Things I’ve learned while blogging for Harriet . . .

—that blogging is hard work
I have a new respect for people who blog every day. I’m a regular reviewer of art and literature for a variety of publications, and during busy periods I sometimes have a deadline a week. Yet even this doesn’t compare to the rigors of having something intelligent and coherent (not that I always succeeded) to post to Harriet circa every three days—during the easily distracting summer months, no less.

—that bloggers start to repeat themselves
It’s inevitable that the amount of content coming in might begin to lag behind the amount of content going out. It happened to me a couple times during the past three months. Though that’s no excuse for Ron Silliman to continue willfully employing the category “School of Quietude.”
—that I still worry whether blogging is a distraction from “real” writing
I’m not a snob, and I enjoy reading all kinds of writing, but I’m not entirely certain that blogging isn’t a diversion from the primary writing one does. For instance, Dodie Bellamy recently started a blog that has already become one of my favorites, but I’m worried it means that she won’t be writing as much of her amazing fiction.
—that blogging is good for the résumé
I told a friend of mine that I was blogging for Harriet this summer and he remarked that he’s seen an increase in job descriptions for writing positions in academia that ask for blogging experience.
—that I’m as comfortable with Mark Nowak’s historical materialism as Linh Dinh’s cultural materialism
Does that make me a third-wayer? I hope not.
—that Lucia Perillo’s images of her dog and senior citizens volleyball were as fun as any visual art I saw this summer
I enjoyed reading her posts too! And her excellent book of poems Luck Is Luck.
—that D.A. Powell’s “Conceptual Poetics: A Practicum” was one of my favorite posts of the summer
By the way, I rarely read in bed (bed is for two things), but Powell’s book of poems Cocktails is great bed reading. I never really got with John Ashbery’s poems until I heard him give a poetry reading; then I realized that his work is more avuncular uncle than cagey and wry experimentalist. Relatedly, I imagine the poems in Cocktails whispered in my ear by a martini-sipping vegan vampire. Given his post on Tennessee cuisine, I’m guessing Powell isn’t a vegan.
—that Travis Nichols looks and blogs like a 21st-century poetry-world version of Mercury
At least from his Harriet author photo and the way many of his posts served as dispatches and messages. I imagine him wiry and quick with casual footwear. I mean this as a compliment—in my previous post, I argued for fast poetry.
—that I regret not writing an entry responding to Reginald Shepherd’s deeply thoughtful posts
I had fully intended to, and took some notes, but his most serious posts deserved essays in response, and I felt as if some of my own posts were already too formal and long (cursed grad school education!). I wish him the absolutely speediest and fullest recovery. I’ve always paid attention to his work, and will do so even more after directly encountering the seriousness of his commitment to poetry.
—that I appreciate what Foetry.com did, even if it could have done it smarter
I’ve been around the poetry world long enough to realize that it’s no more democratic or equitable than the rest of the world. In my mind, that’s where the relationship between politics and poetry should start.
—that my posts on poetry and politics and poetry and hip-hop generated the most responses
Whereas the two I wrote on “My top three favorite poetry readings, like, ever!” (Part I and Part II) instigated a total of one response. I imagined that those two posts would generate a potentially endless string of comments by Harriet readers describing their own favorite poetry readings, and that I would vie for the honor of having written the most popular Harriet entry ever! Instead, I ended up looking a little bit like Han Solo in Star Wars when he hypes a jump to light speed only to push the throttle and have nothing happen.
—that Harriet’s readership is diverse, interesting, and engaged
When Harriet’s editors contacted me about blogging for the site, the thing that ultimately made me decide to do it was the web traffic estimates they quoted me. What an amazing opportunity to talk poetry with such a wide audience. It turned out to be true, as well as the most gratifying part of the experience. Thank you. May the dialogue become only more expansive.