Literary Journal Review!

The Poetry Foundation is an independent literary organization that publishes Poetry magazine. As the website states, “it exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience.” This online literary magazine has multiple features and links to help broaden the reader’s experience and expand his/her network with the poetry world via the Internet. The Poetry Foundation website offers a history of the independent foundation and publisher, and the authors showcased in current or past issues. The literary journal blends art, scholarly articles, history, and postings of poetry events to entice visitors to subscribe to the monthly magazine. The foundation’s website also includes links to different audio links and podcasts so readers can listen to a poet’s reading of his/her poem. There are links to many different poetry books, included the month’s “featured” books. The Poetry Foundation works with small press publishers and advertises books related to the poetry genre/theme of each individual magazine issue. Any person accessing the website can read the current February 2010 issue, and upon clicking the “current issue” link, the poet’s names, and a randomly selected poem (featured in the issue) pops up. Readers are able to access the newly published poetry, and submit his/her own pieces to the magazine. All the information for editors, commentators, and submission pages are easily accessible. Interestingly, a link brings readers to different articles related to poetry in the media. For example, the latest issue of the magazine includes a link to an article featuring the American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, and his collaboration of creating a song inspired by the poem entitled “Footsteps”. If a reader is looking for the ultimate experience of reading contemporary poet’s works with numerous resources to art, events, media, and scholarly articles The Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine is the reader’s best source to browse and explore.

"Mudlark: An Electronic Journal of Poetry & Poetics" is a wonderfully easy-to-use website that posts “posters” of artists’ works within each issue. The latest poster, “No. 85 2010”, features fives poems from Isis Leaves Idaho by Judy Huddleston, a contemporary prose poet. Huddleston’s poems all connect to tell a sort of story or vignette into the life of a woman with a lover and an unwanted pregnancy. Mudlark does an excellent job of creating an “easy on the eyes” webpage and publication, which compliments the intriguing work being showcased within each issue. I believe Mudlark strives to highlight each poet in the issues they release, since there is usually only the work of one poet in each issue. If you are looking for individual displays of a specific poet’s work, check of Mudlark, you’ll find wonderfully talented artists receiving the individual recognition they deserve.