Do you know why I like blogs more than Facebook? I can’t lose myself in someone else’s perspective on Facebook, but on the right blog, you get to lose yourself. You get inside someone else’s head. That is what I like about writing in general. Facebook is like seeing a bunch of people at a party; a blog is like going for coffee with someone you’re really interested in.
I think I was going to say something interesting here about judging the chapbook contest for Concrete Wolf, something about how there are so many good writers out there, all the finalists this year were wonderful, and how the decisions come down to – “These are equally well-written but I’m more interested in this subject matter” or “this type of writing is more interesting to me than that kind” which makes you think about how relative judgement about poetry really is. It could be all about the mood of the writer at that moment, about how much they like prose poems or narrative poems, about how they feel like they haven’t seen enough of blank and blank should be celebrated this year.
I’m also thinking about chapbooks, about how I might want to do another one.
I think I like Lost because Lost is about the struggle to understand suffering in life, to understand justice, to understand mystery. Lost is a lot like the Bible that way. You’re interested in the characters, but you’re more interested in the mystery.
I’d also like to know about any good superhero poems by female poets, if you’ve written one or have a favorite one by another poet. I’m always excited to find out about these kinds of things, but I’m trying to put together a good diverse sample of poems for my WonderCon paper.
Karen J. Weyant
I judged a chapbook contest last fall — first time ever. I think your thoughts about judging are right on target.
Do another chapbook!
Michelle
On superhero poems, Dorianne Laux wrote a wonderful poem about Superman published in her chapbook by Red Dragonfly Press.
Elisa Gabbert
I am also pro blogs over Facebook! Especially when people use their blogs as a different kind of platform than Facebook (not just for little blippy updates and links and so on). I love that getting lost feeling. I get blog crushes all the time.