Moria: Why I Started It.
Many people have asked in the last nine years why I started Moria, and my answer is always the same. When I was living in Baton Rouge working on my doctorate, I found that the bookstores did not have the poetry books or magazines I craved. I didn't quite know what they were at the time. I mostly knew that I was extremely dissatisfied with what I saw on the shelves. I remember one day picking up a book of Mark Strand's work in a bookstore (his book was the most contemporary one I could find--and that was at the best independent store in town) and thinking there was no point in reading it. Why write poetry? As someone in the process of devoting my life to poetry, I found that question particularly vexing. I knew poetry had to compete against the mass media for readership. I found myself asking why someone should read poetry instead of just going to watch Armageddon (in the theaters at that time). Sex, violence, and action versus someone's sappy feelings/therapy/intellectual buffoonery (yes, please tell your opinions about the most obscure painting you can find). Frank O'Hara was right: only a few poets are better than the movies, and the mass of poetry I could get my hands on left me wondering about the state of contemporary poetry. I spent my nights reading Dante, Leopardi, Sappho, but my days were void of words that either explained or captured what I knew as contemporary society.
I found what I was looking for mostly in the language poets and the poets in their wake or on similar trajectories. The Internet had a few places to read their works, but I wanted more. That's why I started Moria. I knew that I could provide a space without needing the costs of a print run for innovative poetry--poetry in search of another way (whether or not it finds it). I still remember sending e-mails to Sheila Murphy and Peter Ganick for the first issues. I was young and had never communicated with any other poets, except for a poet I ran into in a criticism class on Eliot and Yeats, Camille Martin. Both Sheila and Peter responded by sending me excellent work, and the e-zine took off from there. Since last year at this time, the journal (not including the book section) has been viewed by over 186,000 distinct people in 44 countries (I tried to remove the spiders from the count, but I'm sure some made it by). It's a great feeling know that I'm helping spread innovative poetry.
FAQ
1. How do you pronounce it?
A: I'm not particular, but I say "more ee ah."
2. Where did the name come from?
A: Moria is an ancient Greek word that means "folly." Many people confuse it with the Greek word "moira," but that is totally different. Some people ask if it's from the Biblical Moriah, but no, just folly.
3. Does it take a lot of time to put out four issues a year without a staff?
A: Yes, too much. I've been thinking about either cutting it to two issues or ending the magazine portion. At this point, I think there are so many good e-zines that I could just focus on the book end.
4. How much does it cost to run?
A: 20 dollars per month plus my time.
Many people have asked in the last nine years why I started Moria, and my answer is always the same. When I was living in Baton Rouge working on my doctorate, I found that the bookstores did not have the poetry books or magazines I craved. I didn't quite know what they were at the time. I mostly knew that I was extremely dissatisfied with what I saw on the shelves. I remember one day picking up a book of Mark Strand's work in a bookstore (his book was the most contemporary one I could find--and that was at the best independent store in town) and thinking there was no point in reading it. Why write poetry? As someone in the process of devoting my life to poetry, I found that question particularly vexing. I knew poetry had to compete against the mass media for readership. I found myself asking why someone should read poetry instead of just going to watch Armageddon (in the theaters at that time). Sex, violence, and action versus someone's sappy feelings/therapy/intellectual buffoonery (yes, please tell your opinions about the most obscure painting you can find). Frank O'Hara was right: only a few poets are better than the movies, and the mass of poetry I could get my hands on left me wondering about the state of contemporary poetry. I spent my nights reading Dante, Leopardi, Sappho, but my days were void of words that either explained or captured what I knew as contemporary society.
I found what I was looking for mostly in the language poets and the poets in their wake or on similar trajectories. The Internet had a few places to read their works, but I wanted more. That's why I started Moria. I knew that I could provide a space without needing the costs of a print run for innovative poetry--poetry in search of another way (whether or not it finds it). I still remember sending e-mails to Sheila Murphy and Peter Ganick for the first issues. I was young and had never communicated with any other poets, except for a poet I ran into in a criticism class on Eliot and Yeats, Camille Martin. Both Sheila and Peter responded by sending me excellent work, and the e-zine took off from there. Since last year at this time, the journal (not including the book section) has been viewed by over 186,000 distinct people in 44 countries (I tried to remove the spiders from the count, but I'm sure some made it by). It's a great feeling know that I'm helping spread innovative poetry.
FAQ
1. How do you pronounce it?
A: I'm not particular, but I say "more ee ah."
2. Where did the name come from?
A: Moria is an ancient Greek word that means "folly." Many people confuse it with the Greek word "moira," but that is totally different. Some people ask if it's from the Biblical Moriah, but no, just folly.
3. Does it take a lot of time to put out four issues a year without a staff?
A: Yes, too much. I've been thinking about either cutting it to two issues or ending the magazine portion. At this point, I think there are so many good e-zines that I could just focus on the book end.
4. How much does it cost to run?
A: 20 dollars per month plus my time.
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