Digital Passions
Poetry Magazine

Digital Passions #1 published January 29, 1999 Contents ========== Anchor Point (our opening poem) to WIT (Welcome, Introduction and Thanks) New Features What Is Poetry? Mid Point (our second poem) Statistics Never Lie Visitor Feedback I Need Your Help Article Request Poets Only (Writing Good Descriptions) Closing Point (our final poem) End Notes / Unsubscribe Read It All (one big page)

Digital Passions - Issue #1 - January 29, 1999
-----------------------------------------------------------------

If this is your first issue of Passions, and you are not sure how you got on this list, there are only two ways. One is to specifically subscribe at the Passions in Poetry web site. The other way is to submit a poem, which automatically subscribes you to the magazine. If you do not want to continue to receive Digital Passions, simply follow the instructions at the end of this issue and you will be removed from the mailing list.

Just a reminder: If you use the Reply button while viewing the magazine in order to communicate with me, please BE SURE to delete the body copy of Digital Passions before sending. When you do not delete the lengthy copy, your message does not reach me as it has to go through our list server which will not accept long messages. So be sure to delete the copy before sending.
__________

If this free magazine has been forwarded to you by a friend, we hope you like it and will subscribe. You can easily do that at http://netpoets.com/news/freemag.htm or by looking for the "Free Magazine" link on our web site.

Ron Carnell
Passions in Poetry
http://netpoets.com/

==========
Contents
==========

- Anchor Point (our opening poem)
- to WIT (Welcome, Introduction and Thanks)
- New Features
- What Is Poetry?
- Mid Point (our second poem)
- Statistic Never Lie
- Visitor Feedback
- I Need Your Help
- Article Request
- Poets Only (Writing Good Descriptions)
- Closing Point (our final poem)
- End Notes

==============
Anchor Point
==============

This lovely verse by one of our favorite poets seemed
particularly appropriate as our first poem in our first issue. I
suspect I need not explain why...

=====================================
to WIT
(Welcome, Introduction and Thanks)
=====================================

"to wit -- idiom. That is to say; namely."

Passions in Poetry has turned into something of a surprise to me, and something of a major conundrum as well.

Less than three months ago, during the second week of November, 1998, I added a new subdirectory called /poetry to one of my existing web sites (at rcarnell.com). It was little more than a toy, a chance to try a few new web design techniques in a practical setting. I posted a score of poems on the site, some of my oldest work, and invited others to join me.

To my pleasant surprise, a few actually did. On December 5, I received our first poem, titled "Serenade of the Sirens," from an obviously talented poet calling herself PoetDeVine. Two days later, I found two more poems in my mailbox, "Unforgotten Words" and "Just A Little Longer," both by Maria Byrne. On December 11, Michael Anderson submitted his first poem to Passions, "Sleeping Beauty," followed the next day by "The Miracle."

Five poems in the space of a week seemed like a lot, especially when they were such extraordinary poems. Suddenly, there was a small tickle at the back of my mind, whispering suggestions that maybe - just maybe - there were other people out there that shared my passion for poetry. I half-heartedly spent all of fifteen minutes one night submitting Passion's URL to a handful of search engine.

By the time Christmas arrived, we were receiving maybe five or six poems a day, along with about 80 visitors a day to read those wonderful works. Perhaps more importantly, I was also receiving some wonderful email and suggestions, ways we could make the site more useful and more extensive. One of those suggestions was to add a section for Classical Poetry. Ten days later, bleary-eyed and thinking in meter, I had winnowed the list of poems I just "had" to include down to 888 (seemed like a nice round number). I redesigned our graphics menus, adding several other suggested categories, and - on New Year's Eve - started to upload well over 1,000 pages to the web server.

It crashed, unfortunately, before I was even half complete. And it did so again, and again, and again, and eventually it dawned on me this wasn't going to work. The rcarnell.com web server simply could not handle the load. Coupling this with our increasing traffic at Passions and a few other factors, I decided that perhaps Passions in Poetry should become its own site, rather than the subdirectory of another.

