When I reviewed the Literature Online site at http://lion.chadwyck.co.uk/ in the last Poetry Review, there wasn't anything available unless you paid up. They've now added some worthwhile free resources, including a searchable database of 1000 love poems, and a lively masterclass, workshop and discussion group run by Matthew Sweeney which are well worth a visit.
CompuServe is another institution that's offering limited free access. They've provided Web access to many of their forums, including the Poetry Forum at http://www.csi.com/go_c.asp?PIN=Poetry and non-members can access some of the sections to find out what goes on there. I have to declare an interest here, since they've just made me one of the senior sysops of the place, but I reckon it's still the best place on-line for poetry discussions and workshops. Opinions vary whether the limited access to non-members is sufficient to be interesting rather than frustrating, but it's probably worth a look.
A light-hearted, but beautifully presented site is Claire Schaeffer's Wocky Jivvy. Navigate to http://www.wockyjivvy.com/ for an archive of some famous poems, given an added twist with some off-beat graphics. Great fun. Also check out Claire's monthly poetry quiz, and her increasingly desperate attempts not to be selected as an NLP semifinalist.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/ray.saitz/poetry.htm is a site without a title. What it does have are some extremely useful essays and lessons on poetry, and links to other sites with similar stuff. If you're teaching or studying poetry, it's a must.
BigBear Publications is a relatively small Small Press outfit. Its relatively small site at http://www.bigbear.u-net.com/ is currently excited about the imminent release of its latest publication: a collection of poems by Steve Anderson about Mother Shipton. There are enough examples of the work to let you know if you want to fork out for it.
If you know of a good site, let me know about it via: ...
Copyright © Peter Howard 1998-2004