Your host, Mary Boren, at your service. Off and on since 1995, I have sought out Internet poets who share my love of the craft, and have amassed volumes of rhyming poetry from various forums and websites that are now technologically obsolete. This list will grow as I revisit those collections and continue to encounter outstanding poets on the web. It is only since about 2014 that I developed an appropriate appreciation for free verse, so be patient as more of it it gains rightful place in the subsites of Poets Collective Multisite Network.
Please enjoy a sampling of 12 to 20 poems from each of these friends and relatives (whether by birth or choice) whose work exemplifies the objective of Poets Collective, which is “to encourage and promote poetry writing that can stand the test of time and reading that can assure its will to live.”
 Duane Dodson graciously mentored me at the Sonnet Board around the turn of the century, and subsequently became a treasured mainstay of a forum I hosted for about four years. Masterful rhyme & meter is his forte. |
 Susanne Donoghue was immediately identified as a kindred spirit when I met her on a large interactive site in 2014, and we’ve seen eye-to-eye in working together on several projects. She excels in both free verse and R&M. |
 Roger Dorey was an enthusiastic novice when I met him on a large poetry site in 2012. He soaked up learning like a sponge, and quickly mastered the techniques of rhyme & meter. |
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 Susan Eckenrode and I have traveled the same poetry circles since 2000, when she joined and quickly gained an appreciative following at a forum I hosted. She writes exquisite rhyme & meter, as well as free verse. |
 Frank Halliwell was the first poet I met on the Internet in 1996, when rhyming lines were few and far between. I became an instant and enduring fan of his rhyming verse. |
 Eric Linden has been the last man standing at numerous poetry forums since 2000, and has co-facilitated with me on two. He is extremely knowledgeable and skilled in both R&M and free verse. |
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 I was introduced to Mike Porter‘s work through a 2017 contest that revealed his clear mastery of both free verse and traditional form poetry. His collection covers a variety of topics that resonate. |
 Charlie Rankin is a poet with obvious respect for others. His writing is polished, accessible, and resonant, evincing a depth of character and wisdom born of experience. And how can you not love a guy who loves his dog? We met in 2017. |
 Peter Smallwood, a/k/a Sid Bear, is a lovable, generous encourager and a treasured friend. He writes from a deep well of experience, and whether in in free verse or rhyme and meter, his poetry sings with unexpected word pairings and fresh imagery. |
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 Dennis Turner became a valued acquaintance in 2017, when I took a renewed interest in the unique opportunities for poet interaction at allpoetry.com. His skill with narrative rhyme is the envy of many there, including myself. |
Joy Watson is one of the first people I met on AllPoetry in 2010, and it has been my pleasure to sustain a friendship with her ever since. She excels in rhyming forms with a strong voice advocating for the natural world. |
 Mark Vincent, whom I also met on the world’s largest poetry site in about 2010, has been a steady and supportive presence in every project I’ve undertaken since. He writes beautiful rhyme & meter, with an emphasis on sonnetry. |
My Uncle Buddy is one of the two people most responsible for my passion for poetry, as it led me from pre-Internet times of howling with glee at a snail mail correspondence-in-verse delivery from him or my dad, Hal Upchurch, to an infinitely joyful journey of interactive online discovery that has outlived both of them.
Also see the Poets at Peace ring for an introduction to some of my deceased friends who left an indelible mark on my soul.
