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