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change is in the air, have fun visiting others, line in the sand, online poetry, poetry doesnt just flow downhill, the future is here
Welcome to OpenLinkNight, my name is Brian Miller and I will be your host this evening on our poetic journey.
Some of you may have heard the rumor earlier this week that we were closing the doors…and 48 hours ago, that was the case—
It’s tiring running a poetry community. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes each week to make the prompts happen, to touch the poets that visit with meaningful responses & recently we have had more and more poets link that don’t visit others or return visits—and it wears you down.
When you are worn down, you start looking at things differently. You stop seeing the beauty in things & you can even start to resent things that really mean a lot to you. Having pub tenders leave to pursue other projects, finding the right replacements — people willing to put in the work and show that in how they give each week.
It all came to a head this week.
Telling the staff Thursday we were closing was not easy. And it started quite a few conversations that ultimately led us to change our minds. We will not be closing, but we will be making some changes.
Starting next week, on Tuesday, we will not be having OpenLinkNight…we will be having Poetics and one of our pub tenders will be providing a prompt for you to write to.
MeetingTheBar will remain on Thursday.
OpenLinkNight will now become a once a month special event that happens over the last weekend of the month.
We will continue to have interviews, PubTalk and Pretzels on Mondays.
Our hope is to provide our pubtenders more time on the weekends for family and to pursue other projects—and cut down on the wear and tear, giving us the opportunity to see dVerse last for years to come.
So let’s enjoy the evening. Have fun mingling. We hope you join us on this new journey.
If you are new, here is how it works:
- Write a poem and post it to your website.
- Click on the Mr. Linky button below and enter your name and direct url or web address to the poem.
- There you will find others that have joined in—stop in, visit with them, let them know what you liked about their poem.
- If you use social media to promote yourself, tag it @dversepoets so we can find you and help you promote.
See you out on the trail.  ~Brian
dVerse 
Brian, I have always wondered what kind of immense effort might be there behind such a great site – such a wonderful initiative and I can not thank the team enough for what you have done.
I can understand at times, how it can be difficult to keep going – I run some websites myself and I know the energy it takes.
I agree, but the spirit here is unique.. 🙂
Ditto! This site runs with the best of intention-thank you to all who make it a place worth visiting. I can imagine it does take a lot of work-and I hope you and others know how much you are appreciated! I have had my own life crisis that has thrown my spirit off balance, so I understand the frustration. I hope to be part of this wonderful gathering. Thank you for your time and attention-always!
it totally does… smiles… I couldn’t ask for cooler people to be a part of this team.
smiles…thanks abhra…it def is fun…i have been doing it in some form or fashion for about 4.5 years….i appreciate you…and def the team as well…we could not do it without them…
Brian,
Truly the work you have done – the kind of energy you have spread among people is unbelievable – if I am the poet today that I like to believe I am is because the variety of reading and learning I have found over years.
I think it is a good decision to make OLN a monthly event because it kind of takes away the pattern – it’s much more fun to read different people’s work on a theme on MTB or Poetics, that’s always much better.
If I can ever be of any help let me know.
most def…i appreciate your reading as well…i just brought your name up the other day actually, so look to hear from us…smiles.
Wow – thank you – it will be my day!!!!!
I’m sorry I missed all that, life has just been crazy lately, it seems like it’s that way for everyone.
Looking forward to whatever your plans are for this space, and so glad it will still be here.
Happy open link night to all!
In the years we’ve been “doing business”, we have built a magnificent site. Most poetry magazines publish monthly at best, quarterly usually. We publish all week, every week and we have been doing it since 2011 here at d’Verse and some of us were engaged in the initial effort at OneStopPoetry for a year and a half previous. Our lives have changed in that time, some of them drastically. This information is here for you – poets and lovers of poetry. Realize that when this site falls away, it may not stay available to you. Make use of the resources, the prompts, the lessons in poetry, in poetics, in inspiration. Unlike poetry magazines, these poems and articles won’t be found in your local library archives or out of the way bookstores. Life on the internet is fairly short..and the work here was pondered, written, and responded to with considerable thought and talent. Don’t lose it. Support it!
i’m wondering if we should think about publishing a collection with all the prompts we made… that would make for a cool book but hey… for the moment we’re staying….smiles
oh that would be very cool…it would be nice to go back and look at and draw from….hmmm….lets talk C….
What an excellent Idea…There are so many books about poetry out there, but so very few about how to write them…
We could do more Claudia, I think of three off the top of my head- One on Forms, One on Inspiration, and One on the effects of music and visual arts on poetry.
Wow, I have been oblivious to the Drama, the opera fomenting behind the scenes; but you are so right, B&C, even though the OLN have been “popular”, they never have had the reciprocation or lessons to be learned during the MTV, FFA, & Poetics. With some of the proposed changes after the holiday hiatus, it does seem that dVerse never quite got back on its bearings. The latest proposal, a Tuesday Poetics & Thursday MTB, with OLN shifting to a monthly gig, leaving staff to enjoy family life on weekends make perfect sense to all of us. The burr under the dVerse saddle, whereby dozens of drop in poets will use OLN as a forum only, never intending to visit other sites, never really becoming part of the poetic “community”–that just sucks swamp water big time.
