Santa Claus, sweet soul that he is, brought me just what I wanted for Christmas: a Kindle. (He brought lots of people Kindles...Kindle sales topped 4 million in December.)
Why did I ask for a Kindle? Well. In recent months I've noticed that there are books I want to read that are only available as e-books. Such as Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell's poetry collections P*TAG, POETRY TAG TIME and GIFT TAG. I downloaded them right away, and by Christmas night, I had consumed them all, more than once.
There is so much to love about these collections. Gorgeous, inspiring photography (that Sylvia has got an eye!), and a wide range of voices and subjects. I loved Janet's explanatory poem about the "Tag" in the title... for more on tagging as an art form, check out the documentary EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP. Fascinating.
I connected with many of the poems in each volume. And I am so grateful to Janet and Sylvia for making great poetry so accessible. And to the participating poets -- especially all you Poetry Friday friends whose lovely work appears in these collections! --for sharing bits of their lives and worlds. (Each poem includes a bit of explanation from the poet, sort of the inside-scoop stuff you hear at poetry readings.) Such a fabulous way to spread the poetry-love. I'm completely inspired. And there was one poem in particular that stole my heart: "Cornered" by Steven Withrow (from P*TAG).