2003-11-08

10:58 p.m.


Mutesonance

Read This Diary

CONTENT 55/70
All right. What we have here is composed mainly of poems, and I don't know that I'm the one you want reviewing your poetry. That said, I think it's good except for a few technical mistakes and rookie errors that will fall away as you become more educated about poetry. Number one: Poetry is more effective if you use correct punctuation and grammar. Work with the language, not against it. It is your tool. You wouldn't want to try to sculpt with watercolor paint, so don't try to mold your poetry into something lacking basic mechanics.

On the other hand, you work very well with concrete words and images. You give your reader something to latch on to, something to connect with. Unlike the few other poetry journals I've read, you don't make the mistake of working too much in abstract terms (i.e., love, isolation, etc.). You do it a little, but in this case, a little is better than none, and it's infinitely better than a lot. You may want to consider working in imagery and symbolism more. A good resource would be A Dictionary of Literary Symbols by Michael Ferber. Try some on for size and see how they suit you.

STYLE 10/10
Your idealism and feelings of isolation make me think you're on the young side; I'd say at least under 18. For someone that age (I'm assuming), your poetry is very mature.

DESIGN 10/10
I love the picture. Love it. You make good use of your space.

NAVIGATION 3/5
I'm not a huge fan of drop down menus, but that's really more of a preference issue than anything. Your internal scrollie on your archives page needs some sort of contrast so I can see where I am. There is some code running on your site that makes pop-up ads not only pop up but multiply like bunnies.

FREQUENCY 5/5
Often enough to keep me happy.

posted by April at 10:58 p.m.
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