As a project for myself, I was going to go back into the Archives , and make up a list of all the forms, image, & word list\s, & inspirational situations have been used in the past, so that in case I ever get over feeling “too busy”, or not “good enough”, I could help out more on the dVerse site, hosting the Pub even. I had been approached, recruited for OLN hosting, but that night would/does overwhelm me with its numbers & links. I do not have the poetic knowledge to ever host a MTB/FFA session, but perhaps could help out with Poetics at some point. I feel a bit guilty,now, considering the situation, that I turned down the offer to get more involved.
Kudos Glenn – you are ever our cheerleader and promoter through social media. Thank you.
sounds like a wonderful idea… but yes for now we’re live on the web baby!!! ha
And ain’t it fine?!
What? Now you’ve gone and screwed the cat’s whole schedule up to june lol bah I’ll just leave it haha
But yeah when it becomes a burden and no longer fun, time for changes indeed. And there does seem to be a growing number of comment ummm whores who never respond to anyone else.
Ha.. the cat has to write to a prompt 🙂 I know he can do that.
who’re you calling whore? some get sore and don’t visit no more, some burn marshmallows making a smore, and some are just those whose spirits are sore. Begorrah! or something ~
hey… i’m all for broiling marshmallows and visiting anyway….smiles
hahahaha M gave it back in a rap attack
dont be a sad sack
i know you prepost
no need to roast the gracious host
you know who loves you most.
haha well dverse for me will run until June, as the cat sings his prepost tune.
sing on cat, we will keep the mat out
we arent going anywhere
and i am sure the faithful will stop and stare
Hey Brian.. I look forward to all the changes.. and I think that some of my friends appreciate that I don’t run off in the middle of the saturday night dinner to tend the pub *smiles* But I love this site, and it’s soo good to have it open.. 🙂
ha. been there and done that…ah, excuse me i need to run to the rest room…(for 3 hours)…lol….
Or sitting with my phone under the table like a love-sick teenager.
haha… that sounds strangely familiar…smiles
Greetings, Brian – I know that was a tough decision, but you’ve all done amazing work. Whatever the decision, good luck, thanks for everything, and hope to see y’all out on the trail ~
most def…the new schedule i think is a bit more manageable….i work full time, i am in grad school and i serve on the elder board at church…and have a family…and…lol…so having most saturdays back is going to be a bit of a relief….
sleep is overrated. use the bed for other purposes, though ~
oo la…for sure, for sure
unless the bed is uneeded…ha.
Hey my man! I’m so happy to see my fav community continue on… With as much work as you and claudia put in, it’s totally understandable why it almost came to that decision… Glad to move forward with structure and hope poets remember what this is all about. lets leave the selfishness at the door and give the support to each other that fuels dverse to be what it is – amazing!
Indeed.. of to read poetry 🙂
meant to write *NEW structure… I always forget key words… hahah
i am appreciative of all that give so much each week…pubtenders…and those that actually read…you are investing in others…and that is huge…
On such a cool, winter-slicked night as this, I can think of no better way to warm oneself than to lift a glass in the sounds of poetry, and drink deep of creativity. I look forward to another week of dVerse goodness. 🙂
http://cianphelan.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/mr-philosophos/
But I am glad, earnestly, sincerely glad, that you have decided not to close…
thanks chris…always good to see you…
Yes, dancing here that the pub will continue & continue, smiles ~
Happy Tuesday and I will be around in a bit to return visit ~ Happy OLN ~
i dance along…smiles
smiles…save a dance for me grace…
I too want to thank you and the rest of the pub tenders for all their incredible and hard work. It is frustrating when you give and don’t receive, especially when it’s consistent. This is a community and that should mean being part of it, with includes reading other poet’s work and commenting. I totally understand why you have to revamp. Life is busy and when you feel like your doing something that isn’t being truly appreciated, it’s hard. Again, thanks to all of our pub tenders on dVerse. Your amazing and have given us a incredible opportunity to be part of something wonderful.
I 2nd that! thanks 🙂
thanks linda… i second that as well… it’s important not just to link but to read and comment on others as well… that is how you get to know people and build community…
thanks linda…there are so many people that give week after week and that is uplifting to see….
I did miss all of that, but I can quite understand why you have to make some changes. It is really exhausting running such an (expanding) online community. I don’t always get a chance to contribute and comment (sometimes I stay away deliberately for my sanity, or in order to get other pressing things done…), so I can only imagine what it must be like to be present day after day, comment after comment.
