By John Robert Ladd

One of the great things about having this new collaborative site is that it becomes very easy to get a range of opinions on the same topic. Every time a member of the PT Crew submits an article, I'm always wondering what the same article would look like if it had been written by another one of our authors. That bit of curiosity has inspired us to try something new on the blog this week.

Inspired in part by 'Read an Ebook Week' on Smashwords, our next few posts will all discuss ebooks. Ebooks are a hotly contested topic among book and poetry lovers. The two main camps, those who love the accessibility and those who hate the aesthetics, seem almost always to be at odds. What could be a more fitting topic on which to spend some extra time?

Since the growing ebook industry has already been talked about extensively, each article will attempt to explore a specific trend or theme. First, JP will talk about the ebook market, and how the iPad and increased focus on tablet computing might effect pricing. Then, Hazel may discuss how ebooks will effect reading education. [At least, that's what I think she'll discuss. Frankly, she always surprises me, and I like it that way.] And finally Kate will regale us with her opinion on the experience of reading poetry on a number of e-readers and other devices. Along the way, there may or may not be some interjections from yours truly, and a few of the other members of the Crew. It should be a very interesting week [and a half] here at PT.

What's that, you say? You're extraordinarily excited about ebooks? You can't wait another moment for some poetic discussions of ebooks? Well, never fear: you might say I've written a bit on this subject before.