Language

Forever Beautiful till I Saw You on Facebook

Wait for the Man With the Mockingbird

Typography About Language

Glenn Beck: The Next All American Author?

I once heard it say in an American Literature class that America had yet to establish a voice in literature, at least not like Britain had with Shakespeare, Milton, the Bronte sisters, Mary Shelley, Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlow, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carol and Robert Louis Stevenson to name a few.
However, I would disagree with my American Literature professor. I believe that America has established their voice in literature. The American Dream is seen through the work of Thoreau, Hemingway, Emerson, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Twain, and Whitman to name a few.
The question I'm posing is does Beck have the stuff to continue the American voice?
Beck's novel "The Overton Window" he puts in the genre category of a faction, a book that is completely fictional, but based in fact. The book reminded me a lot of Dan Brown's style of writing. Brown, himself uses a lot of fact in history and information about organizations to drive his plot line. Though the question stands, was Beck able to execute Brown's style of writing with a fact based fictional novel? I would say the potential is there. Where Beck fell short is he became too tied up in the fact or his premonition of the future of this country. Beck devoted full lines of dialogue that stretched pages to inform the reader of both history and different economic and philosophical theories. There were a lot of times that myself, as the reader, forgot who was speaking. Particular scenes that come to mind that support this claim are:

• The start of the book when we are introduced to Noah's father and he is selling his pitch to prospective clients. Not only was the character found overtly dramatic, but also extremely long winded. 
• The speeches at the bar, when Beck is introducing the cause of Molly's Patriot group. 
• Noah's explanation of the Overton Window to Molly when they broke into his father's company.

One of the things that I learned in my creative writing classes is that a lot of times dialogue drives the plot. Beck relies heavily on what his characters can explain not only to their fellow characters, but also to the reader in the span of a couple pages. Though I think the potential is there the execution of this concept hasn't been met. Slow down. What is the normal amount of dialogue that is passed between two people in everyday conversation? What is the normal amount of monologue that is passed between newscaster to his/her television viewers? Beck, make the separation between the two and I believe that you will have an even more engaging novel on your hands. 

"The Overton Window" has a lot going on in between its pages, and, almost, like the last Harry Potter novel, I'm not sure all of those were tied up. I understand that Beck was going for a cliff hanger, which was excellently executed, but there is a lot left that isn't explained. Including, but not limited too:

• The prologue. How does this tie into the rest of the novel? Why do we never hear about his man's death again in the novel? Even if it was brought up simply as an accident that this man met his fatal end or the lady on the phone tries to find out the truth about what happens to him. Why is this man and the secret he discovered brought up at all if it isn't clearly defined in the book?
• The book is so concentrated on Noah's relationship with his father and Molly and also with impending demise of Kearns and Danny, that the reader never fully understands the growing tension within the country as far as the heighten terror alert. We can understand it simply through the main characters, but the way it is painted to the reader makes it seem isolated and I have to ask the question, why is the terror alert going up if what we're reading is more behind the scenes?
• Building off of that why do these men want to go through with this bombing if the terror alert is rising? What is driving them? We learn later that it is Noah's father, but even getting a sense from those men that there is a driving purpose behind their mission would make it more believable to the reader. 

I think Beck paints a beautiful and thrilling plot line and he has found himself onto my bookshelf (for whatever that is worth). However, I believe with some worth and flushing out of what he has and in the areas he can improve on, will not only strengthen his style as a writer, but also bring his name from a talk show host to a pretty damn good author. 

Intermission: "Words," a Video Poem

WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Direction this Summer

I am currently trying to determine a focus for this blog now that the class it was created for is over; I got an A for those of you that are concerned with my academic success. I know the primary focus for most of the Spring semester has been poetry and though I'd like to continue down that path, and more than likely I will, I want to deviate from that path a little bit.
My goal for when I graduated college was a pretty simple one, I wanted to read for fun again. Sitting down and reading a novel of my choosing was something I greatly missed during my five years of college. There is something about being engrossed in between the pages of a book, whether it is good or bad (though it is easier when the book is good), that has always been able to settle my nerves.
So, I think for my summer project I am going to do book reviews as the focus of this blog. There will still be updates about poetry and its relationship with the internet, but my prime focus will be my thoughts on my summer reading list. I'll always let you know what I'm reading before hand and give a nice review when I'm done. Currently I am reading Glen Beck's "The Overton Window." I'm about half way through, so hopefully you won't have to wait too long.

