

Table of Contents

1. Poetry Video Of The Week
2. World Class Poetry Updates
3. New World Class Poetry Pages
4. New Toolbar Features
5. American Life in Poetry
6. Poetry Book Of The Week
7. New World Class Poetry Blog Posts
8. Are You Subscribed?
9. World Class Poetry Networking
10. Call For Submissions!

Poetry Video Of The Week

The poetry video of the week is "TubeWrite: With You". If you can't click the link or watch the video, you can find it here.

World Class Poetry Updates

Two new updates this week.

• World Class Poetry Book Reviews
• Poetry Publications

The newest literary journal in our list of publications is Rattle. Be sure to check out the Rattle reviews, which are accessible from the World Class Poetry Toolbar.

New World Class Poetry Pages

We've got one new poetry book review this week. Be sure to check out the review of Variations on a Natural Theme: A Loon Year by Hugh Hennedy.

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New Toolbar Features

I hope you've been enjoying last week's new addition to the World Class Poetry Toolbar. LitStation is an awesome feature!

But you'll notice that this week we've rearranged some of the old features and moved them to a new location. The 32 Poems blog and Blogsboro Network have both been moved to the Blogs tab, which was previously named RSS. We've also added some new literary blogs to the mix and you'll find them under the same tab.

The tab to the left of the Blogs tab is now called "WCP Coffee Shop." It has a few features there now, but look for more World Class Poetry features on that tab soon. And be sure to look for more poetry podcasts and poetry blogs - coming soon!

If you haven't downloaded the toolbar yet, do so now. If you have downloaded the toolbar then be sure to refresh it. Here's how:

• Click the red WCP on the left side of the toolbar
• Scroll down to where it says "Refresh Toolbar"
• Click "Refresh Toolbar"

American Life in Poetry: Column 161

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

I may be a little sappy, but I think that almost everyone is doing the best he or she can, despite all sorts of obstacles. This poem by Jonathan Holden introduces us to a young car salesman, who is trying hard, perhaps too hard. Holden is the past poet laureate of Kansas and poet in residence at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

Car Showroom

Day after day, along with his placid
automobiles, that well-groomed
sallow young man had been waiting for
me, as in the cheerful, unchanging
weather of a billboard--pacing
the tiles, patting his tie, knotting, un-
knotting the facade of his smile
while staring out the window.
He was so bad at the job
he reminded me of myself
the summer I failed
at selling Time and Life in New Jersey.
Even though I was a boy
I could feel someone else's voice
crawl out of my mouth,
spoiling every word,
like this cowed, polite kid in his tie
and badge that said Greg,
saying Ma'am to my wife, calling
me Sir, retailing the air with such piety
I had to find anything out the window.
Maybe the rain. It was gray
and as honestly wet as ever. Something
we could both believe.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright (c) 1985 by Jonathan Holden, whose most recent book of poetry is "Knowing: New & Selected Poems," University of Arkansas Press, 2000. Reprinted from "The Names of the Rapids," The University of Massachusetts Press, 1985, by permission of the author. First printed in "Black Warrior Review." Introduction copyright (c) 2008 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

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Poetry Book Of The Week

This week's poetry book of the week is Variations on a Natural Theme: A Loon Year by Hugh Hennedy. Illustrations in the book were done by Jan Mercuri Grossman.

More than just a poetry book, Variations on a Natural Theme: A Loon Year can also be a welcoming coffee table book. Read the full review.

New World Class Poetry Blog Posts

• Poetry For The Birds
• Millennial Poetics: Adding The Tenth Column
• On Aram Saroyan, Bill Knott, and Ron Silliman

Are You Subscribed?

World Class Poetry Networking

my 'read' shelf:

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Call For Submissions!

Submit your poetry articles to World Class Poetry. Use the WCP article submission form.