I for one really appreciate what you have achieved here – you and Claudia, Bjorn, Victoria, Mary and so many others. And I will always be around, even if not as often as I would like to.
i appreciate your being around marina – and your commenting even if you didn’t post a poem
Hey,,, I love when you are around.. 🙂
yeah one of the big things with you marina is seeing you out there even when you are not linking…thank you…that is huge…
Biran this is good news….and also, you know you can ask folk to help out. Just ask…I am willing, but it’s up to you.
Posting a new poem: “The Children of Aleppo”.
Some poems are born in the mouth, on the tongue. this was.
Lady Nyo
Thanks for volunteering Jane ~ We need all the help we can get & share the journey ~ smiles ~
My problem is that I don’t know what is needed…for as long as I have been linking to dversepoets, I’ve wanted to do something, but thought that the things I could do, like run prompts on tanka, haiku, call and answer Japanese stuff….was not of real interest to most of the dverse poets. However, I probably can do much more, but don’t know what to offer. but I’m here! And want very much to contribute something.
thanks jane…we got each others emails so i will touch base with you….
nice… the birth of a poem is always a piece of magic for me… and thanks jane
Me, too…Claudia. LOL!
Jane
And there it is – tough to make hard decisions but it opens vistas for new adventures. I have appreciated the time, sweat and effort all this took – it has been a meaningful stop for many poets on their journeys – and will remain an oasis to return and refresh ourselves. Thanks to Brian and Claudia and everyone associated with this wonderful site – you have touched many lives. K
smiles… thanks kathleen… i hope to see you around with the changed schedule as well
and we still will…in a bit different format…
kathleen is def a special one…the first dversepoet i met in real life….
Thanks for all your hard work & support Brian.
The rearrangements sound good & fair.
Best to you & the whole crew
-joshuA
most def joshua….always good to see your tweetPoetry in the bunch…
So sorry to hear about the near-closing; speaking as one who is familiar with the “worn down” feeling– you guys all have my full respect and admiration for the hours you’ve put in here so far. maintaining a community like this is no easy thing, and is such a gift to all of us. i know i’ve been guilty of not visiting as much as i’d have liked on occasion, but it’s never been without a twinge knowing the hours you all log in.
whasup joanna….
seriously one of these days i am making it back to RVA to crash one of your events….and i know even that has been through changes recently…
How glad I am that dVerse is not closing. Many of us will feel lost. Thanks to the pub Team for all the hardwork. It’s hard enough to maintain one blog. Maintaining a community like the Pub’s (on top of personal blogs) must take a lot of heroic effort.
it is def a labor of love…and those that give back make it worth it…and seeing poets come alive as well….seeing the growth in some over the last 4.5 years has been really cool…
I agree so much.. to get involved in the community, and more so if you sit in far off Sweden where the interest of poetry is quite limited… this is my way home.. Feels like a real pub.
I’m so glad you’ve decided to stay open. But I certainly understand where you’re coming from. ( I myself often get so frustrated that I contemplate ending my Limerick-Off challenges.)
I hope the new schedule works out for all of you!
Ah.. yes.. hope i have the time to do a limerick 🙂
Thanks! So glad to see that both you and Brian joined in with a limerick!
I am pleased that the Pub will remain open. To all who make this possible, especially Brian and Claudia, I am very grateful for all you do.
Okay everyone, let’s make the OLN the most interactive and reciprocal event to date!
a big thank you to you and everyone on the team as well… we couldn’t do it without you
amen to that beth….
glad to have you as part of the team…
I think this schedule is much more practical for all. Open Link once a month will work well, and I think it will refresh everyone if we have three weekends a month free as well. Glad that this solution has been found & that the pub will stay open. Now off to read and comment on others’ poetry! Have a good week, everyone.
smiles. in our darkest hours we have the opportunity to grow/change/adapt…be creative…i think we as a team came up with a great plan…
My only complaint is that my Cinemagenic series, BLACKTHORNE, only appearing once a month now, will take forever to finish up; actually I linked in Scene 24 today, and have Scene 25 ready for the future, so we will just have to see how the monthly OLN works out; right?
oh man…i dunno if i can wait a full month…maybe you can go a little longer with them…its gonna be like waiting on comic books again…smiles.
Glenn, I would visit and read Blackthorne even if was not on OLN 🙂
Hi Brian! great to see you here but so sad to hear of all the heaviness. You all have blessed me immensely in this community, and although I usually most often come Tuesdays- pretty exclusively, I really try to emulate the fearless leaders in getting out on the trail. That being said, I certainly don’t come close to the amazing job you all do getting out and commenting with great feedback and faithfulness. I have really made an effort to spend more time visiting and reading especially when you all mentioned we should stretch ourselves more. I have to confess, at times I feel I have nothing really good to add in the way of comment, ya know? I feel I am still learning and do struggle with sometimes adding a comment worthy of the words the dear poet poured out! ACk! BUt, anhway- had no idea it came so close to closing (Sadness) since I have committed to Tuesday’s here with you all. I will absolutely have to adjust to finding a new day to visit, or adjust to the prompt writing. I appreciate you and all those who have made Tuesdays such a wonderful blessing for me! with love and smiles still…;)
Hey Dawn, I know that you always come around.. 🙂
Yes, I have become quite the blog stalker on Tuesday! lol. 😉
that is much appreciated dawn…. we don’t wanna put stress on people and i know there are days when it’s difficult to visit but we all love to be read and it’s so encouraging if there’s a back and forth in reading and commenting on each other
it takes adjustments for all of us…
for me, i can usually find a line that really speaks to me…
a turn of phrase that is creative…a message,
a form used, just to give you a few ideas….
