First, let me explain this blog. The name, PoetCore, is a bit of a twist on hardcore, obviously, referencing in my mind hardcore punk (hence the tagline, “It’s not punk. It’s poetry.”) There’s no good reason for that other than the fact that in my formative teens in the 80s I was heavily into the hardcore punk scene. I still listen to punk music, so punk and poetry are about the most consistent things in my life over the last, oh, 25 years. My tastes in poetry aren’t particularly punk, but that doesn’t matter. I think it’s a cool name.

Second, why I’m starting a blog—because Joanne Leva asked me to. Sort of. Joanne runs the Montgomery  County Poet Laureate competition, which I won this year (woohoo!), and she basically said, “You now have the floor. Do something with it.” OK, so I’m doing something.

Third, I spend a little time most days poking around the Internet reading litzine sites, poetry articles and other literature-related content. Frequently I want to react to, write or rant about what I’ve read. I’ve dozens of essays in my head on poetry subjects, but haven’t gotten around to pitching any journals on these ideas. This blog, hopefully, will be a place for me to do those things, and perhaps get others to join in on the fun.

The WordPress theme (the way the blog looks) I selected for this blog is called koi. I selected it because I like koi and goldfish, though I may tire of the theme and change it. The exact nature of what will populate this area is still evolving. If you have a suggestion, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll just start typing.