The domain registration for netpoets.com is dated January 3, 1999, but it was over a week after that before I invited our first guests - our resident poets, of course - to tour the new site. By that time, traffic on the old site had risen to new levels and we were being visited by about 200 people every day. On January 13, I redirected all the menu options at the old site to point to the new one. As I write this, that was fifteen days ago. And the chronology gets a little blurred after that, because it's been a VERY busy fifteen days.

Three days ago, I posted 33 new poems on the site. That same day we had 829 visitors, viewing over 9,000 pages. As I write this, I have 163 poems waiting to be posted, some so good I almost cry when I read them (out of envy, if nothing else). Our growth has been phenomenal, to say the least, and there seems to be no end in sight.

That has been both an amazing surprise to me, and a source of continuing bewilderment. To what do we owe our success?

Some people have suggested that the ability to send a poem (and now a greeting card) to a friend has played some small role. That idea, and writing the code to make it work, is probably the only small credit I might be able to take for our success. Every other single feature added to Passions, since the day it opened its literary doors, has come as a suggestions from either our poets or our visitors. The only possible credit I could take for them (and you know I'll take what I can), is that I've listened to you people.

Of course, in a very real sense, the bulk of any credit has to go to our resident poets. Without them, and the wonderful work they allow us to share, Passions could not even exist. But as true as that certainly is, it really only begs the questions. WHY have we been able to attract what are, without question, some of the most talented writers on the Internet?

Ask any expert, in any field, and you'll be told that success cannot be found without focus. And that's my conundrum, because I really don't know what our "focus" has been or should be. Are we a conclave of poets (those who write poetry) seeking an audience and the acceptance of our peers? Or are we a diverse group of poets (those who read and love poetry) finding a common way to explore our feelings and those of others? It may seem an academic question to some, but the answers we reach will necessarily effect the direction our web site takes in the future.

Perhaps, in some mystical sense, the Truth that could answer my conundrum lies at a much deeper level. There are a great many satisfactions and rewards that come with being a part of Passions, but none will ever match the sense of camaraderie and friendship I find every time I log onto the 'Net these days.

Michael, Sharon, witty Nance, Rosemary, dear sweet Rachel, Jennifer, Samantha, reluctant scared Tracey, Shelly, Heather, Jeremy - people I've *talked* to a few times or many times, and others I've probably neglected to mention, all have become dear friends I've learned (and am still learning) to value greatly. I've found a new source of wisdom and insight through Passions, and have come to depend on my new-found friends' support. And perhaps the best part for me is knowing there are almost certainly other friends out there I haven't even met yet. But, God willing, I will.

Is it possible that at least some of our success stems from the fact that Passions is, or is at least becoming, more than just a web site?

Often reclusive, always diverse, foolish enough to believe we have something important to say, courageous enough to stand up and say it -- even the poets of this world need friends to stand by them. Right?

==============
New Features
==============

Passions has undergone a lot of changes in the past ten years, er, I mean, weeks (well, it *seems* longer), but that certainly doesn't mean we're ready to become stagnant just yet. I'd like to tell you about a few of the new changes that have already happened, will happen in the next week, or are just really good ideas that have been passed along to me.

As always, I welcome your comments (depend on them would probably be closer to the truth). Write and let me know which ones of these you think are worth pursuing.

A "comments" field has now been added to the Votes form. We're getting a LOT more votes than we ever have before, across a very wide spectrum of tastes, and most of those are now coming in with some very interesting remarks. (And, no, I'm not going to tell you who's ahead right now!) I'm not sure how to implement it yet, but within the next few weeks I'd like to add a new section to each poem so the poets and visitors can read what others have said about the work.

Almost from the beginning, Passions has had two forums where visitors could post live messages, and almost from the beginning, those have gone largely unused. The first forum, called "Feelings," was meant for the visitors to simply discuss the poetry, while "Critic's Corner" was their opportunity to beat us up a little. But poetry readers don't seem to be as vociferous as poetry writers, so the first forum has seen little use, and we must be writing *really* great poetry because the second has never seen a single post. I'd like to keep "Feelings" for those few who do have a voice, but I think the second forum should be rededicated to poets. The question is, should it be for exploring great debates (what is the meaning of True Love, for example, or the differences between free form and metered poetry), for posting poetry we'd like help or suggestions with, or for something else entirely? Should non-writing visitors be allowed to read and post, read only, or not allowed entrance? Give me some ideas...

