Poemhunter

Poemhunter.com is a website that provides poems, lyrics, music, and quotations to enhance the education of the audience that wishes to study the art of literature. The database on poemhunter.com includes over 310, 931 poems, 24,752 poets, 124,601 songs, and 64,870 poets. The tabs on poemhunter.com incorporate an archive where you can keep poems that you read on the site in a “My Favorite poems” folder, classical poets, poems of the day, a random poem, extra poetry links, contests, and a database that divides poetry into categories such as love, sorry, life, nature, and beauty. As if logging on to the site is not already overwhelming enough, the site allows you to become a member – which allows you in a personal “member area” section of the website that permits you to exchange poems and thoughts with other members, post your own personal poems, and soon subscribe to e – bulletins.

At the bottom of the webpage, the creators decided to compile a list of “Top 500s” that may cause much controversy to some because the lists distinguish the top 500 poems and poets. Poems Poets The top ten were a shock to me. Next to the Top 500 list is a list of linkable classical poets and the number of poems offered on the site. Classics The most interesting aspect of the site is the forum that one can join to discuss any questions that they may have about a poem. Current topics include the following: a love story, rhythm and rhyme, and a comedy store. Although an online resource, this website is designed not to be used for academia but for those with a special bond to the art of poetry as it offers abundant amount of resources to those who write their own poetry and the resources to discuss and post new projects. However, enough about the layout of the website and more about the opportunities the site offers visitors to explore and better understand the resources that it has to offer.

In the center of the home page, or on the side with an emergency red flag, lies the section, “Poem of the Day” This week’s poet is Katharine Lee Bates. When you click on the title of the poem, you receive the dates Bates was alive, links to other poems, famous quotes, comments and stats on the poet. Underneath the links is a user rating of visitor’s votes for the poem followed by commentary. The most interesting aspect of the “poem of the day” webpage is poemhunter.com offers a list of other poets who studied and read Katharine Lee Bates. This is an interesting list to include because it allows visitors to see which of their favorite poets other poets inspired. Once you have read the poem of the day, you have the option of sharing this poem through Facebook, Twitter, posting it on your blog, printing it, sharing it in an e-card, or adding the poem to the previously mentioned “favorite poems” folder.

Another fantastic element of the poemhunter.com is the fact that one can download free poetry eBooks. This section includes titles from poems of members or books that a member composed of a classical poet. This section is great for beginning poets who can have accessibility to other poet’s works and share comments and ideas with their members free of charge.

The best attribute of poemhunter.com is the fact that the creators of the site acknowledge music and artists as an avenue of poetry by providing lyrics to tens of thousands of artists. Although never featured on the “poem of the day” section, it allows more inspiration to be sought by visitors who enter the site. If the musical lyrics do not provide enough inspiration, poemhunter.com has a plethora of quotes from many literature scholars, such as Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Walt Whitman.

Once you are done exploring the ins - and - outs of poemhunter.com, there is an option to subscribe to “daily poems” and an option to “like” this website on Facebook. Do not forget, though, as you leave, if you are interested in entering your poetry for prize money or for free publicity to get your name out into cyberspace, enter a contests, or explore the hundreds of other websites that poemhunter.com links out to for family poems, poet galleries, and inspirational short stories.

Although overwhelming at first, with the time and the right navigational tools, this website offers a rich amount of resources to any literature nerd. With a main focus on poetry, this site offers a span of music, lyrics, top 500 lists, and the accessibility to post your own poems with the discussion of literature on forums, comments, and an free, all – exclusive membership. This sounds like an advertisement, but really, it is the discovery that websites exist on the world wide web not just for poetic scholars but for poetic seekers.