“Jeffrey, when you say "I see it as no more difficult to compile an anthology from webzine poetry as it is from print magazine poetry." I may be missing your point but I can't imagine anyone compiling an anthology, at least a commercial one, out of either.”
Jamie, you may be right about the commercial aspects of such an anthology. Besides, I don’t see the point of anthologies in general. Each one (or most, at any rate) seems to have an agenda of some sort; either as an attempt at canon formation for perceived “neglected” poets, or as a marketing exercise.
“I've noticed a lot more reciprocal publication between webzine-poetry editors than in the non-virtual world.”
I expect this goes on in the non-virtual world, also. It would be astonishing if it didn’t. As to its frequency on the Internet, that may be just your perception given that it is easier to find there than having to purchase and trawl through many print magazines to witness it.
“As for self-publication I don't think the respectability of poets matters at all. If the poetry's good (as with Ungaretti's self-published first book Porto Sepolto) it's likely to find a readership.”
True, but your criticism of the Internet was that there were few gatekeepers to maintain a quality threshold, hence the frequency of self-published material. I was mistaken, but I took this as a criticism of self-publishing as a practice in general.
I imagine most poets self-publish because the commercial considerations dominating the mainstream publishing business (and increasingly the less mainstream ones) preclude such poets from being published by them either for commercial reasons (they will not sell well) or lack of personal contact with the editors of these publishing houses (they have not networked successfully). In such circumstances, some poets have no choice but to self-publish. Still others self-publish for ideological reasons, or because they like the freedom it offers. There can be many reasons why poets self-publish, not all of them to do with commercial rejection, though this may be the most common motivation.
Original Message:
Jeffrey, when you say "I see it as no more difficult to compile an anthology from webzine poetry as it is from print magazine poetry."
I may be missing your point but I can't imagine anyone compiling an
anthology, at least a commercial one, out of either.
I don't think I was being "unfair" to webzine poetry when I wrote "printed magazines don't have to be better than internet sites, and sometimes aren't. (Though perhaps a little less susceptible to editorial clientelism.)" On that last point, though I can't pretend to be an expert, I've noticed a lot more reciprocal publication between webzine-poetry editors than in the non-virtual world.
As for self-publication I don't think the respectability of poets matters at all. If the poetry's good (as with Ungaretti's self-published first book Porto Sepolto) it's likely to find a readership.
All I'm saying is that I can't see it as a responsability of an anthologist to go hunting stuff all over the internet.
Jamie
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