a (sort of) silaron year in review

2011 was a busy year for me, highlighted by the launch of my book in May, and the revival of the Dead Poets Reading Series in November.

It was also a busy year here on the blog, as it turns out that actual content makes a blog more interesting: silaron readership jumped by 56% from 2010 to 2011. Thanks, trusty readers/people Googling images of june bugs!

Earlier this year, I installed a new stat-tracking program that let me follow how many hits each individual post receives. It turned out the five most popular posts of 2011 were spaced out evenly across the year, and reviewing them seemed, for me, like a nice end-of-year recap. Maybe you'll think so, too?

Here then, in chronological order, are my five most well-trafficked posts of 2011:

January 26th, 2011: "an attempt at an online "works cited" for michael lista's bloom"

This post, originally concocted as an elaborate excuse to post a Dr. Strangelove clip on my poetry blog, attempted to trace the lineages of some of the poems in Michael Lista's Bloom.


April 1st, 2011: "James Moore comes clean (for a split-second)"

A second appearance by Michael Lista. Also, A.F. Moritz, the Fiddlehead, Chatelaine, Spanx, Ugg Boots and LMFAO (no, not that LMFAO). Oh April 1st, never stop being you.


July 12th, 2011: "urgency and simplicity - An Interview with Kae Sun"

My interview with Ghanaian musician and poet Kae Sun, before his show in Vancouver as part of his summer tour. Try to spot the cardboard cutout of a janitor!


October 17th, 2011: "hope too is an old and unusual growth - "The Bright Well" Book Launch"

This post featured a poem by Glenn Downie and an interview with "The Bright Well" editor Fiona Lam. The book has gone on to be a big success (apparently it's already in its third printing). This post isn't solely responsible for that, of course, but it certainly deserves at least half the credit.


December 8th, 2011: "five christmas ideas #3"

What list is complete without listing another list within it? This post on five of my favourite Canadian poetry books of 2011 featured Doug Ford, Peruvian haircuts, 88% meat Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supremes, and the debut of the Unimpressed Zach Wells (UZW) rating system. To top it off, the post itself received the UZW seal of approval in the comment section (though the exact number of UZW heads awarded was not specified).

Happy holidays, everyone. See you in 2012!