An Anniversary Note: One Year of "One Poet's Notes"

Today marks the first anniversary for “One Poet’s Notes,” the editor’s blog for Valparaiso Poetry Review. As described in the blog’s sidebar, “One Poet’s Notes” was begun as a personal notebook that offers readers ongoing commentary complementing content published in VPR. The blog’s entries are intended to connect those poems, essays, reviews, and interviews in the journal’s semiannual issues with other news and additional information relating to poetry and poetics.

“One Poet’s Notes” also seeks to expand the material available to VPR’s readers by presenting critical perspectives on distinguished books of poetry that, for one reason or another, did not receive reviews within the limitation of the main pages of VPR, but were worthy of recognition. As a glimpse at Valparaiso Poetry Review’s page listing “Recent and Recommended Books” would indicate, the journal receives many more fine collections of poetry than could possibly be included within the issues of VPR. Therefore, the editor’s blog attempts to give extensive exposure to some of those books, hoping to enhance their readership and bring them the greater recognition they deserve. Consequently, in the past year “One Poet’s Notes” has highlighted about three-dozen recent poetry collections with detailed reviews.

The format of the blog also has allowed readers to connect with other notable sources for poetry or information about poets, especially with links to various media, including recordings of poetry readings and interviews, as well as various videos relating to poetry and poetics. As the “Audio and Video Links” subheading in the blog’s sidebar displays, “One Poet’s Notes” has contained more than two-dozen such links during its first year.

Moreover, since Valparaiso Poetry Review has now existed for nine years, a particular goal of the editor’s blog has been to reintroduce readers to works published in previous years and still available in the journal’s archives. The VPR Poem of the Week feature has spotlighted almost fifty poets with works appearing in earlier issues of Valparaiso Poetry Review. This element of the blog has helped increase interest and readership for VPR’s back issues, and it has acquainted readers with a number of poets or poems they might not have previously known.

Indeed, the continuing presence of “One Poet’s Notes” has increased the daily readership for VPR throughout the year. When the initial entries of “One Poet’s Notes” were posted last January, one could not know how many readers might find their way to the blog. However, I have been pleased to see its audience increase steadily over the past twelve months, rising from only about 500 readers that first month to nearly 4,000 readers each month now. Consequently, this as well has enhanced the number of readers who have visited Valparaiso Poetry Review’s seventeen issues published thus far, so that the combined monthly readership reaches about 7,500.

The increase in readership has been assisted by recognition and respect generously demonstrated by others, including many friendly fellow bloggers who have pointed their readers in this direction with high recommendations of the content here. I especially would like to take this opportunity to thank those in the literary blogging community for their warm welcome of me and their pleasant reception for “One Poet’s Notes.”

In addition, some well-known literary organizations and institutions have at times kindly suggested “One Poet’s Notes” to their readers. One prominent example occurred when Charles Simic was named the new U.S. Poet Laureate. The Library of Congress included this blog’s review of Simic’s latest collection as a source in its press release and linked to the critical commentary on its website for citation by newspapers or browsing by viewers. In fact, “One Poet’s Notes” was the only source cited for a review of Simic’s My Noiseless Entourage.

I have been honored and very happy to recognize specific works from Valparaiso Poetry Review’s recent issues by nominating them publicly on “One Poet’s Notes” for selection to various “Best of” collections: Best of the Net, Best of the Web, and the Pushcart Prize anthologies. Already, a pair of those nominations has been chosen for inclusion in the upcoming Best of the Web anthology to be published by Dzanc books, and I was glad to announce that news on the blog as well. As I have said a few times on the blog, I am pleased when an opportunity arises to share the work of VPR’s poets with a larger audience and enable them to receive the greater recognition they deserve.

As 2008 began, the higher readership brought about by “One Poet’s Notes” required some changes (including discontinuation of the VPR mailing list, which had grown too long and awkward) and permitted the initiation of the Valparaiso Poetry Review Facebook group page, global and open to all who wish to receive regular updates on news about Valparaiso Poetry Review or instant notification when new issues of VPR are released. Again, I urge readers to take advantage of this additional feature. The presence of the VPR group page on Facebook also has expanded exposure of the journal and “One Poet’s Notes” to an even larger audience.

When I wrote the first comments in “One Poet’s Notes” a year ago and submitted those words for public viewing, I could not anticipate what would occur in the following twelve months or that there would be an overwhelmingly positive response in correspondence received from readers. Nor could I foresee that direction the blog would take to where it is today, 120 posts later. Bolstered by the encouragement I have received from readers and the continuing support from VPR’s writers, I look forward to the future, which I trust will include a few more different features in the new year.

Thank you, again, to all who repeatedly have been readers of “One Poet’s Notes.” I hope you will return regularly to discover entertaining and enlightening entries throughout the next twelve months as well. On this anniversary, I express my appreciation and I offer a note of gratitude to each of you.