Literature and Poetry Reviews, Home of the Virtual Poetry Circle
I have not participated in Weekly Geeks as much as I would have hoped, but lives get in the way sometimes. Anyway, I decided to post on this week’s topic: The Magazines We Read
Here’s the rules:
For each magazine you want to talk about, here are a few questions. Answer as many or as few as you want.
1. Name of magazine.
2. Do you subscribe or just buy it now and then?
3. What’s your favorite regular feature in the magazine?
4. What do you think your interest in this magazine says about you?
5. How long have you been reading this magazine?
6. Is there any unique or quirky aspect to the magazine that keeps you reading?
So here it goes:
1. Writer’s Digest
I have subscribed to this magazine off and on, mostly on since I was a pre-teen. I’ve been writing even longer than that. What this magazine says about me is that writing is an important part of me. I love the monthly contests with sentence prompts and the feature articles, which can vary from novel writing tips to whether an MFA is worth it.
2. Poetry
I’m a poet who has subscribed to this poetry journal for about three years now. I love the poems in it, though the translation issue sometimes falls flat for me. I love reading the latest poems from people we know, like Billy Collins, but also from people I don’t know.
I have had a love hate relationship with this magazine throughout the last eight years. i subscribe and unsubscribe, but currently, the editor is on target with me. The latest issue is about summer reading. What’s great about this magazine is that it is not only about writing, it’s also about the latest books, poetry or fiction, that are out on the market and what living poets and writers have to say about their craft and the state of literature and publishing today. What this says about me is that I enjoy reading as much as writing, and that I am concerned about the state of the literature and the market.
4. AGNI
This literary journal is part of my own private war. I’ve always wanted to be published in this journal to prove a point to an old professor of mine, but thus far, it has not happened. I have subscribed to it for a couple of years at a time, but mostly I just buy it in the bookstore once in a while. I continue to look through it to find my niche. I will win this battle some day.
5. The Virginia Quarterly Review
This is a journal that I have not subscribed to, and will probably continue to just pick up when I find an interesting issue in the bookstore. I’m not sure what it says about me, but I have read issues over the last five years. This is the journal that published the “lost” poem of Robert Frost in 2006.
I’m sure there are other magazines and journals that I have forgotten about because I only get them sporadically when they have an interesting issue that I happen upon in the bookstore.
What magazines and journals are you reading?
Hello all. I took it upon myself to start up a new policy in which I like to other blog reviews of the books I review here. Luckily, I had limited it to the last two reviews, “Human Dark With Sugar” by Brenda Shaughnessy and “Remember Me?” by Sophie Kinsella, plus all future reviews. A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore was one of the first to take me up on the offer. However, some gave me links to their reviews for older reviews on my site, like The Bookworm, who provided me with her Twilight series links. I added her posts anyway.
I believe I even offered some of my links to other bloggers as well, though right now I am struggling to remember to whom. I have a terrible memory and should start writing these things down, particularly if I plan on participating in challenges. I believe I offered a Pride & Prejudice review link and Stephenie Meyer links to The Bookworm. I also think I gave a link to my The Road review to Book Escape.
I really enjoyed reading other bloggers reviews, and I like the idea of reciprocity between fellow book reviewers and bloggers. I think it is a great idea.
I hope more people offer their links to any of my reviews. Just know it will take me some time to add your stuff to older posts.
Thanks to all who participated this past month in my celebration of National Poetry Month. I hope everyone had fun with the contest. The winner of the third leg of the contest was SUEY! She claims that she never wins anything, but I think she has better luck than I do with contests. Anyway, she will receive a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems. Billy Collins provides the introduction for this volume.
I also wanted to provide you with some of my favorites from Weekly Geeks last challenge to find five blogs that were new to me. Yes, I know that I am late this time around, but I had a really busy weekend. So here are the five:
1. Ravenous Reader: I like the bit of personal stuff she provides at the beginning of many of her reviews, allowing us some insight into her daily activities and routines, and I like how she selects passages from what she is reading to illustrate her points. But honestly, it’s the town of this blog that catches my eye because it is so relaxed and yet serious about reading. I love it.
2. Can I Borrow Your Book?: This is another fellow book reviewer and lover who integrates personal notes with reviews and even photos and anecdotes outside of the book realm. I just loved the concept of the title, which is what initially drew me into her blog. However, I think I may stick with this one as well, if not just for the month of May Book Binge Challenge.
3. The Written Word: Ok, yes, this is another blog that is a mix of personal notes and reviews, but this one also seems to have frequent contests, and what girl/woman doesn’t want to try and win free stuff? I love doing contests when I can, but I can truly say that I never win any! LOL Doesn’t hurt to give it a shot.
4. Book Escape: I’m not sure that this one counts for the challenge because it was actually a redirect from The Written Word. I just loved how the review of The Road started off. I like her honestly in having a hard time with those books, but reading it anyway. I also enjoyed the fact that she read it after her husband recommended it. I enjoyed that book, my review here.
I have not picked out a fifth yet, given the busy weekend I just had, but I will post an update of this challenge later on when I have a fifth blog to post. In the meantime, please check out these 4.
Weekly Geeks, Challenge 2:
For those book reviewers and bloggers who review the same books as I do or the last two I have reviewed, please send me a link or place your link in the comments, and I will revise my post to connect to your review as well. Sounds simple. Just remember it will be for the new reviews or the last two books: “Remember Me?” by Sophie Kinsella or “Human Dark With Sugar” by Brenda Shaughnessy.
Weekly Geeks Challenge
I need to generate further traffic to this review site, and I figured this would be a prime opportunity to do so. Also, it provides me with an opportunity to learn about other blog review sites and generate new blogging buddies. Thanks Suey for blogging about this challenge and giving me the idea.
Today, at some point, I plan to review those bloggers listed on the site to find some new blogs to read. Should be an interesting adventure, and I will keep you posted about sites that I find.
I hope everyone will consider joining as well.
Until then, remember my National Poetry Month Contest? May 2 is the last day to enter the final round of the contest for your FREE volume of poetry.