A Spoken Word Poem About a 9 Year Old Boy Dying of Cancer

In light of Relay for Life (4/14/11)

Creative Gallery Idea

I was playing around with some different ideas for my creative gallery. I'm not going to lie I've kind of been procrastinating with this one... it seems more horrifying than the trailer.

Anyways, I was thinking for my creative gallery to work with google maps and create a map with different poets. More than likely my favorite poets. And when you click on the points not only will it pull the poet's name up, but it would also pull up a favorite poem of mine of theirs. The point will be where the poet is from or where the poet resided during their life. So, there may be more than one point for the same poet.

This is just a rough idea. I'm still working it out.

If I Should Have a Daughter

Google Maps

View Untitled in a larger map

I'm Still Lost

I read lost. The entire time I was reading it... and I did not read all of it, I felt lost. Lost in the vastness and obscurity of human emotion and thought process is the totality of what I thought of this site. Originally I started reading the text from the top to the bottom and upon realizing it didn't really matter which way I read it, I read it from the bottom to the top for awhile and then when this too got boring or confusing I randomly moved the page around until I found a post that interested me and then did it again. I have probably read the majority of this site, but it's like that movie you have watched parts of, but you are never sure you have read all of it.

http://tracearchive.ntu.ac.uk/lost/index.htm

Project Essay

Project Essay (click here for Google Doc.)
Introduction:

            Since the creation of the internet in the late 50’s, people have been carving out and forcing their own space in this digital world—and while they have been forging their place they have also been arguing what are the limitations and possibilities of this new technology. Even almost 60 years later, the public is still learning what they can do with and on the Internet.

            The focus of my project and my essay is how the Internet has transformed poetry as we know and see it today. For the course of the semester I have researched and explored the different ways that Internet users have used the Internet to post and publish poetry on the Internet.

The Internet is allowing for users to create their own anthologies of new and old poets in sites that they have posted their favorite poems or poets. YouTube videos are being made newer poet’s poems complete with animations and fans of past poets are taking their poetry and bringing it to life in new ways in YouTube videos. Other Internet users are creating sites where users can get online interact with online magnet poetry or the poetry cube. There are other sites that have been created to allow for users to log on and create accounts where they can submit their work and other users on the site can give feed back as well as feed back from editors and publishers. These are the sites that have been the focus of my project and will be the focus of my essay.

Online Anthologies:

            In 1995, Brian Nation created a website in tribute to his favorite poet, Pablo Neruda. Nation’s site was primarily for him to post his writing and a few pictures. Nation saw the internet for what potential it could be, a way for people to go online and read his work without his knowledge and if they wanted to they could leave feedback, they weren’t forced too—as it is when you hand someone your work and you watch them read it and then they feel obligated to offer feedback.

            In 1988, Nation bought his first computer with a modem, with this he saw the potential of taking all of the scraps of poems that he had collected over the years and stored in binders and uploading them onto his website to share with the public—whoever might be interested in his collection of poems and poets that he admired. “As I was assembling the second or third revision of my site I happened on a piece by Pablo Neruda… I didn’t have much on my site, yet, so I added the Neruda piece just for the hell of it.” (Nation) Since adding Neruda’s poem “Love,” Nation has posted his own poetry, poetry of his friends, and poems from his favorite poets with commentary and room for comments from his readers.

            Nation was aware that in the early days of his website that people would not search for his work or his site, but rather they would be able to pull up his site upon searching for Pablo Neruda. “But, as it turned out, a lot of people searched, and continue to search, for Pablo Neruda. There were not so many web sites around in those days and so most of these seekers found me, thanks to my Neruda page. Over a million people have visited my site. (I have no illusions about how many of them stayed long enough to read anything, but enough have – more than would ever have even looked at my book had I published one.) Neruda made me famous and I owe him more than I can repay. I appreciate all he’s done for me.” (Nation)

            Nation is not the only Internet user to create online anthologies of poems and poets that are the creator’s favorites. Sites like this include:

·      http://www.poets.org/ -- Is a site that provides access to all sorts of poets and poems. Here users can look up any poem or poet from the site’s database or anthology. It allows the user to buy books and it also recommends books that the user might also be interested in based off of their previous or current purchase. As well as give the users updates on local poets that might be performing in their area.