On a related note, I eavesdropped on Michael and PoetDevine not too long ago and heard them (unknowingly) echo an earlier suggestion from Sage. Is it time for Passions to incorporate a chat room into the family? The idea would be to post a weekly schedule of specific times when certain people would be on-line and ready to chat. We could set up an hour or two a week for the poets to discuss the great issues of life live, without the need to check a forum every few hours. Those poets who were willing could commit to an hour when they'd be available to chat with visitors and answer that always asked "Where do you get your inspiration" question. We might even invite well-known poets (always ready to help promote their latest book) to hold court occasionally. What do you think? Who would be willing to participate? Write me!

I should have know it would happen. Within six hours of posting the new greeting cards, I received the first (of several) requests for wallpaper and screen savers. Ask, my friends, and thou shalt receive. It's not on any menu, but those who now subscribe to Digital Passions (and of course those already subscribed) can now download "some" wallpaper at http://netpoets.com/wallpaper - which brings us to the next, and perhaps most exciting potential change:

The suggestion came from a visitor, but it really pertains mostly to our poets. Few poets expect to make any money from their poetry, and none of us would ever write strictly for a buck or two. But wouldn't it be nice? The idea is to put together a CD of about 20 wallpapers, and maybe screen savers, and offer them for sale on the web site. Each and every poet on the CD would divide the profits evenly. On a per-poem, per-poet basis we're not talking a lot of money. But if we sold a hundred a week? Or a thousand? Personally, I think it would be wonderful if our resident poets could actually make some money from their hard work. It might give them time to write more! And there are strong indications our visitors might really appreciate it. If you're interested in participating, visit The Poet's Section and if you can think of any ideas to make this even better, by all means write me!

What, you don't think that's enough new ideas? Okay, I have one more for you then, though it really has little to do with the Passions web site and more to do with our growing family of poetic friends. I'd like everyone to stand up for a moment, please. Now, I'd like you all to give a loud round of applause to Nancy Ness for cluing me into this amazing software. It's called ICQ and maybe you've heard of it. Been around for a while. But unless you've actually used it, you have no idea what you're missing. It's like instant (but controlled!) communication with everyone you know on the Internet. You download the software at http://www.icq.com/download and then install it. It runs in the background while you're on-line and lets you know when someone on "your list" is also on-line. You can chat, exchange files, and even point them to a new URL you think they'd enjoy. It's really amazing stuff. For those who'd like to join the party, my logon is rcarnell, my email is rcarnell@voyager.net (one way to find people), and my ICQ number is 2968650 (not really necessary, but what the heck). Hope to *talk* to you soon... (And thanks again, Nance!)

=================
What is Poetry?
=================

William Wordsworth defines poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings; it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity . . ."

A.E. Housman tested a poem by repeating it to himself while shaving. If his razor stopped moving, he knew it was poetry.

Dylan Thomas writes, "If you want a definition of poetry, say, 'Poetry is what makes we laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing,' and let it go at that."

Emily Dickinson say, "If I read a book, and it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."

So -- what does poetry mean to you?



====================
Mid Point (second poem)
====================

=====================
Statistic Never Lie
=====================

One of the more popular features of Passions has been the ability to send a poem to a friend with little more than a single click of the mouse. But have you ever wondered which poems were being sent that way? Well, I did.

We purposely don't track much information with this feature, but the server does capture a bit. Which poem, date and time, and the IP address doing the sending. The table below, covering a ten-day period, will give you a bit of an idea about what's happening at Passions. These numbers do not include the Greeting Cards sent.

These are only the first twenty on the list of nearly a hundred, and without the daily breakdowns. Poets, who are certainly the ones that can garner the most information from this data, will find the full table available in the Poet's Section.

I'm not sure what (if anything) we can learn from this data. The first thing I'll tell you, however, is that there's only a little correlation between the poems emailed to friends and the Votes that have been cast for favorite poem. In other words, what people seem to appreciate on a personal level isn't necessarily the same as what they want to share with a friend. I suspect that won't surprise many of the poets. What people feel inside, we know, is a very personal thing.

