Welcome, all,  to d’Verse Poet’s Pub, the virtual neighborhood watering hole of an internet writing community thirsty for a flagon, stein, champagne flute, shotglass or tall latte mug of words, washed down with a chaser of the craft and a vigorous conversation on the savor of the brew. My name is Joy Ann Jones, also known to many of you as hedgewitch, and it’s my great privilege as well as pleasure to put on my apron and  host behind the bar of our third ever OpenLinkNight.

You’re not going to find a suggestion of words, an unusual photo, or work of art for a prompt tonight—that’s for our weekend feature, Poetics, which opens Saturdays at 3:00 pm EST,  ably hosted by talented staff members Brian Miller, Claudia Schoenfeld, Sheila Moore, Victoria Ceretto-Slotto and Mark Kerstetter, or a critique or poetic form symposium (that’s for Thursdays, with Gay Cannon and Luke Prater alternately hosting).

No, OpenLinkNight is about you bringing out your independently achieved best efforts, the poems you’ve  created with your own sweat and tears, into the light of day for a group of your peers to read and discuss together. It’s about craft, creating, and community. And it’s also about having some fun in the process.

We’re all here because we love poetry, and want to share our efforts with those who appreciate them. The hint in our name, dVerse, is there to tell you the offerings you come across tonight will be eclectic, poems of every shape, size, form and topic, unique to each individual posting.  We’re here to read, write, talk and have fun, offering each other both entertainment and support. We hope each of you will sample the wide range of material on tap, and let us enjoy some of your own in the process.

So let’s get the party started. We’re ready for a night of reading some of the best online poetry being written today, and we hope you are too.

Here’s the drill:

• Post a poem to your blog,
• Link in the poem you’d like to share (1 per blog, please) by clicking on the Mr.Linky button just below.
• This opens a new screen where you’ll enter your information, and where you also choose links to read. Once you have pasted your poem’s blog url and entered your name, simply click submit.
• Don’t forget to let your readers know where you’re linking up and encourage them to participate by including a link to dVerse in your blog post.
• Visit as many other poems as you like, commenting  as you see fit.
• Spread the word on the poems you enjoy if you’d like. Feel free to tweet and share on the social media of your choice.
• Remember, we are here for each other. Engage your fellow poets, talk, chat, comment, let them know their work is being read, and enjoy the comments you also will receive. There is the strength of community in dVersity.