·      http://www.poetseers.org/ -- Is another database of poems or an online anthology of poems that gives the user the poem of day as well as allows them to search their online database for poems from previous days or just to search for specific poems or poets. This is great for my project, because it is an awesome resource of a site that users have provided a plethora of poems and poets for users to access upon a simple search through their pages.

·      http://hellopoetry.com/#!/community -- Is a website for poetry. It allows the user to read poetry from their favorite artists, as well as, read the poem of the day. It allows its users to share their poems and sell their books off their website. It provides a whole archive of resources that allow you to search through their dictionary of poets and poems, as well as include yourself in their dictionary of poems and poets with three tags that will allow you to be found.

YouTube:

            For my trailer I really wanted to capture what could be done with poems from past poets with today’s technology. I took the poem that Brian Nation used on his site “Love” and had random people that walked through the lobby of a dorm read individual lines. This captured a variety of different voices in a single poem. I searched the Internet for other users that might have a similar idea and I came across Natalie Merchant singing old poems on TED television. Merchant sings different poems from poets like: e.e. cummings, Charles Edward Carol, Rachel Field, Robert Graves, Robert Louis Stevens, and Edward Lear. Merchant takes children poems and puts them to music. Merchant’s goal in this project is to bring life to these old poems.

            Merchant’s project to give a voice to old poems helps give life to these poems and allows listeners who are not familiar or do not have an ear for poetry to still be able to enjoy it and get the meaning of it like they would if they were listening to the radio. Like with me and my project, Merchant put her own spin on each of the poems she puts to music. Such as where the intonation on each of the words goes, how the lines run together, and where she takes a breath. Just like the readers in my trailer chose where they were going to break up the lines and read the words. This may not be how the writer of the poem intended it to be read, but it brings to life the poems of old in a new way. (TED, 2010)

            From this post on TED television I found a clip from Sarah Kay and her spoken poem “If I Should Have a Daughter…” Spoken word poetry on YouTube or TED television is becoming more and more popular on the Internet. Kay stands up and presents her poem in a way that is both hypnotizing and entertaining. She captures her audience with both her facial expressions and her intonation as she speaks her poem.

            Kay after presenting her poem goes into the importance of spoken word poetry to her. For her it was a way to entertain and inspire and spoken word poetry is more effective at doing this than written poetry. And how she believes this is where poetry should be going, what it should be evolving into, because it allows for the listener to hear both the pain and emotion of the poem. And how you immediately rewarded for your presentation whether it is a room full of your peers or it is the comments feed on YouTube. (TED)

Interacting Poems:

            Interacting poems is something that I wasn’t aware existed on the Internet until this project. Off of StumbleUpon.com I found Magnetic Poetry. This is a site where the user can go online and put together a poem using the magnetic words that are provided the user. Here the user can construct their own poems using only the words that are provided them and then submit them to the website. This site is also creating an anthology of poems based off of only the poems created on their site. Poems that are only constructed using magnetic words that are provided the user upon first logging on to the site. (StumbleUpon)

            Other forms of interacting poetry that I discovered were the ones that I found off of Jason Nelson’s website. Jason Nelson is an individual that recognizes himself as a digital poet. On his site he has created a variety of different ways of interacting with his poetry online. An application that I participated in was his “Poetry Cube.” The “Poetry Cube” is an application like a rubix cube, which allows users to go in and choose how the lines of the poem will fall in order on the cube. In turn this also determines the meaning and order of the cube and how it is read. Nelson also allows for his users to create their own poetry cubes, allow they have to do is go in and come up with a number of lines to create a poem to manipulate and transform. (Nelson)

Helpful Sites:

            What really impressed me with all of my research were the poet help sites that were out there. The three that really stuck out to me were Lulu.com, a Place for Writers and WeBook.com. These were sites that allowed the users to go online and publish their work and get feedback from different users and publishers and editors. These are sites that are designed to allow the users to move in the direction of getting published. The key aspects of these sites are:

·      http://www.lulu.com/ -- Is a self-publishing site that allows its users to log on and create an account. From there the user is allowed to submit their poetry to be published. It also provides other resources, like the rhyme generator that allows its users to go in and type in the word that they need a rhyme for. This can be anything from a perfect rhyme or an off rhyme. This is helpful for my project because it goes off the different resources that are available for poets out there.

·      http://www.placesforwriters.com/ -- Is a website that provides links and information about upcoming contests and publication journals that are looking for contestants or writers. It provides the user the necessary information to apply or submit for these projects. Along with this it includes ads from Google that include resources if you are embarking on writing a book, in need of a literary agent, or need a publisher.