yes, Brian- thanks- I do read the others and know that it is helpful. And when that happens, it is easy…harder some time to feel like you are offering something of value to the thread. Sometimes I am just like. Wow. I love it…but then I am not sure why. I will keep practicing and learning….you are always a positive support my friend.
and Claudia , I agree- Ireally don’t look it as pressure, and know some weeks are easier than others for all of us. But, I like to challenge myself and make a game out of it, I have my faves, and always am looking for new friends. Speaking of I really miss seeing that Sharp Little Pencil (Amy?) – I am not sure if she has been linking up later and I am missing her…oh well, cheers!
Hello everyone! I am glad you have decided NOT to close down dVerse. I reckon the new schedule will work well for a lot of people, especially OLN only once a month.
yes..it will give us some space to breathe…
exactly….
I had a sense of frustration from previous posts but had no idea the pub came so close to closing. I have bucket loads of respect for you and Claudia and the rest of the team who have been so encouraging and supportive since I first discovered this site. Everyone I’ve encountered here has touched me in some way and I’ve found myself growing in unimaginable ways. I appreciate all the time and effort that goes into generating the content we find here and I often scratch my head wondering how you all do it. I am so happy you’ve decided to reclaim your weekends. It’s important to strike a balance and have time to spend with family. I am so happy that you’re not closing the pub, especially as its my favorite place to visit. Thank you for all that you do, love you guys.
thanks kathryn… that is really on our heart..to encourage people..help them grow..share what we got..
It’s the heart that really comes through in this place, it’s what makes the difference. Thank you.
balance is huge…and i think while we have maintained for some time, we have been a bit out of balance…as someone said, when you have to schedule your life around pub openings to make sure someone is here to greet people, you are out of balance…smiles….thanks kathryn
It becomes more of a chore rather than fun when its like that. I’m sure your family is going to thank you for the changes too. Even with the changes though I still wonder how you do it all. I want what you’re having 🙂
that is exactly the feel…
tonight i had salad…smiles.
Brian and Claudia, and all the pub tenders- thank you so much for what you have given and sacrificed in time and effort for this place and for those of us who get to be a part of it. It was sad to hear you nearly shut it down! Thanks for keeping the place going, I’d miss it way too much if it were gone–and I know there are many of us who feel that way. But I’m glad for the change, for your sakes, I honestly don’t know how you’ve kept it up at the rate you’ve been going. So the changes, I hope, are less of an ending but more of a new beginning…smiles…
smiles yes…it feels a bit like a new beginning… it was important to think things through and then to continue with new strength… i hope…
that is def how i look at it…a new beginning…a fresh start…and a fresh breathe of air in the lungs….
ahh…sounds like spring!
Hey Brian – I can totally relate to all the work that goes on in the background having taken part in community projects myself – it wears you down! I think the rethink on the frequency and structure is a brilliant idea because I can only imagine how much work it takes to keep things running. Thank you to all of you wonderful people who do this. I am luckily now a little less busy than I was and welcome the opportunity to take part in the educational parts a bit more… I know that we all appreciate the work you all do for this – so a huge THANK YOU to you all x
nice…its good to see you back…it feels good to have life back a bit doesnt it…
thank you freya….
Freya, I always look forward to what you bring to the pub.. and the prompts are like workshops for me…
You pub tenders are amazing, and I don’t know how you do it. I know I don’t make it to as many as I should to read and comment, but I do love this place.
you know if everyone did a little…even returned comment and just tried to touch one more…that would be huge…i think the tiring thing is seeing the same people week after week that just link and leave…
it doesnt take much to see who it is when you see them week after week….
alright…i need to head home…if i havent made it to you yet and you stopped in at my place, i will once i get there….
Brian, I just want to say the pub is a great place and I’ve met some special people here..some have changed my life for the better. This place is magical because the people who run it are dedicated loving people. In life the journey can change at any time and we must embrace change for it allows growth. I hope dVerse continues on as it is a place filled with heart. You and Claudia had a dream and you followed your dream by making this place happen. I for one am grateful, you are a kind soul and may you always fly on the wings of a hawk..smiling..
smiles…we still dream…and i def agree that it is the people that make it work much more than the place…it would be nothing without the people….
