End of 2012 Fest

I have posted my end-of-August blog post online here: http://paulenelson.com/2012/08/29/2012-august-poetry-postcard-fest-afterword/ and have scheduled posts for all my 2012 poetry postcards on that same website. They will appear one per day until October 4.

Here is the card that I got from Brendan McBreen:

The quality of the cards was much higher than in previous years and the production was the best I have ever seen. I have read that more people are actually doing the fest as suggested, meaning having an experience of spontaneity, rather than pre-cooking the cards and then sending. At this writing I have received 27 cards and have been assured that one more is coming.

There is a bit of explication to the card posted today, but I'll post the text of it here:

Ghost Prod

Special thanks to Brendan McBreen for his work on fest administration this year and to all the 160 poets around the world who participated.

160 Postcarders!

From Brendan McBreen:

Monday, July 30, 2012 3:49 PM

 

hey Paul,

I just wanted to let you know, I just received the 32nd name for the fifth postcard list
that makes 160 people signed up this year with 16 from outside the US, mostly Canada but two from the UK, two from India, others from Singapore, South Korea, Ireland, and one from Tasmania Australia

take care!
B

--
Striped Water Poets

https://sites.google.com/site/stripedwaterpoets/

2012 August Poetry Postcard Fest

From Brendan McBreen:

for those of you familiar with the August Poetry Postcard series
you may know that it was started by Paul Nelson then passed to Lana Ayers
but this year Lana is busy with school work (fiction writing) and other projects

so I have been asked to compile the mailing lists this year

for those not familiar
the August Poetry Postcard fest works as such:
each participant receives a list of 31 names and addresses of other poets
and each day in August you write a poem on a postcard and send it to the person that follows your name on the list
so if you are number 4 on the list you start by mailing a postcard poem to number 5, and when you get to 31 you loop back to 1, 2, and 3
the idea is to respond to a postcard and poem you receive but send the response to the next person on the list
and the others on the list will do the same

in past years we have had participants from all over the globe, so be sure to be aware of international postage if it applies to your list

you can collect the postcards you send from anywhere, drug stores are good, Goodwill is a good place to find postcards, some people create their own postcards too, nice postcards are nice but the poetry is the purpose

also it is usually a good idea to begin sending postcards on the last few days of July just to be sure that people receive their cards by August

finally!
for those who wish to participate:
please email me your name and mailing address and email address
include August Postcard Poetry in the subject line

please note that I will not use any addresses for any reason other than this year's Poetry Postcard fest
and I urge everyone else to do likewise

Thank you!
Brendan McBreen

--
Striped Water Poets

https://sites.google.com/site/stripedwaterpoets/

August 2011 is Near!

Welcome to the August 2011 Postcard List.
Here's what's involved. Sign up here: http://concretewolf.com/august2011/

Get yourself at least 31 postcards. These can be found at book stores, thrift shops, online, drug stores, antique shops, museums, gift shops. (You'll be amazed at how quickly you become a postcard addict.)

On or about July 27th, write an original poem right on a postcard and mail it to the person on the list below your name. (If you are at the very bottom, send a card to the name at the top.) And please WRITE LEGIBLY!

Starting on August 1st, ideally in response to a card YOU receive, keep writing a poem a day on a postcard and mailing it to successive folks on the list until you've sent out 31 postcards. Of course you can keep going and send as many as you like but we ask you to commit to at least 31 (a month's worth).

What to write? Something that relates to your sense of "place" however you interpret that, something about how you relate to the postcard image, what you see out the window, what you're reading, using a phrase/topic/or image from a card that you got, a dream you had that morning, or an image from it, etc. Like "real" postcards, get to something of the "here and now" when you write.

Do write original poems for the project. Taking old poems and using them is not what we have in mind. These cards are going to an eager audience of one, so there's no need to agonize. That's what's unique about this experience. Rather than submitting poems for possible rejection, you are sending your words to a ready-made and excited audience awaiting your poems in their mailboxes. Everyhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifone loves getting postcards. And postcards whttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifith poems, all the better.

Once you start receiving postcard poems in the mail, you'll be able to respond to the poems and imagery with postcard poems or your own. That will keep your poems fresh and flowing. Be sure to check postage for cards going abroad. The Postcard Graveyard is a very sad place.

That's all there it to it. It's that fun and that easy.

To check out what we've done before, visit the blog [where you'll also see we also have Perennial Poetry Postcard List of folks who try to write a postcard poem at least once a week regardless of receiving in order to keep connections flowing.], Paul Nelson's website or our Facebook group.

Big thanks to Lana Ayers for making this go again.

David Sherwin article on Poetry Postcard Fest

David REALLY gets the idea of the August Poetry Postcard Fest. A great read for participants and non-participants alike. In another year where I have received several pre-typed cards, who does David think gets cheated when this happens? Read here. Thanks David. I hope the cards are flying out your mailbox.

Go

Today's the day to start writing poems and mailing them out. Start with three to the people just below you on the list. When you get to the bottom of the list, resume at the top. Three today and one a day starting August 1, hopefully inspired in part by cards being sent to you. Writing as you would a postcard, but this is a poem. Have fun. See you in September. - Paul

2010 August Poetry Postcard Call

Dear Poets,

The August Poetry Postcard Fest is taking sign-ups via the online system.

If you are ready to write a poem on a postcard everyday for the month of August sign up now. In addition to writing 31 wonderful poems yourself, you'll receive these wonderful postcards in your mailbox too.

Everyone who is interested will need to register online (even if you have participated in the past).

Your email will be your login and you choose a password.

Here's the link:
http://www.concretewolf.com/august2010

If you have any difficulty, email postcardpoetry@yahoo.com

Have a great time postcarding,
Lana