·      http://www.webook.com/ -- Is a website for writers who are interested in getting published, but want someone to look at their work before they send it off. It allows for other users of the site to read through their work and give comments, as well as literary agents who give feedback and advice for getting published. It even has a page for writers who are not ready to publish: a page for writer’s block that allows you to punch in on whether you are struggling with settings, characters, dramatic entrances, dialogue, commiserate, etc. It also has a join a project page, which allows the user to join up with other users to create and build onto an ongoing project.

Conclusion:

            The Internet is opening the doors to endless possibilities for a variety of different fields, genres and communication among its users. However, it is also changing how users interact, read and write poetry, as seen with the variety of different examples I have provided in this essay. Users are now able to spread their poetry and the poetry across the web to thousands of readers in a matter of seconds and they are able to present their favorite poems from past poets in a variety of different ways.

Works Cited

(n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2011, from Poets.org: http://www.poets.org/

(n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2011, from Poetseers.org: http://www.poetseers.org/

(n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2011, from HelloPoetry.com: http://hellopoetry.com/#!/community

WeBook. (n.d.). WeBook. Retrieved April 2011, 2011, from WeBook: http://www.webook.com/

Lulu. (n.d.). Lulu. Retrieved April 03, 2011, from Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/

Nation, B. (n.d.). falling objects (neruda and me). Retrieved April 03, 2011, from Beat the Devil: http://boppin.com/1995/04/falling-objects-neruda-and-me.html

Nelson, J. (n.d.). Secret Technology Net Art/ Digital Poetry/ Video Oddodities Jason Nelson. Retrieved April 03, 2011, from Secret Technology Net Art/ Digital Poetry/ Video Oddodities Jason Nelson: http://www.secrettechnology.com/

Places for Writers. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2011, from Places for Writers: http://www.placesforwriters.com/

StumbleUpon. (n.d.). Magnetic Poetry. Retrieved April 03, 2011, from StumbleUpon: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/5IoXzv/www.magpo.com

TED. (2010, April). Natalie Merchant sings old poems to life. Retrieved April 03, 2011, from TED Ideas Worth Spreading: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/natalie_merchant_sings_old_poems_to_life.html

TED. (n.d.). Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ... Retrieved April 03, 2011, from TED Ideas Worth Spreading: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1JHZm1

253

253 is an online novel that allows the reader to choose how they move through the story. The reader can move from character to character and car to car and ultimately come to the same end for all of the... the accident that the cars are barreling towards, but even when the reader reaches the accident they can still move back through through the other characters. It is kind of like a never end story, because it can work in a loop that the reader is welcome to venture through until they have read all of them. The narrations of the characters and sequence of events is written in 253 words and they encompass the outside appearance of the character and what the character is doing and what they are thinking.
This style of writing is kind of like choose your own adventure story, but instead of having to flip through several pages to get to your chosen path you can just click a link and get there faster. It also allows for more options than there would be with the limitation of a physical book. This is opening up new options for choose your own adventure novel. It is allowing the reader to move faster through the text as well as have a vaster amount of choices to choose from.

Drafting Poetry

Since the creation of the internet, people have been arguing what the limitations and possibilities of this new technology is. Since the creation of the in internet in the 1950's we are still discovering the endless possibilities of what the internet can do and provide for its users. Brian Nation used the internet to organize his collection of favorite poems and poets. On his website he also included some of his own poems and eventually poetry that his friends wrote. Brian Nation acknowledged that people would not get online and search for Brian Nation, but they would find him through his collection of famous poems and poets. The internet is allowing for users to create their anthologies of new and old poets, of their favorite poems, create  YoutTube videos in tribute to their favorite poets, or create sites that provide help and advice to users who are interested in becoming poets and want help.

Wiki Wiki Wikipedia

Wikipedia in some sense is almost as useful as Google. It is one of those sites that you can go to for quick information. I use it whenever I want to learn about something quickly and don't want to put a lot of time trying to research the topic. It is something that is helpful if you are in a hurry.

What I also like about Wikipedia is that it also provides you with all of their sources. So, if you are reading about something that really interests you and you want to read more, you can use Wikipedia's citation page and discover more about the topic. I think this also makes the site more credible than it has been in the past when individuals would just get on and write whatever about whatever and there was no substantial proof that made what they were saying was credible. Now Wikipedia has its own work cited page as well as individuals that go through, that are called fact checkers, that do exactly what their name implies, they check the information that is being posted on Wikipedia with the source that is being posted and if that source is credible.

