I love deep, quality poetry that astounds with its beauty.

But I also like poetry as a cooperative, political act. Poetry as performative core-dump. Poetry as a shout-down to The Man. Poetry as a way to bind people who have little else in common. Words as confessional and comedy, play and pretext.

Please join me in creating kolkhozpoetry -- The Kolkhoz Poetry Collective. This is about poetry as a means of giving voice. There will be a blog; there will be monthly DIY chapbook-creation gatherings. But mostly there will be gathering together -- online and in person -- to find ways to use poetry as a voice, a way to shout to the world until it listens.

Don't worry if you're "not a poet". This is about finding your voice, whatever that means to you. C'mon.

(Oakland meetings will be the last Sunday of every month, beginning 3/25/07 -- you should feel free to start some up in your town, too.)

(What does Kolkhoz mean?)