We'd like to think we're the ideal audience for The Critical Flame - 'the intelligent reading public.' The site was launched in the face of dwindling reviews pages in the national (American) press and in the desire to keep the literary conversation alive.
Site editor Daniel E. Pritchard says it best in his introductory essay to The Critical Flame, and we love the way he sees literature in education:
A life of constant education is a life lived well, and the heart of our continued education is a public discourse that is free from small-minded influence, sanitation for the sake of weak wills, and cowardly censorship. With that in mind, we at The Critical Flame seek to clear a space in this wilderness that is the internet for articulate discussion and learned debate. We will make our convictions vulnerable to scrutiny, put aside our petty egotism, and engage with literature honestly, openly.
Going for quality rather than quantity, each issue features a few reviews of verse, non-fiction and fiction publications. All we can say is if reviews pages ever disappear from the mainstream media, it won't be the end of the world as long as sites like The Critical Flame continue to exist.
If you've got a website or podcast you'd like to submit for Site of the Week consideration, send us an email (make sure the recipient is Website enquiries).