I can only begin to imagine the hardship and creativity levels needed to manage such a wonderful community as dVerse is! The heart and soul are felt every time and I am very glad you decided not to close down the pub!
me too, in the end….
community is the essential element…without it…and without people that care it just becomes yet another prompt site…
Hi Brian–I would think this requires just an enormous amount of work. My respect and thanks to everyone involved. And from my perspective, having a family and a husband and a singing and teaching life, I can’t imagine adding something like this on top–so thank you and enjoy your time–and if I can help in someway, let me know
will do audrey…and thank you for touching lives when you are here as well…
I am so glad that I didn’t hear this rumor until after it was no longer true! I have come to love dVerse, and have told other poets about it, though I have to confess that lately I’ve had a hard time finding time to read a lot of other poets on Open Link Night. And I also confess that there are some poets I choose not to read because I have come to know that their poetry topics or style are not for me. I fully understand the drain it must be to run OLN and the other offerings here at dVerse. I think the new rotation sounds like an excellent option to closing the doors. I look forward to more poetry prompts and interaction with poets I’ve come to enjoy reading. Peace, Linda
its funny…i had a person write me a note today…she has been a long time reader of mine and i commented on her making booties for the babies and she thought it how odd a poet would enjoy reading about her making booties…but you know, its the people behind th words that matter as much as the words to me…
Poetry party over here! Good evening dVerse poets. Thank you for continuing to host and ensure poetry remains vibrant.
hey you…its been a while…
nice love poem tonight…
Bravo on your new decision to Stay With Us! The weekly Open Link must be the most draining, so it’s the one to cut back on. I hope you will have an occasional no-poem discussion as well. I wonder if more participation from me would have made a difference? Idle question at this point, I know, so Bravo! Thank you. And thank you again. I’ll be back after dinner and my Tuesday pm worship group.
we def will…we are keeping pubtalk on monday and we can discuss any number of things there…i think some non poetry discussions would be great…
having OLN early in the week can sometimes feel like walking out of a prize fight….Tash used to joke about getting a poetry hang over….this way it can be a celebration…and not just a place for people to park and leave their car each week…
I wonder how those weekends will feel like 🙂 .. 200 poems ??
Does your classroom have a “parking lot”? That place where students park their questions to be addressed by the teacher? HaHa!
Ah.. I will get back reading tomorrow… need to get to bed.. I’m amazad as usual on all the great poetry here… and I know I will find even more tomorrow.
sleep well my friend….
Sneeking through the bar and checking out.. will get back to reading tonight..
Wow. Had not expected to read that. I totally understand your decisions and do understand the scope and time of an undertaking like this, being heavily involved in leadership in other blogging events. I’m glad you’ll still be open, with whatever schedule your staff can handle. Running a pub is hard work – I watch Food Network 😉
Best of luck with the new schedule.
Tina @ Life is Good
i think that it will be good int he long run allowing pub tenders the chance to do the other things in life that allow for poetry, you know…
Glad to hear you’re still open! I like the idea of Poetics on Tuesday as everyone seems to be quite busy on the weekend. Actually, I prefer writing to prompts. It’s a smaller group of people linking to prompts and more manageable to visit and comment. I think you will see increased participation with this new schedule. Could you let us know the prompt topics the week before? (Susan at Poets United started doing this, and it’s so helpful to prepare a post in advance or at least have time to think about it.) And I think, with a post ready to go, it will allow more time to poets to focus on visiting and commenting. I know we get hints from Brian’s and Claudia’s posts, and I think knowing even earlier than that would increase participation. Thanks for all you do! Smiles 🙂
this is actually a topic we debated several times now…we do release the topic to the pubtenders the day prior so that they can be ready to tend pub when the doors open…one of the main reason we have not is that it takes away the preparation that the pubtenders go through in preparing a post….it required research and planning in many cases…
Yes, I appreciate that … the preparation it takes for a pubtender to put together a prompt. What I mean is … maybe post the prompt earlier in the day or add a prompt page to the site. So poets would still read the thoughtfully prepared prompt … but it allows more time to post, link and visit. I always visit and return comments … but it’s hard for some of us who have full-time jobs and families to write a poem to a prompt within a few hours. I find that if I post the next day to a prompt, it’s basically too late and few people return my visits. I hope you will consider some sort of flexibility. Thanks.
cool. we had considered that as well, at least releasing a prompt a few hours before putting on the linky…i hear you…
Oh, I like that idea, Brian! Release the prompt earlier, say in the morning, and put the linky on in the afternoon. Go for it! Pretty please 🙂 I think you’ll surely
see more participation that way!
I would certainly welcome more time to work on poems! With time differences that don’t always work in my favour, plus difficulties with internet access, it’s sometimes a losing battle to even try to get a poem posted within a short time frame.
Hi all and many thanks to the team who tends the pub! I’m grateful for your time and talents shared with us here and so glad this will continue as a space to learn and grow as a poet (and poetic community). We all need to balance our lives, online and off, so that may be why some of us cannot participate in every event or comment on everyone’s post. Like Dawn, I too sometimes feel I’ve little to add to the many insightful comments already posted. But I think the changes will good!
i agree, we all need balance…and heck, i def dont expect people to be in every prompt unless they want to be…there are those that do and still dont visit others…and that is just wrong….
