Annie started WOM-PO, the Discussion of Women's Poetry Listserv, in 1997 with an invitation to a small group of poets, critics, and lovers of women's poetry. The list has grown gradually, now numbering nearly 900 subscribers on five continents. In 2008, Amy King succeeded Annie as List Moderator for WOM-PO. Discussion on the list covers women poets of all periods, aesthetics, and ethnicities. It has been characterized by its high caliber, relatively low volume, and openness to a diversity of aesthetic perspectives.
WOM-PO subscribers have undertaken various other WOM-PO-related projects including a website and online poetry workshops for subscribers (query on-list for details). In Spring 2008, Red Hen Press published an anthology of poetry by WOM-PO subscribers, LETTERS TO THE WORLD.
From the publisher's website:
LETTERS TO THE WORLD is the first anthology of its kind—a feminist collaboration born from The Discussion of Women’s Poetry Listserv (Wom-po), a vibrant, inclusive electronic community founded in 1997 by Annie Finch. With an introduction by D’Arcy Randall and brief essays by the poets themselves reflecting on the history and spirit of the listserv, the book presents a rich array of viewpoints and poems. LETTERS TO THE WORLD is a remarkable example of how the Internet has radically rearranged associations among poets, editors, and readers.
"The collective voice of these bold, humorous, and striking poems captures a vast spectrum of feminine experience and proves "herstory" a force to be reckoned with. The reader is swept up by a perfect storm of tenderness, wit, narrative and lyrical vision, culled from the seasoned and emergent, those close to home and she who speaks to us continents away. Oh, Mighty Wom-po, long may you serve!"
--Dorianne Laux
author of Awake, What We Carry, Smoke, and Facts About the Moon
Panoramic in scope, these Letters to the World and from the world of the on-line Wom-Po LISTSERV exult in a constellation of voices both individual and now connected. I can't help but think of Emily Dickinson, whose line provides the title for this anthology, privately binding her poems with needle and thread and storing them away. It's a gift that we have these poems available from a community that is passionate about poetry and women's voices. It's a conversation in which we should all be engaged. It's a new cosmos. Imagine if Dickinson had been able to log on.
--Gary Short
author of Theory of Twilight, Flying Over Sonny Liston, and 10 Moons and 13 Horses
Foremother's Corner (essays by subscribers about women poets of the past)
Old Girls' Network (poetry-related endeavors by wompo subscribers)
Poetry Resources (from balancing your life to finding a good textbook)
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
To subscribe to WOM-PO, send a mail message to
with the following words in the message body (fill in your own name where it says "your name"):
SUBSCRIBE WOM-PO YOUR NAME
MORE DETAILS ON THE WOMPO LIST AND MANAGING SUBSCRIPTIONS
WOM-PO MESSAGE ARCHIVE
http://lists.usm.maine.edu/archives/wom-po.html