EPC Bloglinks

When the EPC asked me for
permission to copy my links list
I was deighted, and this is why:
The EPC gets lots of hits. When I agreed,
I explained that my list of links
is completely personal and reflects
nothing more than my own tastes.
I made and make no claims of impartiality
or representativeness for my bloglinks list.
When I publish my "crush lists" I am not
claiming that these are are the best blogs.
I am only announcing them
because I like them and want
to recommend them for that reason. I
have always been a whimsical reader, but
I will make the claim that I am not fickle. This
consistency may have created the illusion
that my links list is meant to be
representative. My links list reflects
my own preferences and nothing more.
If a blog is not included it is not
meant as a condemnation. Readers of my blog
or my bloglink lists should understand that I
explained all this to the EPC when I
was invited to post them there.
Like any blogger, I reserve
the right to include or exclude whatever
blog I wish on my links list.
Some bloggers have
very long lists, some have short lists.
The EPC accepted my list
exactly the way it was and asked no
questions, requested no changes, made no
suggestions or comments, except
that it be alphabetized.
Again, the EPC has not edited or
made any suggestions or even
any comments whatsoever except
their gratitude for my willingness
to share my links with them.
I will say that if a blogger stops
blogging for a month or more,
I may sometimes temporarily
remove the blog from my links list.
This is merely for the
convenience of the readers.
When the blogger resumes,
it be be returned to
the list. As I implied above,
in all likelihood, once a
blog is on the list it will remain
there as long as the
blogger continues to post.
And it is for this reason that
I try to be careful about the blogs that
I link to on -fait accompli-.
But the selections
are the result of my own enjoyment,
interests and admiration only.
There are no other claims made
for my selections. Some of the blogs
on my list link
to -fait accompli-, others don't. That
is their choice.
Sometimes I enjoy poems or other
work by writers or artists who don't seem
to be interested in my
poems or art. Certainly the reverse
might occasionally happen,
I don't know, but there are so very many
interesting writers and artists.
I may link to many of the
blogs others seem to link to, but
sometimes I may not. I regret any
upset or displeasure that results
from these decisions and choices
but I reserve the right to make
them. However, thus far only
one blogger has approached me
directly since the announcement
about the EPC bloglinks list
and that blog has
already been added to my links
list. I will just add that apparently
there are some people that
may be taking this
opportunity to express anger
or foment anger towards the EPC
or the Suny/Buffalo poetics list
through me because of grudges they hold. This may be
the downside of making this
institutional connection. I don't take this
personally, but I will
continue to evaluate whether
or not this project is worth the trouble
to me or to others over time.
Enjoying blogging means too much
to me to let bitterness and bickering
get in the way. This is exactly why
I mostly left the Suny/Buffalo
poetics list and started
blogging in the first place.
So I'll have to see what happens
over time. You can be sure of
one thing: I am determined to
continue to enjoy blogging and reading
other people's blogs whatever
happens.