Last week when Brian first informed the team of the decision he and Claudia made to close the doors, I plodded around the house with my chin dragging on the ground, a feeling of emptiness even though I felt the need to take a break for a couple of months. I can’t tell you the happiness I feel at the decision to continue and I count the days until I can go back on duty.
Today I had to take my laptop in to get rid of all kinds of ugly things that were happening to it…adware etc. I won’t have it for a few days and I’m using an old computer that has a significant personality disorder. So if I don’t get around to returning comments, please understand. I will do my best and catch up when I get my (hopefully) disease-free baby back. I’m just grateful I have this one as a backup and I guess I better not say bad things about it!
computers with personality disorders…haha…ugh…i hate computer issues so hope it is short term for you….enjoy your break v…and get those projects done so we can all benefit…smiles.
I will as soon as I get the dang computer back. Thanks, Brian.
So sorry to hear about Open LInk Night, but I do understand. It must be a lot of work, and the pubtenders certainly deserve to take a step back and be able to continue dVerse rather than wearing themselves out. I’ve really enjoyed this community and will stay in touch, in some fashion.
i dont feel bad about the deicision at all…
i think it solves several problem areas…allowing more time…and for those that have been takers instead of givers, it limits their opportunity to just drop whatever in without thought.
Allowing more time, because it will be open for the span of a weekend, you mean? If so, that sounds good. It’s sometimes hard to find time to post and visit on Tuesdays, and I can’t even imagine how hard it is for all of you.
This makes perfect sense, thanks for all you do Brian and everyone on the staff. I’ve enjoyed participating and look forward to seeing you all around the blogiverse:-)
Hi Brian and everybody! First off, I am glad to hear that dverse is here to stay. It has become a great source of encouragement and inspiration for me. I think the oln change will a good thing, for lots of reasons. If I can suggest though, to somehow encourage the use of twitter & the hash tag so that on days with just prompts we can see go to one set place to read each others poems? I think that will help preserve the community aspect with fewer heartaches. I don’t use blogger or blogspot, so unless it comes up in my WordPress feed, I won’t get to read some of y’alls poems. I do have twitter hooked up to my Flipboard, though, which is very handy.
i have gotten away from twitter myself…but might have to pick it back up then…smiles…
Yes, I don’t tweet much, but I highly recommend flipboard. Its a cool way to keep up with twitter … Turns it into a magazinen of sorts
huh interesting…will have to check it out…
Thanks for that recommendation. I find twitter difficult to keep up with; might give this a go. 🙂
Me too Rosemary, I gave a hard time with Twitter too. Flipboard helps a lot!
I can help with the twitter side.. I’m pretty much into it… 🙂
Brian, I know my participation has waned….it is hard to keep up. And your team has been so faithful to ‘tend bar.’
Thanks for keeping the doors open……..I will try to get around to read. I often find 3 or 4 familiar voices and read their pieces, but don’t always comment.
On other blog link ups I participate in we are always encouraged to say ‘hi’ to our neighbors. Maybe that would work? Just an idea.
Thanks, again. Jody Lee Collins threewaylight.blogspot.com
yep, its a good thing to visit your neighbors…we have asked that before…at the end of the day, people will do what people will do, no matter how much you talk about it though….
I’m glad you decided to reduce the activity so you could stay. Personally, I found it difficult to keep up which impacted the time to visit others. I need write this week.
hiya maggie…
read your piece…i am glad you are ok…
Hello Brian, Claudia and hard team workers the The Pub.
I’m addressing these words me too, in the end….
community is the essential element…without it…and without people that care it just becomes yet another prompt site…
This is so very true, I started following other prompt sites when I first dipped my feet into writing my blog, there were many/are many. It became a competition – who produced the best work, who dazzled the judges, who reached the top of the reader board. I grew tired of it, there was no support, there were the regulars who would drop in, at times correct your mistakes (in a not so nice manner mind you) and you would never see them again. It seemed a pointless exercise. Miriam told me of DV and said I should pop over, which I did and I am so grateful for being part of this hard working community. We have all voiced our opinions on those writers whose egos are so great that they will not comment on anyone else’s work unless it meets their standard. Aren’t we all different? Unique? We all have our own style of writing and I feel it wrong that we should be judged. I am learning as everyone knows, I will continue to learn. I have had nothing but support from those who truly care about how I write and who have encouraged me to do so. You Brian, are that person.
Their are some people in our lives that are genuine and those that pretend to be, you do not pretend. I am so happy the Pub is still open for business, if the rules change so be it. I am sure we will cope 🙂 You guys deserve a medal for what you do, I can’t imagine the work that is involved behind the scenes, to keep this going, so I bow to all of you for making it a comfy, inviting place for writers with little, no or exceptional talent to feel welcome. For those who sit on their pedestals and won’t jump off, well that’s your loss for not seeing beyond what is actually written, but how the writer has attempted. Now I shall get off my soap box. 🙂 Cheers and thank you for keeping the doors open.
aw shucks….smiles…i am glad you are here rambly….