Something not readily evident in this small snippet, but more easily seen in the full table, is that we seem to have different concentrations of poetic types. Obviously there's a great deal of mixing in the pot, but it would appear that on some days people are looking for Friendship Poems and other days we have more people looking for Love Poems. So we have Friendly days and we have Loving Days. And, judging by PoetDevine's numbers, every day is a sensual day (and, no, that's not the first adjective that came to mind).

And, of course, you'll note that ALL of the top twenty for that particular period of time fall into either the Friendship or the Love Poems category. We do have people sending poems on Life and Beauty, and even on Sadness, but not nearly as many. (BTW, we also have a lot of people sending Classical Poetry to their friends - though, again, those are largely Friendship and Love poems.)

You might also note that, judging by this small sample, people appear to like rhyming poems, but don't seem to care whether the meter is perfect. There's at least some indication that the title of the poem is as important as the content, often conveying a message all by itself. And when it comes to emailing a poem to a friend, favorite authors are far less important than the message.

Maybe the only real thing we can learn from this very non-scientific survey is that people out there really do want to communicate to others. When they're unable to do that effectively in their own words, they seem to appreciate using ours. These poems give us a small idea of what they would like to say to the people in their lives. And the common theme seems very evident.

Maybe there's hope for this world, after all?

==================
Visitor Feedback
==================

While we're on the topic of Visitors, I want to talk just a bit about what ours have been saying to us. PoetDevine and I had a rather long exchange of email the other day, talking about the tremendous growth Passions has seen in such a short period of time. And I admitted to her I was very excited about the number of people that are visiting our site and sharing our poetry. But the numbers are only a part of that story, and I want to very briefly share with you the other part:

***

"I would like to start by thanking you for embarrassing me at work today. I have been sitting here reading your poems with tears in my eyes, trying to hide from my boss and workmates. Your poems on friendship and love have given me the hugest lump in my throat."

"I just wanted to let you know that I was looking at the netpoets.com web site and found your poems to be the very same things that are on my heart and unale to be expressed. thank you for the opportunity to tell my friends and loved ones how I feel. I appreciate it and thought it might bring a little joy into you life to know that your poems are touching people's hearts."

"I am 15 and in the 10th grade. I got interested in poetry from reading Maya Angelo. I will admit that most of my poems so far is kind of sorry but by reading some of you guys peotry I have learned some things and got some ideas."

"Thank you so much for that mail! When I first looked at your site I knew it was a site I would like, and I'll be sure to check it out every day for the "Poem of the Day" as well as any updates! Your site is full of good, useful information and I'm glad there are still people in this world that do care about others and look forw ays to help them, and that's just what you're doing! Thank you again!"

"yes, this was one of the most meaningful poems that i've ever read. It was exactly what i've been trying to come up with myself."

"Michael Anderson is a very talented writer, and Walking alone vs. Poe's Alone is very intense. Numerous amount of these writes are very talented... and I was wondering if there was any possible way that maybe you can publish maybe a selection of all of these poems, it would just be amazing to go to the book store and see their works in reality, to be able to own a copy of their emotions.... "

"After viewing the poem by Devoine? I realized that I was able to submit poems that I have written but seldom show, once again thank you for letting me post my work here with all these other great writers"

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to submit my first poem on the internet. Even if it doesn't get published, I still enjoyed this advantage. Again, thank you."

"I'm a homeschooler, and a wanna be writer. I loved you page because of the openness of the poets on the page. . ."

"I've been writing for about 7 months now and I find it incredibly therapeutic, if not invigorating to my soul. I do not feel my poetry is really complete though until I share it, until I make a connection with someone somewhere on some cerebral level. Perhaps this site will help me to fulfill that completion."

"hi i know that my poems may not be perfect or strongly written but i write them to express how i feel and what i think so until i learn how to write better please bear with me"

"Thankyou so much for this site! Poetry is deffinetly a good way to express your self and show your true fellings. Whenever I'm feeling sad,reading poems is like a way to deal w/ it all. Its helps you get through your hard times. So thankyou, for helping me get through mine."

