The contest and other things...

I'm a little nervous about it. If I dont' get  20 submission, i'm going to feel awful. It's not so much the out of pocket cash, it'd be the lack fo interest . That would hurt. I hope no one feels like 'they'er not good enough' -- that's a huge fear i have. Everyone is good enough. If they work hard at it and submit something good, they have a legitimate chance to win.

But it's not just the contest that has me nervous right now. Some of the other impending changes around here are just momumental and really require a shift on my dependencies on others, and my commitment to making this work.

I've been really proud of the conversations starting to happen here, and am tremendously grateful to Derma Kaput, Leanne Hanson, Melden Fred, Julie Ann Cookand Paradiso, Tracey for their help, both publically and privately.

Something else that's just been filling me with joy has been watching the interaction of the Shannon's. [user=Shannon McEwen] and [user=ShannonVeeeee] -- they both bring so much talent and joy to a community. It's absolutely awe-inspiring to me, that they're my friends, and how much they improve in thier writing. They both know how to take criticism without hating the people offering it up. And, the both ask questions and incorporate new ideas. Sure, they are also both abbrasive and contrarian -- and THAT's one reason they rock.

Another very important special thanks goes to Laurie Blum. Very few of you know just how much she does for the site. She troubleshoots. She offers up comments constantly, even when she's struggling to write herself due to writer's block. She has helped me debug numerous problems, and she's probably the most prodigeous finder of issues. She never complains. She always encourages everyone. And the only bad thing about Laurie is that she has no idea how great she can be. She's been writing poetry less than 2 years. Her improvement is nothing short of incredible. She is sharp as a freakin' razor -- and when offered criticism, incorporates it right into her work. She's incredibly brave, putting herself out there when she feels outclassed as a writer -- and I appreciate her every single day.


I keep hoping more people will start logging in and joining these fantastic discussions on poetry. Ask questions. Expand the resources here. I'm like that though -- always wanting more than i have. ($3 earned from google since i re-instated those ads -- how could i want more than that?)

anyways, thank you.

Each and every one of you, it means a lot to me that you're here.