The Gazebo Has Reappeared Like Brigadoon Out of the Mist


When the weather is right, the mists part and the stars are in alignment (no, wait, that's the revival of Hair The Musical), it appears. No, not Brigadoon, the all-new and improved Alsop Review's Gazebo, a literary workshop at which I serve as a moderator. It has been, at various times, a legitimate claimant to the title of the Web's most popular poetry workshop, judging by the numbers. We suffered a major hacking event and had to migrate to a temporary site. The new permanent site is now bare-bones ready for those interested to register and post poems and critique poems. The guidelines are: civility in conversation, no anonymity, posting no more than two poems per week and critiquing at least two poems for every poem you post.

Have I not blogged about the wonderful new zine Slant? Brainchild of poet Rachel Mallino, it features one poet per issue, and every issue is an outstanding read. This is an example of the benefit of publishing and reading poetry on the Internet. You can start up a sleek, smart new publication with a unique idea and go from zero to sixty in a few issues, while also writing your own poems, publishing your own books and blogging -- all with one hand tied behind your back. Kudos to Rachel!