Blogging Poetry

I mentioned in a previous post that I am posting a new poem each day on the Burnside Writers Collective blog in honor of National Poetry Month. And - can I just say? - I'm loving it. I read for at least twenty hours a week, immersing myself in novels, memoirs and biographies, books on science, nature, history, and Americana. But, with the exception of a survey class I took in college, this is the first time I have interacted with poetry - especially poetry from a diverse group of poets - on a daily basis. I don't want it to end. I'm sad for the inevitability of May.

I'm considering different ways of carrying on this project after April ends. One idea is to post a "poem of the day" here on The Goblin, with a format similar to the one I'm using now on the BWC.

I'm also considering starting a new blog called something like "The Poetry Almanac," which would feature daily poems, historical information, poetry news from around the web, book reviews, and more. I foresee at least three problems with starting a "Poetry Almanac."

The first problem is one of practicality: I already maintain one blog (and inconsistently at that), contribute to a second blog, and owe outstanding "assignments" for a third site. Where would I find the time for a new blog?

The second problem is one of legality: What are the copyright requirements for posting poetry on a blog, since I wouldn't want to limit my poems to those in the public domain (i.e., dead white dudes)?

The third problem is one of reality: The word "almanac" implies, if not comprehensive knowledge, then at least wide-ranging familiarity with a subject, which I certainly do not have with poetry. Any poetry blog would necessarily flow from my own inexperience. (This is the actually the least of my concerns; a little water behind the ears could conceivably be an asset.)

Do any of you have opinions/advice for me?

National Poetry Month has also caused me to dig deep into my personal archives to find my own erstwhile attempts at poetry. I've written a total of ten poems in my life, with no immediate plans to write more. I imagine that poets labor over their poems like a labor over my prose (blog excepted), obsessing over words, balancing precision with rhythm and tone and pitch. I've never written a poem that way. My poems come in flashes of inspiration and seem to write themselves. I rarely revise and I'm sure it shows.

That being said, in a burst of April exuberance I am sure I will come to regret, I've decided to post several of my own poems here on The Goblin, starting tomorrow. The last time these poems saw the light of day was when my younger brother Dustin bullied me into reading them at one of his coffee shop concerts. Dustin, a gifted singer-songwriter, is the real poet in the family. (You can see him play at Muddy Waters in Portland on April 26.) Strangely, that my poems are  unpolished and unsophisticated doesn't bother me enough to keep them buried in my computer hard drive. I blame it on National Poetry Month.

Update: Two friends (Ramon and Kimberly) are posting on their blogs poems they've written. Check them out.