I'm very proud to be part of a unique Internet-poetry project, the publishing of an anthology by the members of WomPo, a women in poetry listserv started by Annie Finch.
LETTERS TO THE WORLD has just been released by Red Hen Press and is already creating a splash for being one of the first anthologies that is the result of an Internet poetry collaboration. (Yes, this is an unabashed advertisement! I have a poem in the book and I helped in a very small way to put it together.)
You won't regret buying this collection of 258 women poets writing in English from around the world. It just staggers me with the freshness and power of voices. What staggers me, too, is that the collaboration was by a group of women who had never met, who live as far apart as you can -- locations that literally span the globe -- and who conceived the idea as part of a lively and fascinating ongoing poetry discussion that happens every day on WomPo.
I think the strength of the book and the listserv derive from our diversity. We range in occupation from poetry teachers to business women who write, to students to retirees. We have members on almost every continent (I don't recall anyone in Greenland or Antarctica). The anthology represents anyone who wanted to be part of the project. The quality of work is exceptional.
Thanks to Annie Finch for starting this listserv, and to the dauntless editorial team, who sustained a collaboration even through moments of disagreement and fatigue, resulting in a groundbreaking collaboration and a fine read.
