Weird New Jersey

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on October 1, 2001

Going up against Randy Constan’s Peter Pan’s Homepage in the “weird” category of this year’s Webbys, Weird New Jersey didn’t stand a chance. No matter how bizarre your content, it’s tough to compete with photos of a late-forty-something bloke leaping about in a ragged-hemmed green tunic or posing longingly in front of a fireplace decked [...]

Poetry Super Highway

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on October 1, 2001

The initial raison detre of Poetry Super Highway was to promote the poetry and other activities of literary entrepreneur Rick Lupert. But since its launch a donkey’s age ago, this site has evolved into both a zine of sorts (there are submission guidelines) and a fairly rich resource for all things poetry-related. On the zine [...]

Drunken Boat

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on October 1, 2001

After a spotty initial effort, Drunken Boat has returned with an impressive second issue (Winter/Spring 2001). Edited by Ravi Shankar, who notes in his bio that he does NOT play the Sitar, and elegantly designed by Michael Mills, Drunken Boat features poetry, criticism and an assortment of web-friendly art. Overall, readers will find here a [...]

Goodreports

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on September 1, 2001

Goodreports is a Canadian indie book site of reviews, essays links and etc. – sort of a home-published, North-of-the-Border Rain Taxi or NYT Books section. Amidst an assortment of capable criticism, bestseller lists, a trivia challenge and other content is editor Alex Good’s “Puffy Awards”, launched to honor “that most essential of all contemporary literary [...]

Both Magazine

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on September 1, 2001

Finally… In addition to demonstrating that it’s quite possible to make a cool text-only web page, the homepage of Both magazine, a 1 year-old print mag out of Alston, MA, that has published work by James Tate, Tomaz Salamun and Joe Wenderoth among others, also showcases a truly marvelous sample poem by Michael Lynch, titled [...]

Tragos

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on September 1, 2001

For many a twenty-something guy, spending three weeks as the researcher at Hustler magazine (where your duties include sorting reader-submitted cheesecake shots, fact-checking cover model bios and procuring copies of competing magazines for the boss) might just be the temp-job equivalent of nirvana. For a woman, however, as Margaret Gray tells us in her memoir, [...]

Vestal Review

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on September 1, 2001

Reading Jakob Nielsen’s recommendations on writing web content in Designing Web Usability, one can’t help but consider all the different kinds of text-based content that can’t possibly be bulletized, chunked, or otherwise distilled to some web-friendly essence – like fiction, for example. There’s no doubt that publishing fiction presents some serious usability problems for ‘zine [...]

Royal Journal

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on July 1, 2001

A Webby award-winner for humor that’s steeped in NY flavah, Royal Journal features some less than flattering pictures of participants in the annual Feast of San Gennaro in NYC’s Little Italy. Funnier still is the assortment of electronic “breakup” cards (one of which features a pair of skunks and the caption “maybe we should see [...]

Pindeldyboz

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on July 1, 2001

According to Editor-in-chief Jeff Boison, Pindeldyboz (that’s PINdill-dee-boz) — now into its 3rd volume, and currently available both online and in an ebook version – should have evolved into a print journal. “I find a printed volume to be something special and something to cherish in a way impossible for an ebook or electronic format [...]

Exquisite Corpse

reviewed by Tom Hartman

Originally published on July 1, 2001

Back in 1999 when Exquisite Corpse “went zine” rather than shut its doors due to the high costs and mounting frustrations Jeff Boison hopefully will be spared, editor Andrei Codrescu celebrated The Corpse‘s transformation: The old Corpse isn’t dead, he said at the time (or something pretty close), but rather it’s been reborn, to enjoy [...]