This credibility is what is making Wikipedia less Tabu and more acceptable, I believe, in the the academic world. I know when I first started college professors would always state before research assignments: "Don't use Wikipedia", but I no longer get that disclaimer before an assignment. I have many professors now that talk about the different resources that are available in Wikipedia's work cited.

What's So Great About YouTube?

YouTube to me is a site where people can get online and post their movies, post slideshows that they created and anything else they can post with a moving screen with or without noise. It is used for sharing their funny moments or their favorite songs with the world, with their friends and family, etc.
Anything and everything is on YouTube, from your next door neighbor filming his baby's first steps to B.O.B's latest music video to people slipping and falling on ice to commercials and ads as seen on TV. The genres on YouTube are as vast and as broad as any other genre that might be found on the internet or surfing the web.
Anyone and everyone can be on YouTube. Your next door neighbor's crazy aunt that lives across the country who wants to see the kids first steps, to an avid fan of B.O.B, to someone who really just wants to see "someone bust their ass" on the ice, to someone who is working on a journalism project and has to collect ads for a specific company. The audience on YouTube is as large as the genres on YouTube.
The popularity of the videos on YouTube honestly depends on the viewers who are viewing the videos on YouTube. It is hard to say when you post a video on YouTube if you and your close circle of friends will be the only ones that watch it or if a larger audience will find the entertainment or emotional appeal to your movie or clip... or whatever you post up there. It all depends on the viewer. It all depends on the movie. It's YouTube, the possibilities are endless.

Abstract and Annotated Bib (Revised)

My topic is about poetry and how the internet is making it easier for poets and even writers to get published, to get help, to get ideas, to find exercises that will help spark ideas, and to find other poet's work. The internet also allows for its users to take others work, like in my trailer with Pablo Neruda, and create their own version of the poem or their own interpretation of it.

From my project I am learning/discovering that the internet and its users are creating websites upon websites of poems from poets that are already famous, poets that no one has ever heard of and poets that are just discovering their talents and interest in poetry. Users that are also creating their own versions of their favorite poems through videos on YouTube. These websites are becoming online databases or even cooler a modern version of an anthology of poetry that stretches from the creator’s interests, to the users of the sites poetry and so forth.

Another interesting thing that I have gathered from my research and online searching of poetry sites are all the sites out there that are intended to help poets in their writing quest. There are handfuls of sites out there that are designed like creative writing classes. Where the users can read and give feedback to other poets work. These sites also allow for the user to get feedback from publishers or agents. These are great resources for individuals that are interested in getting published in major literary magazines.

Along with these sites, users are taking their poetry animating and posting it as a video on YouTube. Here they are making their own collection of animated, interactive poetry online, as well as, taking poems from their favorite poets and posting it in videos of their own interpretation.

Beat the Devil:

Brian Nation: Beat the Devil —. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://boppin.com/>.

Is the website that inspired my trailer and the ultimate idea for my project. Brian Nation created his website as a collection of his favorite poets and poems. It started with the poem by Pablo Neruda “Love”. Brian Nation acknowledged that internet users would not get on the web to search for Brian Nation, but they would get online to search for Pablo Neruda and they would find his site. Eventually his site turned into a site where his friends could also post their stuff as well as his. This became the premise of what my project is about, users creating websites where they collect and post their favorite poems as well as allowing their friends and themselves post their own stuff. Brian Nation’s site is essentially becoming an anthology of poetry online.

Hello Poetry:

"Community - Browse Poetry - Hello Poetry." A Place for Poetry - Hello Poetry. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://hellopoetry.com/community/>.

Is a website for poetry. It allows the user to read poetry from their favorite artists, as well as, read the poem of the day. It allows its users to share their poems and sell their books off their website. It provides a whole archive of resources that allow you to search through their dictionary of poets and poems, as well as include yourself in their dictionary of poems and poets with three tags that will allow you to be found.

Writing Exercises:

"English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Poets." English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Poets. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/assign/e50x2.htm>.

Is a website that provides handfuls of exercise to stretch the creative muscle. Exercises that include:

·      Five ways to begin writing a new poem

·      Persona

·      Rhyme

·      Rhythm

Places for Writers:

[places for Writers]. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.placesforwriters.com/>.

Is a website that provides links and information about upcoming contests and publication journals that are looking for contestants or writers. It provides the user the necessary information to apply or submit for these projects.

