This is an online critique of Poetry Journals that accept submissions online. Poetry is an ancient way of writing that is adapting surprisingly well to the Internet. Maybe the adaptation is surprising at all considering the changes it has undergone over thousands of years.
The rating system is a one to five scale of stars (*-*****). I am grading the websites I review in five categories,
Accessibility- Is this website a "good" website? Do the links work? Does the site make sense? If the other all appearence of the site appealing? Do the graphics fit in with the rest of the site?
Logical Layout- Is it easy to find and understand the various functions? How navigable is this site? Do all of the elements of the site help or hinder exploration? Are there icons that are clear and logically placed?
Easy to Find Submission Guidelines- The only reason I am reviewing these sites is for people to be able to get to the good ones. If people can't find the way to submit their poetry the site didn't work for my purposes. Using this criteria should make it easier for a poet to find this key information.
Straight Forward Rules of Submission- If a reader of the website cannot figure out the who what when where and why of submission then the site has failed. This criteria is to help a poet find the type of poetry to submit, where to submit it and any other regulations that the site requires.
Other- Are the graphics nice? Is the tone appropriate? Does the journal show examples of past publishings? Are there any featured writers? How does the journal display poetry on the site. This criteria is also open to any other factors a site requires to be classified.
Overall- This rating is a average of all the criteria with a short summary of the site. My personal opinions also figure into this section.
I do not want to discriminate amongst sites. Different journals cater to the needs of different kinds of people with different kinds of poetry. Some factors in common sense usage however are universal.
The following sites all have their own unique styles. The ratings system should help clarify the answers a poet might have on who should each site and why.
January 5, 2005