BEST OF THE WEB 2008 Published

I am pleased to note the publication of a new anthology, Best of the Web 2008, released by Dzanc Books. This book represents the initial volume in an annual series of collections that will highlight outstanding works of literature chosen from online journals. The series editor, Nathan Leslie, explains in the book’s introduction that such an endeavor serves as a “symbol” of the “collective significance” online literary journals have achieved in recent years. As Leslie correctly summarizes: “Good writing is good writing no matter where you find it. I would also argue that the Internet serves the purpose of making literature accessible so well that it actually levels the experience of reading. The audience for online magazines is, of course, infinitely larger than any print magazine.”

I am especially happy to report two poems that first appeared in Valparaiso Poetry Review—“Prophet Township” by Jared Carter and “Walking an Old Woman into the Sea” by Frannie Lindsay—were honored by being chosen for publication alongside nearly sixty other works. Once again, I am pleased when an opportunity arises for a couple of VPR’s splendid poets to reach a larger audience and find the greater recognition they deserve through inclusion in the anthology. I congratulate Jared Carter and Frannie Lindsay on the selection of their poems for this honor.

For full disclosure, I am grateful to be able to add that one of my poems, “Island Fever,” which first appeared in Apple Valley Review, received a nomination from that journal’s editor, Leah Browning, and it also was selected for inclusion in the anthology.

The Best of the Web 2008 includes works published online during 2007 in the genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Steve Almond, acting as this edition’s guest editor, declares in his introductory comments about the book’s entries: “The significance of this debut isn’t just the individual evocation of beauty and insight, but the collective triumph of hard labor over cynicism. Each of these works represents a community of writers and readers who have decided that the Internet should serve the outrageous purpose of reinvigorating literature.”

In addition to the works selected for the anthology, the book includes a useful index of URL addresses for the more than 300 online journals considered by the editors, where readers may find further exciting and innovative works of literature by new, emerging, or well-known writers. The index also offers contact information for each journal that may be helpful to those authors interested in submitting their writings to the magazines.

As I have expressed in the past, I welcome the admirable efforts of the anthology’s editors to bring attention to the growing number of fine works being published in online journals, and I wish Dzanc Books continuing success with the series. Readers are invited to visit the official web page for Best of the Web 2008. Readers are also encouraged to check out the Dzanc Books blog, which includes convenient links to hundreds of online literary journals.