Along with this it includes ads from Google that include resources if you are embarking on writing a book, in need of a literary agent, or need a publisher.

Lulu.com:

Roth, Geneen. Self Publishing and Book Printing Solutions - Books, EBooks, Photo Books and Calendars at Lulu.com. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.lulu.com/>.

Is a self publishing site that allows its users to log on and create an account. From there the user is allowed to submit their poetry to be published. It also provides other resources, like the rhyme generator that allows its users to go in and type in the word that they need a rhyme for. This can be anything from a perfect rhyme or an off rhyme. This is helpful for my project because it goes off the different resources that are available for poets out there.

Poets.org:

Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.poets.org/>.

Is a site that provides access to all sorts of poets and poems. Here users can look up any poem or poet from the site’s database or anthology. It allows the user to buy books and it also recommends books that the user might also be interested in based off of their previous or current purchase. As well as give the users updates on local poets that might be performing in their area.

Poet Seers.org:

Poet Seers - Poem of the Day — Poet Seers. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.poetseers.org/>.

Is another database of poems or an online anthology of poems that gives the user the poem of day as well as allows them to search their online database for poems from previous days or just to search for specific poems or poets. This is great for my project, because it is an awesome resource of a site that users have provided a plethora of poems and poets for users to access upon a simple search through their pages.

WeBook:

Writing Community for Writers, Readers and Literary Agents. Submit Works, Read & Rate Writings. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.webook.com/>.

Is a website for writers who are interested in getting published, but want someone to look at their work before they send it off. It allows for other users of the site to read through their work and give comments, as well as literary agents who give feedback and advice for getting published.

It even has a page for writers who are not ready to publish: a page for writer’s block that allows you to punch in on whether you are struggling with settings, characters, dramatic entrances, dialogue, commiserate, etc. It also has a join a project page, that allows the user to join up with other users to create and build onto an ongoing project.

Something that Exemplifies my Project

Writing Community for Writers, Readers and Literary Agents. Submit Works, Read & Rate Writings. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.webook.com/>.


As it stands now I think the website that most encompasses my project would be "Writing Community for Writers". It is a site that allows writer/poets to go online, create an account and post their work. From there other users of the site can give feedback or publishers/agents can give feedback. It is a site that is designed to rank the user on their progress as a writer as well as giving feedback in helping them get published. 


Not only does this site provide feedback, but it also provides projects and tips for getting over writer's block. Myth or not it supplies the users the tools necessary for getting over the road block in their head and move them down the road to being published. 


As this site grows and expands and more people use, the more poetry and other stories that are being published on it and the site is becoming an anthology of people that have a common goal: to get their work out there and read by someone other than close family and friends. It is an anthology of work from our generation, something that the greats didn't have. 


Single Sentence:The internet is a poetry anthology for the tech savvy generation. 

Abstract and Annotated Bibliography

My topic is about poetry and how the internet is making it easier for poets and even writers to get published, to get help, to get ideas, to find exercises that will help spark ideas, and to find other poet's work.
From my project I am learning/discovering that the internet and its users are creating websites upon websites of poems from poets that are already famous, poets that no one has ever heard of and poets that are just discovering their talents and interest in poetry. These websites are becoming online databases or even cooler a modern version of an anthology of poetry that stretches from the creators interests, to the users of the sites poetry and so forth.
Another interesting thing that I have gathered from my research and online searching of poetry sites are all the sites out there that are intended to help poets in their writing quest. There are a handfuls of sites out there that are designed like creative writing classes. Where the users can read and give feedback to other poets work. These sites also allow for the user to get feedback from publishers or agents. These are great resources for individuals that are interested in getting published in major literary magazines.
The problem that I am experiencing with my project is that I am having a hard time focusing my project. I really like what I did in my trailer with the different individuals reading the different lines from the poem by Pablo Neruda, but I am not entirely sure how to fit it into my final paper, since the direction of my paper has taken a turn more to the anthology that the users are creating with poetry on the internet.

Hello Poetry:

"Community - Browse Poetry - Hello Poetry." A Place for Poetry - Hello Poetry. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://hellopoetry.com/community/>.

Is a website for poetry. It allows the user to read poetry from their favorite artists, as well as, read the poem of the day. It allows its users to share their poems and sell their books off their website. It provides a whole archive of resources that allow you to search through their dictionary of poets and poems, as well as include yourself in their dictionary of poems and poets with three tags that will allow you to be found.

