Perrin Carrell’s Nom-Nom Nomination

                Perrin Carrell, writer, contributor and member of the online internet literary community: I salute you. You’ve done a lot. You write for multiple websites, have your own website and create a profound product. Right from America’s heartland, Kansas City, Missouri, you now live in America’s poetry heartland, Chicago, Illinois. I must admit, I’m impressed.

                Coachella Review is impressed with your work too.  They are proud you published with them. In fact they are so pleased they’ve nominated you for the “Best of Net”. Your poem “Elephant” is fairly excellent. “Elephant” is such a simple, yet effective, poem. Smart animals tend to be my favorites, and apparently Elephants are some of the smartest creatures, capable of learning, empathy, and, in extreme bohemian circumstances, art. You acknowledge this in your poem. When I was a mere grade school student I wrote a report about Elephants. It felt great to learn about creatures capable of empathy. Reading your poem brought me back to those halcyon days of my youth, of life before the internet. I want to thank you for that. 

                ‘Allwritethen’ may be your greatest accomplishment. Whether you win or lose that “Best of Net” award, you’ll always have this revolution. ‘Community published poetry’ you wrote. There are no editors. People publish what they want. You have curated this open space on the website since April 2011 with no letup. Going through the poem titles, like “Dildo Explosion”, “GTL GTL GTL GTL” or “oh fuck oh god oh god oh shit” I’m happy. I choose those since the titles are awesome. No academic press would do what you do, they’d see a nasty word, recoil, and then publish another poem about flowers. On ‘Allwritethen’ people don’t have to worry about self-censorship, they write what they want and you help them achieve that notable, worthy goal. 

                The rules are minimal. Apparently you do not care for deeply ingrained rule-based systems. Don’t publish more than one poem at a time. Don’t campaign for votes. Name your poem. Don’t plagiarize. You could not have made this easier. For the cherry on top you publish the most popular poems, on actual paper, on a semiannual basis. People vote in this system to determine what is all right and what isn’t. I’m glad democracy still has a say at least somewhere. The poetry world is a start and I’m proud of your efforts in bringing out the best internet city has to offer poetically. 

                Finally, you’re a teacher. You impart your years of knowledge on impressionable young students. While I doubt your syllabus looks anything like Shaun Gannon’s, I’m sure it reflects the honesty your literature and website possesses. I hope you win that award. You deserve it.