"I love this site. All the poems are so easy to relate to, no matter what kind of mood your in or what you just went through there is a poem or someone out there who can so beautifully and acurately put it into words."

"I am 43, divorced, a daughter, 16 and son 14, who live in another state. I have lived in Utah all my life. I've been writing poetry seriously for 4 or 5 years now. The poetry sites on the internet are the best thing that's happened to me for a long time."

"I was really impressed by the idea of these poems reaching more people than I could myself. I have posted poems, including the one I just submitted here, at the Open Scroll, another similar website. I like this idea for being able to send poems and/or greeting cards to people in emails. I communicate with some of my relatives through email, and it's hard to find a really nice card, like some of the ones I have seen here."

"I would like to THANK YOU for giving us a place to display our poetry and to read the hearts of others.I love words from the heart and i feel that is what poetry is.Very personal and heartfelt!!!! It is also very nice that you take the time to tell us when you list our poetry."

"Thankyou so much for giving me a place to post my work you really did a beautiful job. Thanks again I am very exited. Once again thankyou for your interest in my work recieving your postcard was the best thing that happened to me all day!!!!"

"I really believe that there isn't much of a literary movement lately, especially in poetry, so it is very comforting that it hasn't died out. Perhaps there is a new Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson, or Longfellow among us. Or the poets here are just ordinary people with souls that need cleansing and comforting. Poetry, the fragile and mundane way of expression, that is heavenly...Atleast I really believe so."

"Thank you for everything! Because of you I am happy with my writings and am inspired to write more! Thank you!"

***

The number of people visiting Passions is wonderful, yes, but it's the appreciation I see every day that makes it all worth while. These unedited, verbatim snippets are just a small sample of the mail. I read every email or comment that comes in and, as many of you have discovered, answer every one as well. Even if it's only to say Thank You. And I've been saying Thank You a lot lately.

==================
I Need Your Help
==================

I'd like to ask everyone reading this to do me a teeny-tiny favor.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the more people who are able to find Passions, the better it is for all of us. If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and there's no one there, does it make a sound? If a poet writes a sonnet and no one ever sees it, has he really written a poem?

Those of us who love poetry, and I know that includes everyone reading this, tend to visit more than one poetry site each day. In fact, as a group, I think we're probably more active on the Internet than many. And that's where I could sure use a little help from each of you.

Promoting our web site is an important part of making it a success. Getting listed on the Search Engines isn't enough, and even our listing in Yahoo brings us only a few hundred visitors a day. It's the "2 from here" and "3 from there," repeated many many times, that will help Passions grow.

The next time you visit a poetry web site, please take a brief moment to write the webmaster and ask them to link to Passions. Their visitors will appreciate it, we'll be happy to return the favor on our links page, and it'll help all of us grow.

And I hope that each of you will take the time to forward this free magazine to a friend you think would benefit from it. It's just one more good way to get the word out...

Thank you. With your help, maybe I can even find a little time to write a poem now and then... :-)


==================
Articles Requested
==================

Poetry is one way to communicate, maybe even the best way, but it's certainly not the only way. Another very acceptable way to communicate is to write (you knew this was coming, didn't you) an article for Digital Passions.

We have poets among us that have been studying their craft for years, while others have just started (and, okay, a few who don't yet know there is a craft). It would be wonderful if the former would share a smattering of their hard-won knowledge with the latter, don't you think? Enough, perhaps, to tease them into finding more on their own?

Here's a "suggested" list of things I would personally like to read about:

What is meter? Other than using our "ear," how can we tell what meter a poem follows?

What are the differences (and advantages) of rhymed, blank, and free verse?

What is metaphor? Simile? Why are they perhaps the most powerful tools in the poet's arsenal?

How can we all improve our imagery (what's that??) and avoid the dangers of cliche?

We know words have sounds - but which sounds? All about rhymes, imperfect rhymes, internal rhymes, assonance, and alliteration.

What is "poetic license" and just how far can we go?

These, of course, are just idea, my friends. I would welcome any short article, on any subject that teaches us how to be better poets. Before we throw away all our tools (and we're allowed), let's learn what we can do with them.