Writing Exercises:

"English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Poets." English 50 – Intro to Creative Writing: Exercises for Poets. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/assign/e50x2.htm>.

Is a website that provides handfuls of exercise to stretch the creative muscle. Exercises that include:

·      Five ways to begin writing a new poem

·      Persona

·      Rhyme

·      Rhythm

Places for Writers:

[places for Writers]. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.placesforwriters.com/>.

Is a website that provides links and information about upcoming contests and publication journals that are looking for contestants or writers. It provides the user the necessary information to apply or submit for these projects.

Along with this it includes ads from Google that include resources if you are embarking on writing a book, in need of a literary agent, or need a publisher.

WeBook:

Writing Community for Writers, Readers and Literary Agents. Submit Works, Read & Rate Writings. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.webook.com/>.

Is a website for writers who are interested in getting published, but want someone to look at their work before they send it off. It allows for other users of the site to read through their work and give comments, as well as literary agents who give feedback and advice for getting published.

It even has a page for writers who are not ready to publish: a page for writer’s block that allows you to punch in on whether you are struggling with settings, characters, dramatic entrances, dialogue, commiserate, etc. It also has a join a project page, that allows the user to join up with other users to create and build onto an ongoing project.

Thursdays Class

Since, I wasn't in class on Thursday I'm catching up on the post that I didn't make. The internet is making it a lot easier for writers or poets to publish their work, and it doesn't necessarily have to be in a physical journal. What I hope to bring to light with my project is to show writers and poets the different resources that are available to them out on the web and where they can access different resources that will help them both write and get their work published.

The thing I like most about my project, so far, is my trailer.... well an aspect of my trailer. I like the part where I had different people read different lines from a poem by Pablo Neruda. I thought that was really cool and it came out very unique and interesting. I think it gave the poem a different spin than if I had just quoted it through slides with different pictures and music in the background. Though this really wasn't the direction that my project took as I thought it would. I have learned from my project that I am more looking for, not what poetry is already online or how people have published it online, but rather what resources are out there for people who are looking for poems or poets or who are looking for ways to get themselves published or heard... or who just want some feedback on their work. And what I am starting to see is that they're a lot of resources... a lot of free resources out there for individuals that want help with their work.

Questions

I guess the biggest question that I have about my project so far is: is it posing an argument to the audience? I really want to show how the internet allows for its users to take other people's art, in this case poetry, and spin it and make it their own art. Like I did with Pablo Neruda's poem "Love". But I think also what I want to see with my project is that it allows poets to see how many options are out there for them-- to get published, to find forms, to find help, to find whatever they need-- to know that there is an entire network out there for them to use and abuse.

Lessig explains in Chapter 3 about how it is either a win or lose scenario as far as copyright goes. "The "copyright wars" have led many to believe that the choice we all face is all or nothing. Either Hollywood will win or "the net" will win. Either we're about to lose something important that we've been, or we're going to kill something valuable that we could be. Whoever wins the other must lose."

He goes on to state that he doesn't believe it should be this way, that it doesn't have to be a read write society or a read only society that it can be both. "This future need not be either less RO or more RW: it could be both." I believe that this is something that I am showing in my trailer. Like with "Girl Talk" I am taking someone else's work and I am putting a different spin on it. I'm not adding anything or taking anything away from it, but I'm contributing my own spin to it, by allowing other people read and interpret it in the way they present the lines to the camera. Not only am I reading Pablo Neruda's poem, but I'm also rewriting it in the voices of several different persons.

My Trailer & The Three Big Questions about my Project

1. What is the title of your project so far?
Not sure yet. I'm still playing around with some ideas. For my capstone project for creative writing, my project name was The Mixed Tape, based off of a Jack's Mannequin song. The reason for this being that all of the poems that I wrote for my project were based off or inspired by a song and a form of poetry. I think by calling my this project "The Mixed Tape" is also a good idea, because most poetry is inspired by something and since my project is based around poetry and the accessibility of poetry on web, I find this title to be appropriate.

2. What is the guiding question at the center of your project? 

I don't know if there is a question at the center of my project. I think that my project is answering a question and the answer is yes. Yes, poetry is accessible on the web. Yes, people are publishing and rewriting and remixing their poetry and other's poetry on the web everyday in huge numbers. They are creating websites that help others not only get their name out there but also help others publish their own. They are providing websites that help with form and different styles of poetry-- with definitions and examples. They are making websites where poets can come together and learn about other poets in the area, buy their fellow poets books.

