November 2010 Newsletter

Newsletter for the World of Words by Elias Tobias

Changes coming to poetry web blog

The World of World by Elias Tobias is back on the Internet after a few weeks of absence in September, and the Mexican consulting company taking the space was only temporary.  The down time was a result of a technical difficulty compounded by the late discovery of the problem due to the last three weeks or so of moving into a new apartment.  The cable was off for a while, and time to maintain the site was lacking after reconnection. I’m back now.

The disappearance of the poetry blog resulted in a decrease in world ranking by Alexa.com fro around 6 million viewers to more than 10 million. This difference will probably be temporary, like the time down. However, the change in viewers reaction is the reason for the next announcement.  After December of this year, the daily posts scheduled now will end  and the Lambda Sigma Chi poems will be the only featured poems each week. There are several reasons for this, and one is not that I’m going into retirement.

First, the contract for the column by Rev. Abernathy will end, and the experience has been good.  He is getting busier, and not elected to continue the column, All Things Considered, for another year.  Second, the supply of poems has been rapidly used after three years of daily posts.  I would like to keep the newer poems by the brothers on the site, especially as the unofficial fraternity has expanded.  Another reason is my time, and the new employment is demanding attention on my part. As a result the foreign language poems will be ending, too, along with a regular Friday photo selection.

As the creative spirit moves in to my world, I will have other posts, both poetic and photographic, but not on a regular basis. There are more than 300 poems and other features of this web blog to read, so those who have not had a chance to catch up on a daily basis will have plenty to read. By making this announcement early, and repeated until December, the shock of the changes won’t be as sudden at what happened recently.

Claiming your homestead on the wild frontier of the Internet

For serious writers, there comes a time when various types of contests, open poetry nights,  and sharing works to friends and family are just aren’t enough.

Publishing a book with a traditional concept, even with publishing-on-demand companies on the Internet, still takes some sort of cash investment.  Self-publishing is how many great writers received their start, and it remains an option, if money is available.  Like the open ranges of the Old West, the Internet offers alternatives to getting published without great costs for writers.
One option is to start a free poetry blog, and it can be done in three basic steps.  First, decide what kind of blog will be created. Then get a free quality host that offers an independent e-mail option, and then third, maintain and promote the web site through personal and online network techniques.

To read the entire article, click here.

“Winter’s Haze” Theme for November

The theme of poetry for the month of October 2010 is “Winter’s Haze” for all daily posts, including the Poem of the Month below. There is a song by Simon and Garfunkel, which is really a poem set to music, that has a line referring to “The hazy shade of winter.”  Like October, this is a time of transition, and the mornings are a little colder. Final preparations for the winter need to be accomplished where seasons change drastically.

 Poem of the Month

November Morning

I’m here resting in my bed
with two homemade quilts over my head
When I should be at work instead.
I don’t want to get up on this cold
November morning. I’d rather stay in bed,
but I’ve got bills to pay and work brings in the bread.
I should get up and see what the new day will bring,
but I’d rather wait here for the soft days
of the spring when songbirds start to sing.
I don’t want to get up on
this cold November morning.
I’d rather stay in bed, but I’ve got bills
to pay and work brings in the bread.

There are many posters which can be downloaded for free, and you can find them here.