The Usenet Poetry Groups "Rogues Gallery"

Usenet poetry is not really part of the real world. Though to many participants it is the real world. This is the essence of usenet poetry.

You will find various commentators claiming that usenet poetry is uniformly crap. This is not true. Well, okay, this is not entirely true. Some of the poems posted to usenet are very good. They may also seem (at times) to be very rare. Perseverence is called for at all times when hunting for the diamonds at the bottom of the sump.

It has been claimed that no poetry has been posted to usenet for many years, and that most of the posts to the poetry groups consist of taunts, trolls and tantrums. This also is not true - some of the time.

It is a fact that poetry can be posted to any usenet group that a poet wishes to visit. Except for moderated groups, but they're just scum. However, the poetry in the æther tends to settle out in six particular groups:

Please do not assume that these groups are all one-and-the-same group. It (sometimes) upsets the denizens.

Anyways, the purpose of this little corner of the web is to introduce some of the muse cadets whose pleasure it is to participate in the merry fair that is usenet poetry. While the assumption is made that the photos below have a resemblance to the online personalities listed, this cannot be guaranteed. Nor can we guarantee that the online personalities equate to real people: some of them may (or may not) be sockpuppets - personas constructed mainly for the purpose of confusion. The only assertion that this website makes is that each personality listed below has a tendency to post their own original poetry on usenet (though other personalities may dispute this claim).

The following personalities are presented in (roughly) alphabetical order. If your personality is not included in this majestic pantheon, and you would like to participate, please email the Hostmeister at rogues@rikweb.co.uk, who will be more than happy to consider your application. The information the Hostmeister will require is:

Beware the morphing entities, for they are evil!

Portrait Posting name Other aliases Home group Other groups Personal info View top posts
Andrea Bostrom no current aliases uap none I live in Versailles, KY, with my husband Erik, my macaw Kalik, German Shepherd Wulf, and horses Sizzling Jazz and Recency. click here
Alexandra Ceelie Nethermancer, NetKitten, Xandra rap arw I write. I illustrate. My corgi, Sadie, feels I work far too much. My husband concurs. n/a
Will Dockery no current aliases rap aapc Currently learning the craft of poetry, moving beyond the "self taught street poet" dead end. click here
G_cowboy_is_that _a_gnu_hurd? techlobyte uap none My poems can be found here at Vinyl Tidings. Born in 1977, single, like motorcycles and books. Can't stand styrofoam. Don't believe in mysticism. My first poem was a love poem, a sonnet wherein I wrote 20 lines and never finished the last 10 as it was so bleakin hard and gave it to my girlfriend anyway whom loved it. click here
Jay Hatfield no known aliases aapc rap My wife and I reside in Arlington, Virginia, not far from where Osama bin Laden and his jackals crashed a jet into the Pentagon. We have not forgotten. My favorite poets are Ogden Nash, e.e. cummings (especially, plato told), and Rudyard Kipling (especially, The Winners). My favorite poems of all time are Death Of A Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and Grass by Carl Sandburg. My poetry homepage is located at http://users.erols.com/tophat/!homepage.htm click here
Marek W. Lugowski no known aliases rap - Born in Poland in 1959. Came to USA in 1973. On rec.arts.poems since 1989. Have web page at http://users.rcn.com/marek/. click here
J Rinier no known aliases aapc - "...most events are inexpressible, taking place in a realm which no word has ever ventured...  Ask yourself in the stillest hour of your night:must I write? ...And if this should be affirmative, if you may meet this earnest question with a strong and simple "I must," then build your life according to this necessity... Then try, like some first human being, to say what you see and experience and love and lose."  ~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters click here
Rik Roots no known aliases rap aapc For everything you ever wanted to know about me, visit my poetry website at www.rikweb.co.uk click here
Peter J Ross innumerable and legion aapc rap A bio and selection of verse, both occasionally updated, can be found on my website. click here
Renay not a single one (contrary to popular belief) rap aapc um, I've never been charged with a felony, I don't like red wine, and I've never had a live monkey on my shoulder. click here
David Rutkowski Sister Jeanne-Claude rap - Married, one kid, write a bit, live in Taiwan, the usual stuff. click here
Colin Ward no known aliases aapc rap married, no kids, 1 corgi, living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, etc. click here
Joy Yourcenar Ebb McFlow rap aapc My poetry is on Mythologies at www.evolvingbeauty.com/myth and my collaborations with Eric Boutilier-Brown are at icon/graphy at www.evolvingbeauty.com/icon click here