by: Aaron Jackson

Switched-on Gutenberg is an annual online journal born of a writer’s frustration and social conscience. Primarily the brainchild of head editor Jana Harris, the journal came into being as a class project of sorts. Harris was frustrated with the slow lead time and astronomical postage of submitting her manuscripts via traditional mail. Couple this with a genuine concern for deforestation caused by the paper industry, and the resulting mixture is Switched-on Gutenberg, one of the most professional, highest quality web journals I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

The site’s layout is easy to use, and easy to navigate. There are no unnecessary links or advertisements cluttering the navigation page. Tabs to the site’s different features are located in a neat row at the top of the main page, each clearly labeled according to its content. One of the site’s most convenient features is incorporated into the poetry tab. Clicking it conveniently opens the poetry in a new window so that the reader is free to reference the main page while simultaneously reading the poetry. The poetry window has a built in forward button, making navigation painless and easy.

When choosing a journal to review I often look for that special something that sets a publication apart from the countless web-zines I sift through. One thing that never fails to grab my attention is a journal that knows what it wants. A journal looking for a specific type of work, or a specific quality in its work, is like a billboard crying, “LOOK AT ME!” Switched-on Gutenberg is one such publication. Each issue has a theme to its poetry. Every submission must somehow relate to the given theme. Last year’s theme was, “Wish you were here-postcard travel poems.” This year the theme is “The famous and the infamous.” Working under these constraints takes the guesswork out of writing. When freed from the block-inducing choice of what to write about, interested contributors are set free, allowed to focus their creative ability on a predetermined subject.

Being that it is an annual publication, there are strict time constraints placed on the submissions. Unfortunately the reading period for this year’s issue has already passed, and the summer edition should be out sometime soon. But in Switched-on Gutenberg’s case, the benefits of being an annual far outweigh the negatives. The work contained in each issue is of such high caliber, that as a reader, I am thankful for the length of the reading period. The editors take their time in selecting the right poems from their pool of submissions, making sure that each issue contains nothing but the best possible poetry.

As editors we often make the mistake of letting our own tastes overpower the content of the journals we work for. Almost everyone is guilty from time to time. I am no exception. After all, as editors we are a reflection of our preferences. It our tendency to select poetry based on our own ideals instead of keeping the reader in mind. The best journals are those whose editors include a broad range of styles in each issue. That’s why I’m so amazed at the range of work included in this particular journal. Each poet tackles the issue’s subject in a different way. Imagistic free verse shares space with experimental form. Wistfully sentimental verse gives way to humor. Take the emotive, imagistic “Last May in Umbria” by Carol White Kelly. “Remember now the market at Umbertide: awnings the color of gelato dripping down…glazed to gold with wild weeded honey, frets on a bed of ruffled chard.” Contrast this to Marjorie L. Manwaring’s “Greetings From the Dead Poets’ Convention (A Postcard).” She humorously writes, “Got in on a technicality…rooming with H.D. and Anne Sexton. No such thing as a friendly game of scrabble with those two.” Lighthearted, witty humor shares the stage with emotive storytelling, giving the journal a carried and interesting tone.

Consider also the quiet simplicity, and gentle surprise of “World Traveler,” by Mario Milosevic for example. “He plucks hairs from his head tapes them onto postcards and mails them to made up addresses in countries all over the globe.” Milosevic puts a imaginative post-modern spin on the theme of travel, eliciting an emotional response from the reader. The short staccato lines lend an internal rhythm to the poem’s free-verse styling. Compare this to the form of "In Cordoba,” by Julie Cooper-Fratrik. “Against the cool white walls/, the odor of geraniums…The odor of geraniums/ the girl leaning from the upstairs windowsill/…The girl leaning from the upstairs windowsill/ (tousled hair aflame from the retreating sun…” so on and so forth.

As far as submission guidelines go, there are no big surprises. The editors ask that you send no more than 3 poems of 48 lines or less. They do not accept simultaneous submissions, but will consider previously published work if the proper sources are credited. Submissions can be attached as a text only document, or pasted into the body of an email. A short biography of no more than three lines should also be included.

Switched-on Gutenberg is by far one of the better web-based publications I have ever read. It offers rich language-driven verse, and a wide range of representative styles. The journal has enough interesting and helpful features to make it stand out, but thankfully not enough to make it quirky. The only draw-back I can find is the long reading period, and the wait between issues, given its status as an annual publication. But the quality of the content is worth the wait in my opinion. Even though the current reading period is over I urge anyone with a love of poetry to check out Switched-on Gutenberg, become a fan, and support the editors in any way you can.