=======================================
Poets Only (Writing Good Descriptions)
=======================================

This subject has come up repeatedly in the past ten days, so I thought I would take a minute to discuss it here. Passions is a little different from many poetry sites, in that we have two descriptions for every poem: the short, lead-in teaser and the longer description displayed with the poem.

In recent email exchanges, I've been asked what purpose these serve and what's the best way to write them. One poet recently sent me a revised long description, changing her entry from a few generic sentences to about three paragraphs of very moving prose. I was *more* than happy to make the change. Another poet, after submitting about five works, wrote and said he would hold off on further submissions until he received some feedback - especially on the long description. Well, my friend, consider yourself feedbacked...

I write the short teasers for the poem, based on my understanding of it (and if I ever mess one up, don't be afraid to let me know), though it hasn't always been that way. Originally, the poetry submission form contained a field for the short description, and many of the earlier works posted on Passion were written by the author. But because there are many short descriptions listed together, on a single page, I later decided it was important to maintain some degree of consistency in voice. So, I reluctantly took over the task.

On the other hand, I also wrote a few of the longer descriptions in those bygone early days. The poems were too darn good to reject, but I still felt a description was necessary, so I took the liberty. Of course, that raises the very real question: why are the longer descriptions of value?

Many of our visitors, maybe even most, are only just learning to love poetry the way we do. They're not interested in metaphor or imagery, but in feelings and Truth. If we do our jobs well, they'll leave Passions with a lump in their collective throats and a feeling that poetry is a good thing. Something to be loved and cherished. And maybe, just maybe, they'll even want to learn a little more about why poetry can be such a powerful instrument for human understanding.

The descriptions that accompany your poetry, in many instances, act as a doorway. They lead our visitors from the mundane world of prose, to which they are accustomed, into the much more charged world of poetry. I don't think it's a coincidence that virtually ALL of our most popular poems have strong, meaningful descriptions. They tell the reader a little bit about the poem, and maybe even more importantly, they tell the reader about the poet. People respond to our words, yes, but they also respond when they can *see* us as human beings. They want to know what makes the poet tick. They want to know what motivates us, what inspires us. And in understanding us, they can better understand our work.

So, what makes a good description? The same exact things that make a good poem!

Be specific. Be personal. Don't tell us this poem is about your boyfriend - tell us why your boyfriend has so touched your life and what HE (specifically) means to you. Don't tell us this poem is about death - tell us how death has touched YOUR life and what SPECIFIC circumstances prompted you to write your poem. Don't tell us this poem is about the beauty of a summer night - tell us how a SPECIFIC summer night touched your heart and gave you glimpse into YOUR heart.

Be specific. Be personal. Don't tell us what the poem should mean to the reader. Tell us what it means to you.

You should spend nearly as much time and effort on your description as you did on the poem. Consider it your invitation, to the reader, to share your words and a part of your soul. And if our visitor accepts your invitation, and better understands you as a person, he will be in a much better position to understand your words as a poet. And he may just leave Passions with a better understanding of himself. And, perhaps, with a love of poetry that rivals our own.


=====================
Closing Point (final poem)
=====================

==========
End Notes
==========

To unsubscribe from Digital Passions, please send an email message to unsubscribe@netpoets.com using the SAME email address to which your subscription is sent.

If you need to change your email address, simply drop me a line at digitalpassions@netpoets.com with the new information. I'll make sure you don't miss a single issue.

All of the opinions expressed here are purely those of me, Ron Carnell. However, if YOU have an opinion as well, we'll be more than happy to print it here. No reason I should have all the fun.

(c) Passions in Poetry 1999 - All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the express written consent of the author. But, by all means, feel free to forward it to a friend any way!

================== 1.0 =================

Passions In Poetry
http://netpoets.com/

Passions in Poetry

Subscribe to
Free Magazine

About Your
Privacy

Magazine Index
full categorized list

	Issue #10
	Issue #09
	Issue #08
	Issue #07
	Issue #06
	Issue #05
	Issue #04
	Issue #03
	Issue #02
	Issue #01

Home Page | Your Privacy | Email Us
Visit Passion's Main Site | Visit our Fourms
Poetry Search | Poetry Links | Submit Poetry

Top of Page