~ Early Web Links ~

A single heartfelt poem by Paige Lynn Mandera, written in 1996, telling the story of lost love through the metaphor of a princess whose prince has moved on. The piece is simple and emotionally direct, capturing the raw ache of a broken relationship in a fairy tale framing.

Beau Blue is a poet's showcase featuring contemporary poetry collections with evocative titles like 'Appalachian Canticles,' 'Mortality Suite,' and 'Talking Heads,' accompanied by animated poetry and broadside-style presentations. The site blends traditional verse with early web animation to create an internet poetry broadside experience, making it a distinctive artifact of creative web expression.

The Haiku Society of America, founded in 1968, serves as the central hub for English-language haiku writing and appreciation, offering membership, contests, mentorship, and the Frogpond literary journal. Visitors can explore haiku bibliographies, HSA definitions, student competitions for grades 7-12, and archives of past issues dating back decades.

Rain's cozy corner of the web features personal writing, poetry, and music alongside a self-deprecating invite to browse their thoughts and interests. The site has a Serial Experiments Lain-inspired aesthetic and offers a blog, poetry section, and links for visitors to explore.

Comet Pustój is a dreamy, space-themed personal site by a creator known as 'cometu,' who writes poetry and sends handmade zines to readers on Earth. The site features a poems index, printed matter, and a whimsical shuttle-log aesthetic that frames the whole experience as drifting through cyberspace on a solar-system voyage.

The Internet Poetry Archive is a curated online collection featuring works by celebrated poets including Seamus Heaney, Yusef Komunyakaa, Philip Levine, Czeslaw Milosz, and others, sponsored by the University of North Carolina Press and the North Carolina Arts Council. Created and edited by Paul Jones of UNC, it offers audio-encoded readings alongside poetic texts, making it a rich resource for both casual readers and serious students of contemporary poetry.

The Valley Below is a lyrical microblog blending original poetry, fragments of Plato's Phaedrus in Greek and English translation, and dreamlike prose meditations. Intimate beach photography and spare, evocative verse make this a quietly beautiful corner of the web for readers drawn to philosophy, love, and the oceanic sublime.

Ballads and Balderdash is a personal poetry site where the author shares their original poems with visitors who love the craft. The site connects to the broader Poetry 2000 community, allowing others to contribute their own work as well.

A minimalist personal site at lophius.xyz featuring evocative, haiku-like phrases that read as short poetic fragments about nature and freedom. The sparse, meditative design invites visitors through a dreamlike entrance page with almost no navigation, giving it the feel of a digital poem in itself.

A comprehensive archive of Turkish poetry featuring an extensive list of poets, folk poetry, and translations into multiple languages including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch. Built and maintained by contributors from around the world, this multilingual resource celebrates Turkish literary tradition from Ottoman lyric poetry to contemporary verse.