Texas. Alaska. Space. Visit this site, dubbed Tales of the Storyteller, fora quick tutorial on these tomes and the remarkable man who penned them. Read shining anecdotes from Michener's life in the writer's own words, peruse a photo album and video clips, and join the "Michener-ophiles" e-mail list. The most interesting section for both devotees and first-time readers, entitled See the World, features an interactive map that summarizes the books Michener is famous for writing about different regions. - David Pescovitz
Each issue of the online literary journal Pauper, a "new home for new writers," contains original prose, poetry, and book reviews-all of which can be commented on by readers. Unspun, a satirical section along the lines of "Politically Incorrect," is amusing, while an ongoing interactive story allows readers to get involved. Submissions are welcomed, and, as the editor states, Pauper will "look at anything." While there's currently not a great deal at the site, the attitude is a refreshing change. Pauper neither affects a hip attitude nor exhibits a stifling earnestness as do many journals of its ilk. - Mike Hase
The self-proclaimed "editrix" of LitWeb, Robyn Davis, has attempted to create a site where those "who love words can come and play." The site contains book reviews from the editrix herself, some short fiction and journal pieces contributed by surfers, and a classifieds section for personals, rare books, and employment. Unfortunately, the site doesn't seem to get much use, and the editrix seems to have grown bored with the endeavor, judging by her increasingly infrequent updates. If you're the type who reads anything and everything, then stop by and spend a few minutes reading what's here; otherwise, don't bother. - Mike Hase
Cult Fiction covers writers outside the mainstream-and does so sparingly and poorly. Six writers are currently advertised, including Crews, Bukowski, and Celine, but only four of the links actually lead anywhere. Those links that do exist contain bios of the respective writers, as well as links to reviews of a few of their books. In a somewhat ironic twist, each section also contains merchandising information for these non-commercial writers and, in fact, this is all I could find in the Bukowski section (Bukowski T-shirts go for around $15). For a much more extensive look at these writers, skip this site, and check out Bohemian Ink, also reviewed in this issue. - Mike Hase
The full text of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, middle and modern English excerpts of illiterate mystic Margery Kempe's transcribed thoughts, an annotated guide to scholarly Shakespeare resources on the Internet, and a selection of Elizabeth I's speeches, letters, and poems are just a few plums picked from Luminarium's three anthologies of English literature, which collectively cover the mid-14th to the mid-17th centuries. Author entries, appearing to the tune of period music, generally include biographical information, excerpted or entire works, and commentary. Each anthology comes with its own linked list of additional Web resources on everything from the art and architecture to history and politics of the time. And Luminarium couches it all in a lush thematic design. - Sandra Stewart
"A lot of professionals are crackpots.É At times inactivity is preferable to mindless functioning.É Killing is unavoidable but is nothing to be proud of.É Lack of charisma can be fatal.É Often you should act like you are sexless.É Romantic love was invented to manipulate women.É Slipping into madness is good for the sake of comparison." One "truism" after another flashes by at this strangely hypnotic site where artist Jenny Holzer invites you to approve, reject, or alter her textual cherry bombs. Click on Beliefs to vote and to check the running tally. Click on Change to improve or replace the statement. Or just sit back and watch a new provocation appear every few seconds. - Sandra Stewart
If you've grown weary of best-selling novels from the likes of Dean Koontzand Stephen King, then treat yourself to some fresh literary blood at the Missouri Review's Web site. Here, you'll find original poetry and short fiction, essays, reviews of current fiction and nonfiction, and interviews with authors such as Jamaica Kincaid and Edmund White. Not just a teaser for the print version, the site is building a promising database of every author whose work has appeared within the Missouri Review's pages, complete with notes on the progress of each author's work. - Todd Jatras
Jay Zasa, the creator of the Angelic Beat Haiku Machine, says he was inspiredto create this literary technology toy after reading Brian Eno's views on future artists and new media. Well, give Jay and Brian their due credit, because this is one tight machine with a minimalist Beatnik theme. Visitors can compose their own three-line Haiku verses with a random verse generator, and then edit each line however much they want to. This is a definite bookmark for those of us who love to be mesmerized for hours on end by the warm, glowing union of computers and creativity. - Todd Jatras