June 29th forum announcement

Dear Poetry Aficionados,

Poetry & Poets in Rags blog


Is it better to write when old or young? Is it better to write while sober or on drugs? We have articles on these topics in News at Eleven. The poetry news items this week are from all over the world, and varied. In Great Regulars, Bryan Appleyard looks at last words by the executed, and Luisetta Mudie fills us in on the clamp down on internet freedom developing and ongoing in China.

As to poems, we have one by Gillain Clarke in News at Eleven, and some wonderful poetry in Great Regulars as always. For instance, check out Ted Kooser's column, Garrison Keillor's offerings, and also the one by Mark Irwin in The Sun Magazine, the very last link before Poetic Obituaries.

Back to News at Eleven. We begin the week with popular Uzbek poet Yusuf Juma in a state of emergency. He is presently under a program of torture in prison. Uzbekistan has been labeled the worst violator of human rights on the planet. The sicko ruler there is named Islam Karimov. He's got to be stopped, and Yusuf and others like him need to be freed and given care.

Thanks to Fiona Sampson, who judged the poems from May for the InterBoard Poetry Community. Her commentary on each of her 12 selections is very nicely done. And reading through the poems is like checking out a fine poetry publication--but of course it would. Here's the link: IBPC. Enjoy! Congratulations to R.L. Crowther of the poetry board conjuction, on the winning poem Somewhere the Sun Is Shining. Lise Whedden of criticalpoet.org wrote the second place poem, A Woman's Fetish. And the third place poem, After Baltimore, was penned by Ron Lavalette of The Waters.

Thanks for clicking in.

Yours,
Rus

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