Credit where Credit due my friend (oh and if I’m too outspoken…I don’t apologise) 😉
haha. you are awesome. smiles.
nah – just an Aussie 😉 but ta
I too had no idea that this site had come so close to closing down. Kinda shocked me! But I can see the difficulty in keeping a solid team when life can sometimes get in the way. Glad to know you have agreed to remain open…with some needed changes to accommodate all. My thanks and gratitude to each and every one of you.
thanks gayle…
good morning c..smiles.
You’re welcome, Claudia…I am grateful to you.
hiya gayle..i think the changes will help conserve energy and allow us to invest more in those that want community…smiles.
I think you’re right. So glad you found a solution, Brian…smiles.
Alright, bed time….see you all in the morning….
oh dang! really… i would never want this pub go down…i am what i write today largely cos of the prompts here. but then, when just as another person here linking (and i must confess that i have not been returning visits for the last three or four prompts that i attempted) i and for that matter many of us are far from fathoming the work that goes into making and keeping this community. i hope to get my balance soon just as the pub seems to have got it now to hang on! cheers to all of you making it happen….
Colour me embarrassed and unobservant…I dip in and out of here at will and don’t give much thought to how much effort goes into running a site like this even though I know on some level how much work it is (from other sites I’ve been involved with even on the periphery). I’m also a fickle commenter although when I post something, I do make more of an effort to get around and do a fair bit of reading and commenting — for one thing, I like to get and give feedback; for another, critiquing others’ work in a positive way is good practise for any editing I do (both of my own work and others) and the more reading of other peoples’ poetry, the more au courant I feel…I really do like to know what’s going on in the poetic world and dVerse appeals to a wide, and no pun intended, diverse group, crossing a huge spectrum…so it’s an excellent place to get a feel for world-wide cross-section of poets writing at any given time.
Kudos to all of the dVerse bar managers who have been standard banners for any length of time. It is no easy thing to work into your life occasionally (I co-hosted on another site recently for a week and while I was honoured, I found it a huge commitment all the same) but to make it a regular part of your schedule…I can’t even imagine. No wonder there was a feeling of burnout occurring…
I’m relieved and encouraged to hear you’ve come up with something a little less onerous that will allow the site to keep running and some of our excellent nurturers to stay on in some capacity.
Brian, when I realized what your schedule is like outside of dVerse, I was amazed that you would consider doing this at all! You must really love poetry, or poets, or dVerse, or maybe it’s all of the foregoing. Whatever it is, I’m grateful…your input is invaluable. I will try to be more faithful and involved. If there is ever anything I can do to help here, please don’t hesitate to ask…
Thank you for all you’ve done and all you continue to do.
S.E.Ingraham
(Sharon)
seingraham@gmail.com
thank you…its def a busy life…and as to the why i think both claudia and i want to give back to something that has meant so much to us…poetry and her poets…
i am sure the same could be said of many of those that give here…
So glad I stopped in today and sorry to hear it had come this close to closing. Have been sharing your site recently, just not been able to participate due to life getting in the way for quite a bit now. Truly appreciate all the tremendous efforts of the entire team.
The support and energy that you all bring to all poets who visit is truly amazing. I (having not even been able to find the time for my own blog) much less all the time and effort you all share…. totally understandable that the format needs to change. I am truly greatful that you are continuing on into the future.
Thanks again everyone…. 🙂
ok – got my early morning poetry fix and have to leave for work now but will be back in the evening to read more…
dVersenTeam, you are loved and needed, admired and respected. Phew – the news that closure was on the cards was a terrible shock, though I can understand the workload had become too onerous.
I feel guilty because I never manage to read all the comments and Linky poems, and because frequently my visits are only to folk whose work I know and love, before the time and energy run out. I put my link up last night and fled to bed. Now to read…..
Hi-I don’t have a website, would like to participate as I write poetry and forgive my need of a spoon-but not sure how this works?? Could you bear to explain it to me?
Gratefully yours
Candy
Glad you are still around and every good general knows the wisdom of tactical retreats. These things do take time. I find it takes time as Viv says just trying to read other people’s work. Let alone work on my own.
it does take time to read others…that is part of the sacrifice of being in a community
Whatever you guys decide, great forum, great work, great effort on your part, never recognized enough — but we are talking poetry, the most invisible magic of all … Thanks for being here.
I love dVerse and appreciate the input from everyone. I’m so glad you have found a way not to close it down! And a way to nurture yourselves in other aspects of your lives, which can only be good for your own writing and for this community. xx to all of you.
i am awake….and at work…so…will be around
but it maybe lunch before i can catch up with comments here
tried to grab poems this morning
have a great day
Brian et. al.,
I’m personally very grateful for all the effort the d’Verse Team has expended on our behalf over the past several years. I hope there is a way to make the site sustainable in a fashion that works for everyone. Thanks again.
