Welcome to Twelve months | Twelve poems. The basic idea behind this project is simple: I write twelve poems in twelve months. They don't have to be good. They don't have to be moving. They don't have to mean anything at all. In fact, they can suck more than a hooker with the cheapest blow job rates in town, so long as they're written.

But if this were all about just writing poems on a timeline, what do I need a website for? Because I'm sure as shit not going to post those finished poems. No, sir. I have a Blogger site, not a Livejournal.

The great, big, awesome purpose for this site was the idea that it could become some sort of a virtual workshop. And not just a 'here I'll post a poem and you can all dissect the lines and tell me how awesome and moving and blah blah blah it is except for that one anonymous poster who keeps telling me that my poetry is crap and it makes him want to dropkick the English language' virtual workshop. No.

The idea is that I do some writing about writing (I know, this could unravel pretty easily), and you all chip in and tell me what you think. I'm hoping that each month I have at least some sort of idea of what I want to write about, or how I want to write, or some sort of glimmer of how to start. But I want to know what you think; I want to know what ideas you have, what sorts of devices you use to get yourself going, what things are standing out to you. I want to know what phrases have made you stop dead in your tracks in the last few weeks, and I want to know what you think poetry even is.

Sure, it's a selfish endeavor when it comes down to it. I want to write at least twelve good poems this year. I want feedback on how to do it (think of this as sort of a backwards workshop...we talk about how the poem is constructed before it's even written, rather than beating it to death afterwards), what you think, and to just have a space to talk about poetry without it being uncomfortable or silly or pretentious.

But, I think it could also be a pretty neat experiment in how to communicate about and create poetry without a formalized institution (because let's face it, without a class and a deadline, it's flipping hard to get yourself to write a poem; and, if you're not inside of it, the academic system is a completely self-sustaining entity that doesn't really allow for amateurs or hobby writers or people who just truly enjoy the art but don't want to teach other people how to write).

From your end of things, I encourage you to use this site how you like. If you want to join in and participate with me, that's awesome. Please continue to share, and I'll share right back. If you just want to watch what happens, that's cool too, but I will ask that you occasionally chime in, because it's kind of dull if I'm the only one saying anything.

So, welcome to Twelve poems | Twelve months. I hope you enjoy your stay.