Free Poetry Broadsides - And A Whole Lot More!

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Free Poetry Broadsides - And A Whole Lot More!
September 04, 2008

Hello Poets and Poetry Lovers

It's been a busy week. Updates galore! Both to the website and to the WCP toolbar. Plus, I'm feeling soooooo generous. I'm giving away two poetry broadsides. Of course, if you are a subscriber to Hyperbole then you already have one of them. But I'd bet my last dollar you don't have "Battlefield Confession".

A quick reminder: LitMixx is waiting for your content. Join at http://litmixx.mixx.com and save your favorite literary websites and blogs, share them with others.

And if you'd like to know what I'm up to minute by minute, follow me on Twitter. It's contagious!

Poetry Video Of The Week - "Acid Jazz"
World Class Poetry Toolbar Updates
Updated World Class Poetry Pages
American Life in Poetry by Ted Kooser
New World Class Poetry Blog Posts
LitMixx Pix - New!
Poetry Book Of The Week
Duotrope's Daily Digest
Are You Subscribed?
World Class Poetry Networking

Poetry Video Of The Week - "Acid Jazz"

This week, why not drop some Acid Jazz? Relax and write a poem to the soothing edges of the music:

Can't view the video? Click here.

World Class Poetry Toolbar Updates

You're going to love it. I've added a new drop-down menu to the toolbar and uploaded two broadsides for your pleasure. Yes, you can now view and share with your friends, two poetry broadsides - "Tattoo" and "Battlefield Confession". Oh, and there will be plenty more to come, plus chapbooks!

Look under the B & E tab after you refresh your toolbar.

Other toolbar updates include the addition of The News and Media Blog and The Onion to the News RSS drop-down menu.

To refresh your toolbar, click on the red WCP on the left side of the toolbar and scroll to "Refresh Toolbar". Give it a few seconds then you should be able to see the new additions.

Don't have the World Class Poetry Toolbar? Download it now.

Updated World Class Poetry Pages

Hope you enjoyed the new poetry reviews I shared last week. If you missed them, you can still read them here.

New updates this week include

Each of the Hall of Fame pages, of course, are a part of the site-wide makeover that I've been undertaking for the past few weeks. I'm nearing completion, but there are still a handful of poetic greats that need new faces.

You'll definitely want to see the new Publications page, though. Word Catalyst Magazine reports a changeover in staff and story editor Bob Church is no longer with the magazine. Take note of the new e-mail address to send submissions.

American Life in Poetry: Column 179

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

I've always loved shop talk, with its wonderful language of tools and techniques. This poem by D. Nurkse of Brooklyn, New York, is a perfect example. I especially like the use of the verb, lap, in line seven, because that's exactly the sound a four-inch wall brush makes.

Bushwick: Latex Flat
2001

Sadness of just-painted rooms.
We clean our tools
meticulously, as if currying horses:
the little nervous sash brush
to be combed and primped,
the fat old four-inchers
that lap up space
to be wrapped and groomed,
the ceiling rollers,
the little pencils
that cover nailheads
with oak gloss,
to be counted and packed:
camped on our dropsheets
we stare across gleaming floors
at the door and beyond it
the old city full of old rumors
of conspiracies, gunshots, market crashes:
with a little mallet
we tap our lids closed,
holding our breath, holding our lives
in suspension for a moment:
an extra drop will ruin everything.

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) 2007 by D. Nurkse, whose newest book of poetry "The Border Kingdom," is forthcoming from Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Poem reprinted from "Broken Land: Poems of Brooklyn," ed., Julia Spicher Kasdorf & Michael Tyrrell, New York University Press, 2007, by permission of D. Nurkse. 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.

New World Class Poetry Blog Posts

A Difficult Decision, But ... - I didn't want to; I had to. I decided that posting every day to the blog was no longer desired and have taken up an irregular posting pattern. This is likely temporary, though I have no idea at this time when I'll resume the daily schedule. Meanwhile ...
The Epic Future: 21st Century Narratives And Poetic History
20th Century Epics And Carrying The Torch Of Tradition

Be on the lookout for the final part of the series on epics. Coming soon. Don't miss it!

LitMixx Pix

This week I've decided to add a new section to the newsletter/e-zine (I'm still not sure what to call it). Each week I'll highlight a few stories from the LitMixx bookmarking community. This week's stories are:

Poetry Book Of The Week

If you liked Beowulf, you'll love Seamus Heaney's new take on the old epic story. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition) is an incredible read through and through. Publishers Weekly recommends it for ages 11 and up. This new translation of an old English classic by one of the 20th century's most distinguished poetic voices is an absolute essential to every poet's reading library. There's no wonder it's a best seller.