Joseph Squier, an Assistant Professor at the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois, Urbana, integrates imagery with text so artfully that his pages seem to shimmer with life. His Web site, The Place, offers a collection of photographic montages and story/poems that will leave you breathless. Of particular note is Life With Father, a haunting writing that traces the artist's relationship with his violent father from the early spankings and beatings of his childhood to his father's death more than 25 years later. The quiet beauty of his words and pictures brought tears to my eyes. - Rachel Saidman
Michael Woodward's site, The Other Side, features a collection of photographs and anecdotes about Michael and his loved ones. My feelings about this site are decidedly mixed. While I very much appreciate the aesthetic--the design is very attractive, well thought out, and easy to navigate--I also feel that many of the vignettes are a bit trite and are probably only of interest to Michael and his friends. There's nothing wrong with that, certainly, but a site needs to offer something that dispassionate viewers can relate to if it wants to reach a broader audience. - Rachel Saidman
Bard Edlund, a Norwegian student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, is quite accomplished for someone his age. His Web site, Ohzone, showcases his art and writing. Some of Bard's images, particularly his digital work, work quite nicely and deserve to be highlighted. But unfortunately the less-is-more theory is not at work here--he's put up everything but the kitchen sink, including a bunch of doodles and a mixed bag of poems. While Bard is obviously a bright guy with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, he needs to be more selective in what he puts up at his site. A nip here and a tuck there could make this site top notch. - Rachel Saidman
There's something condescending about a 20-year-old addressing visitors to his site as "gentle reader." But then again, ever since he was a small child, Patrick McCuller has been, for all purposes, "entirely superior to his peers." This is a heavy burden for a child to bear, but Patrick's ego has obviously held up well under the strain. Hotel Insomnia is a collection of Patrick's writings, journal entries, and images. Even though I loved the opening quote from Calvin & Hobbes-"You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket-ship underpants don't help"--I was put off by just about everything else. - Rachel Saidman
Some chick (woman? girl? she's out of high school but still thinking about it, so it's hard to say) named Evany posts recaps here of thoughts she had while cruising down the I-5 rocking out to Marvin Gaye's "Grapevine," eating bean with bacon soup and drinking iced red wine (shouldn't that be illegal?), and flossing her teeth, like so: "I sit here flossing, something that I do maybe once a month. Unless there's bleeding and tenderness [ohohohOH] and citrus sting, I can't get that cathartic, goodgirl feeling. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not catholic or anything...." These chatty, slangy meanderings can be charming, occasionally even funny, but a little goes a long way. - Sandra Stewart
Terry Baker's gallery of images is worth a look: The artful photographs of San Francisco and New York go beyond the typical beauty shots and street documentary; the "cartoons," actually paintings, overlap figures and patterns in a vibrant sort of cubist-surrealist style; and the "machine stuff," combining planets, geometric designs, and numbers, has a coolly metallic glow. The journal portion of Baker's site, however, is unfortunately accurately characterized by its title, Wordshit. These personal journal entries are just meandering little thought excretions on current events, disappointments, friends, and family. Like other online journals, Wordshit is a good demonstration of why most people keep their diaries private: not because they're so scandalous, but because they're so tedious. - Sandra Stewart
At benturner.com, you can sense the conflict. Ben is utterly self-absorbed, yet he likes to share. Ben knows he is talented, yet he wants your approval. Ben frequently explains that he might seem arrogant and boastful, but.... I don't want to seem patronizing, but it wasn't hard to guess that Ben is a 19-year-old college freshman. Still, benturner.com offers more than your typical vanity site. In addition to reading about what Ben is thinking and doing, you can access a page devoted to the Robin Hood legend, a primer for new fans of the X-Files, downloadable programs culled from the Internet, an online gaming reference, and MUD help for newbies. The design is more sophisticated than most, too. - Sandra Stewart
Introduced by an open hand with a roving eyeball in the palm, this elegant and exquisitely creepy site showcases Duncan Hopkins's personal as well as commercial art and design work. Head for the Gallery to see photos of Hopkins's House Deamons, including a blue alien and various gargoyle-like creatures made of celluclay and similar materials; conceptual sketches of various monstrous beings; and Lost Worlds, a series of strange, sometimes Daliesque landscapes. If you spent a lot of time in school drawing monsters on your Pee Chee, or if you have any kind of appreciation for scary fantasy creatures, then you should really see these. And while you're at it, take a look at Hopkins's equally high-quality portfolio of Web site designs, illustrations, and other commercial pieces. - Sandra Stewart