Steve K.
i think our new plan will be great…allowing us to still celebrate poetry and her poets….
and not get as worn down….
I haven’t been around for a while (pretty much since the winter holidays). It has been a busy time in my life and I really missed the good OLNs. Today I finally came back to visit the pub and join the fun. I was sorry to read that this community was about to end in its current form. I have to say that I really benefit from dVerse and truly appreciate the efforts made by the Team behind the pub.
All I can say besides “thank you!” is that I will continue doing my part as a member of the community.
Ah.. so nice to see you back 🙂
smiles. thank you. and you know, that is what it is…in a community each person does their part…and that is what makes it a community…
good to see you…smiles.
Thanks, Björn and Brian. I am happy to be back!
Just as i found this site today, and i read the first lines in this post i have to admit i got a little disappointed reading that the site would be shut down, but when i continued reading it was really a relief to see that the site will be up and running again! Looking forward to become a part of this community!
I posted a poem as a link, it was originally done for another site that had a subject to write a poem about, but i still think it can be read out of its context.
smiles… hi m.z.
nice to meet you…
whassup MZ….great to have you here…and was nice to meet you earlier in the week…
Brian, Claudia and the dVerse pub tenders you all do a great job. Poets who come, read, share their thoughts and poetry – you all rock! We are such a dynamic poetic community that I am so honoured to be a small part of.
So glad for this new phase in dVerse and I’m looking foward to being a part of it with you all.
Rock on poets, rock on!
And so great to have you here.. I will go out and do my evening rounds…
hiya shanyn….glad to have you as part of the team….
Hello Brian,Claudia,Bjorn and all those who make this site a dynamic and supportive one:-)I am very new here ,having posted I think only four times simply because I am very raw at writing and still trying to find my feet.However those few times I have been here,I have been overwhelmed with the kind of support and positive feedback I have received.I have also tried to read and comment on as many submissions as possible on OLN and on Saturday I read all the entries. I recently left a site because I felt that lack of connection-if very few read your work,what is the point of being in a group?As ramblings from a mom above says,there are such sites by the dozen and I definitely don’t want to run that rat race where writing has become more of a “meeting the deadline” rather than pleasure.Am glad that you decided not to close shop and maybe I too will learn a little about poetry from you all here.I salute you all for the herculean tasks you lovingly undertake every time you post a learning challenge and then take time to come and read each and every piece and leave an encouraging word-it means such a lot to newbies like me,you have no idea.So,I would like to add a BIG Thank you from my side too and hope to participate,read and comment more regularly.Yes,it takes time to read and comment but if others are taking time to come by and read mine,why can’t I?I like the idea that OLN will be a monthly feature from now on-reading and commenting on more than 100 entries in a short time,is very daunting 😛 Wish you all the best-now off to post a little piece written a few days back:-) Will return tomorrow to read and comment too.
I know what you mean Aytree.. and we have crossed paths on many different sites… I think you will find the prompts a lot more fun to write on.. and the number of participants always more manageable… so great to have you here…
Yes Bjorn-it feels good to see known faces here:-)I hope to–have had no time since last nite but am off to read and comment on as many as i can as soon as I finish responding to the comments on mine:-)
I cannot imagine the work that goes in to keep the pub running– heck, I can’t even keep up much with my own poetry as I develop my painting– and they go hand in hand! I have met some great folks at this blog and hope that it finds a way to keep going in a manner that remains both inspirational and convivial yet also allows the adminstrators a life offline as well. Thanks for all you do here! ~peace, Jason
So sorry that you are ending this, but it is very easy to understand why. Thanks for all these good times.
not ending, just changing…
Wow and wow. I did not share this week, my week to work on Tuesdays, but popped in to read a bit and found this. I can only guess the work it takes to keep this pub up and running each week. And you pub-tenders make such a point to stop and visit everyone. Like me, I know you have families and work and life outside of this site. I often question how you all do it!! I have learned so much from the wonderful poets and writers here, and all who share their knowledge , challenge and inspire us. Each time I visit, whether for Poetics, OLN, Meeting the Bar, Pretzels and Bullfights–I feel like I am spending time with old, dear friends. And many have become such. I want to thank you all for what you do and the work that goes into keeping us “inspired.” Hoping the changes will alleviate the overwhelmingness of it all. Whatever your choices, just want you to know how much you are appreciated. 🙂
thanks ginny…i think the changes will allow us to endure for the long haul…instead of the short splash…appreciate you…
catching up with some of the overnites…good morning and good night… and see you for mtb later…smiles
I imagine it was tough brainstorming a solution for the heavy load the pub tenders have been carrying. The changes will give the site a more streamlined feel and will help prevent further abuses, I think. Most of us understand the stress involved in maintaining a quality site like this one, all due to the hard work and devotion of a few.
Maybe some of the people who were frustrated and left will return. Since I’ve been here I’ve noticed the turnover as more newcomers enter the fray.
Anyway, love you guys for all you do…see you out on the trail as you say …