3. What would Lessig say about your project? How would he describe it, in his terms? 

I think he might take my trailer and relate it back to remixing, because I took Pablo Neruda's poem; "Love" and I sat in the lobby of my dorm and I had a variety of different people from different backgrounds read through the poem. Then took each clip and cropped it down so I had each person reading a single line of the poem and pasted it all together to make a complete version of the poem told in different voices, line by line. This is the same as what other people are doing out there with music, such as Girl Talk. I'm taking someone else's art and making it my own through the voices of other people. I think this would tie into Lessig's Read Write and Read Only culture.

Poetry Trailer

A Rough Idea for My Project

For my trailer I want to construct a compilation of today's poetry-- refrigerator poetry, beats poetry, free verse, etc. mixed with the poetry that we are all familiar with.
What I hope to accomplish with my trailer is to show audiences poetry in a new hip way that provides poets with resources that will help them write their poetry and also provide them with different styles to try in their writing. Along with this I would also like to include different exercises to help with writer's block.

Remix

Larry Lessig in the first chapter of his book "Remix" talks about how culture has changed from a read-write (RW) culture to a read-only (RO) culture. He, also, discusses what is considered plagarism. Lessig uses John Philip Sousa as an example and his trip to congress to protest the use of recording devices for music. Sousa was concerned that recording devices would eliminate amatuer music-- such as people singing outside or around the house. He was afraid that amatuer music would be replaced by these recording devices. He was also concerned that people would stop attending concerts and only listen to music through these recording devices and the profit that he made from his concerts and ticket sales would cease to exist. I think this is something that as a culture we experience with every new technology that hits the market. When the radio appeared, musicians were concerned that people would stop buying their recordings, newspapers were afraid that people would stop buying newspapers, because they could hear the news faster on the radio. Same with television, the radio was concerned that they would go out of business, because this new medium could deliver the news and stories with the same speed, as well as with pictures. Then the internet came along and all mediums were afraid that they would disappear, because the internet could deliver all of these features in one swift click of a button. Below is a link to a speech that Lessig gave that I had to watch for a previous tech writing class and journalism. He talks about Sousa again, as well as a new term of today called mixing-- where the younger generation is taking clips of music and clips of tv shows or news pieces and making their own video clip and posting it on the web. Lessig poses the question is this plagarism or stealing other people's work? --From what I gather from his lecture that it isn't, it is taking other people's art and molding it to make their own. Kind of like what Lethem was stating in his article, "The Ectasy of Influence"-- that no idea is really original, but rather copied over and over in different ways and different styles. Kind of like Obama's campaign video (as seen below) against Hilary Clinton in the 2008 election. Where he took a clip from the movie "1984" and applied it to his message of change for the United States.

New Wordle

The Ecstasy of Influence

Johnathan Lethem states, in this article: "The Ecstasy of Influence,""You, reader, are welcome to my stories. They were never mine in the first place, but I gave them to you." I think what he is saying in the section "Give All" that artists should be allowed to choose who they want to read their stories/novels or their poems or view their art or their paintings. Yet, they should understand that when it is published, when it out there for the entire world to see they can't choose anymore. And by allowing it to be published, to allow for it to be seen by any reader or viewer they are relinquishing the control that they have over it. It doesn't become theirs anymore, it becomes the readers' or the viewer.

Lethem, also, goes on to say that there is no new story out there. That writers are writing the same stories over and over again in different versions and in different ways to the same expecting audience. I believe this to be true. As a writer myself, you find it hard to branch out and write about something that is completely unique and completely different from anything else that anyone else has read or written before. The situations and the experiences are the same, they alter from generation to generation, they change with the people, but they stay the same. So, how do we define plagarism? I would say it would be taking word for word of someone else's work. But then you have to ask, what about stealing the idea? I once had a poetry professor tell me, that all a poem is or ever will be is stealing lines and ideas from other ideas or stories or lyrics to create something that said those feelings or emotions in a different way-- from a different angle.

So, what does it mean to be an artist?-- To replicate and make better the art that came before? I once had someone tell me, you write about what you know. This is true. I can only write about the things that I know and have experienced. Other writers have also experience the same things as I have, but in different ways. But the way that I tell my story is going to be completely different from how they tell theirs, and that is what makes it different. That is what defines it as unique.