FREE COPY OF 2011 POET'S MARKET GOES TO JANE ELLEN GAGE

Dear Joan Ellen Gage,

You're the one! You made the most comments on  LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE during the month of January 2011. Thank you. You win THE POET'S MARKET.

Poetry sustains me. Reading poetry, writing poetry and teaching  is my life. I'm not sure anyone can imagine how much I appreciate getting comments. It is like a conversation with other writers.

Having a focus on POETRY is a daily challenge. Recently a book store owner in a nearby town told me she would not and could not sell my book, not even if she got them at half price,  because no one will buy poetry. What the book store owner said, that no one will buy a book of poetry, startled me. and made me sad.  I was immobile for days. I'm happy I do not live in that town. I would be ashamed to live in a town where it is open knowledge that not one person values poetry.

My purpose for LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE is to celebrate poetry on a regular basis and to give support to practicing poets. I aim to feature a poet of the month, usually in his or her birth month. I've promoted the poetry of many Southern and Appalachian poets: Kathryn Stripling Byer, Clarence Newton, Bettie M. Sellers, Janie Townley Moore, John Stone, Glenda Barrett, Glenda Beall, Maren O. Mitchell, Brenda Kay Ledford, and others.  For the new year, I wanted to give the perfect gift to a poet, to give one poet maybe the gift they had dreamed of receiving for Christmas but did not get - THE POET'S MARKET. Thank you, Joan. You will receive the new, up to date 2011 copy. I hope it will help you to decide where to submit your poems. I have a copy and I use it.

You are not alone in reading my blog.  Although I'd like to get more comments, to help me know which way to go, I must say I can not be happier with the number of readers. Readers amaze me. 19,077 total visits. 36,603 pages read. The last 100 visitors, I do not know by name, but whomever they are, they are from:
Fayette, Alabama
Tallahassee, Florida
Pullman, Washington
Dublin, Ireland
Mountain View, California
Gray, Maine
Charlotte, NC
Rosenberg, Oregon
Louisville, Kentucky
Waconia, Minnesota
Blairsville, Georgia
Suresnese. lle-de-France
New York
Dalonega, Georgia
Nashville, Tennessee
Dew Delhi, Delhi
Farmington, Minnesota
Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Sarasota, Florida
Statesboro, Georgia
Winter Park, Florida
Franklin, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Houston, Texas
Sterling, Illinois
Hamden, Connecticut
Bloomington, Indiana
Orlando, Florida
Safety Harbor, Florida
Schenectady, New York
Langnau, Bern, Switzerland
Elmhurst, Illinois
Hephzibah, Georgia
Seattle, Washington
Front Royal, Virginia  
Saudi Arabia
LosAngeles, California
Thomasville, Georgia
Canada
Cleveland, Ohio
LaGrange, Georgia
Pearland, Texas
Taipei, Tai-Pei
Gainsville, Georgia

January 19th and 20th were days with the most visitors. 72 readers were looking for info on the 2011 Full Wolf Moon, 16 were looking for our poetry site in general, 5 were looking for info on Physican Poet John Stone, 4 were looking for the Full Wolf Moon 2010 post, 3 were looking for the poem by US Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin that was read recently at the memorial service in Tucson. There are quite a few searches for weather in the southern Appalachian mountains. Throughout the month there were a number of readers reading poems by Poet of the Month  for January 2011,  Jeannette Cananis-Brewin.

Few Readers are  from my own region.  I thought there would be more. I hope for more in the future. Thanks again, Joan. I am happy to say, "You are the winner."