Jim Regan - Site Reviews
The Cortland Review
|
Of course, even Gielgud is obliged to guess at how Shakespeare might have delivered his own lines. Today's writers, on the other hand, have the opportunity to record as well as print their words, and through such audio-enhanced sites as The Cortland Review, we have the chance to hear the work, 'straight from the poet's mouth.'
Founded in 1997 and publishing monthly, The Cortland Review is an online literary magazine featuring essays, interviews, feature articles and primarily, poetry. The last four issues have also made heavy use of RealAudio to compliment the text, while a recent re-design to the home page presents the visitor with an attractive and logically laid-out introduction to the site.
Current features (such as U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky's Favourite Poem Project) occupy the center of the page, with relevant news from other sources to the right and an index to the rest of the site on the left. The index itself combines a pull-down menu to back issues and monthly features, with button links to such offerings as a Master Index of contributing authors, listings of Literary Events across the U.S., a Bookstore, Recommended Links, and an Audio page. (This last page not only contains information and download links necessary for listening to the site, but also provides a list of other audio-enhanced literary pages - including a HarperAudio collection of such authors as T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Robert Frost and J.R.R. Tolkien reading samples of their own work).
Of course, ideally you're visiting the site to experience Review's own offerings -- and for those interested in how the authors hear their own work, all poetry and most fiction has RealAudio files to match the text. (Interviews are also salted with RA excerpts.) Each author is presented on his or her own page, with a photo, short bio, any relevant links, and of course, the featured works.
And, since most pages offer more than one poem, there are individual audio files for each - so that you won't have to listen to the first three pieces every time you want to hear number four. (Although last week I railed against the limitations of the RealPlayer plug-in in its video capacity, this week we have a site that uses the technology to full advantage and well within the limitations of almost any visitor. Since the files are audio only, and in mono -- you don't really need stereo to listen to one person talking -- the signal can flow smoothly through even narrow bandwidths and slower modems.)
Robertson Davies would sometimes ask his readers to grant his work, "the attention of the ear, as well as of the eye." Naturally, the ear is even more vital to the appreciation of poetry, and although it is possible 'listen' internally, (Davies would also remind readers that they were all interpretive artists) those of us whose post-educational exposure to poetry is limited to 'Casey At The Bat' can find it easier at first to accept the guidance of one who knows the work. (And who better than the author?) The Cortland Review not only serves established fans of poetry, but also provides an effective means of introduction for the novice.
The Cortland Review can be found at http://www.cortlandreview.com/.
Then, if all this inspires you to mark National Poetry Month with some work of your own, but you 'just can't find the right words', Java Poetry offers an online version of the magnetic poetry kits sold in most bookstores. (You'll need a 4.0 Browser.) Whether this will render refrigerators obsolete as a poetry medium remains to be seen, but it would make for an interesting variation on, "Print is dead". And don't forget to visit the Monitor's own poetry special.
Jim Regan provides 'Today's Links' to the e-Monitor. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.