Mar 07 2012
The New Website is Here!
Just in time for the full moon — a new website for the Poetry Chaikhana!
Take a look, explore, tell me what you think:
The Look and Feel
I’ve been busily working on this redesign for several months.
First, I had to settle on a new look. I’ve always considered the Poetry Chaikhana website to be sacred space on the Internet, and I wanted the look and feel to reflect that.
I’ve tried to maintain a simple, spacious design. Visiting the Poetry Chaikhana pages should be a serene experience. I want you to instinctively take an easy, full breath when your browser finds its way to the Poetry Chaikhana. Sacred poetry is best savored when we discover those timeless moments.
After testing a few dozen predesigned website themes, I finally found one I thought came close to what I wanted. That’s when I started digging under the hood, so to speak, changing and adapting the code, to get the look and feel I wanted. Nothing too showy, but there are some subtle touches that I think you’ll appreciate.
The Nuts and Bolts
The unique challenges of creating a website for the Poetry Chaikhana are that–
a) I have LOTS of material — hundreds of poets, thousands of poems, notes on important sacred poetry themes, timelines…
b) I need to be able to maintain and regularly update this extensive site in my limited free time
c) I need to use web technology that I personally understand and have the software tools to maintain, since I can’t yet afford to hire someone
The solution I came up with years ago when I started the Poetry Chaikhana site was to use my skill as a database developer to build a rich, customized database. That gave me an excellent interrelated filing system for everything. And then I got a little fancy and figured out how to generate the website’s HTML code directly from the database itself. The result was a customized system that allowed me to easily add new material and regularly post a new copy of the site on the Web — and all the new pages were automatically integrated. (This is different from the more common approach of using a live database back end. Too much technical gobbledy-gook to explain why I didn’t use that approach.)
But a major redesign also meant a major database redesign. So I let the old design limp along for a bit too long. I won’t bore you with the geeky details of how I made the changes for the new site, but the Poetry Chaikhana database files have been extensively reworked so I can now generate and update the site with ease. And, future design changes should require considerably less front end work.
Fine Tuning
With a major update like this, I expect there to be glitches to fix and details to be tweaked. I’ve already got a small list started of things to do. Please let me know if you find any problems or come across anything that seems confusing. I want the site to be inviting.
Most of all, I really hope you’ll think of the Poetry Chaikhana as a great place to discover new poets and, if we’re lucky, a few Aha! moments. So, please, have fun exploring!
…Now, I can turn my full attention to readying the first of the upcoming books for publication. Keep checking back. It will be ready soon!
Sending a warm smile (and a satisfied sigh of relief),
Ivan
Fragrance from tea
wafts through the
open door.
Looking around,
the tea house looks
inviting.
A place for a world weary
traveler to
sit,
sip
and sigh.
There,
by the window
overlooking the mountains,
shrouded by clouds -
a small, round, brilliantly
painted table.
A place
for me.
Welcome!
Thank you.
Don’t mind if I do.
It looks beautiful, Ivan!
Thank you,
Cinder
Congratulations Ivan,
I like it. As inviting and welcome as the Chaikhana itself.
Wow!
Change is good and yours is most impressive. Congratulations, Ivan!!!
I like the new website. It looks simple and easy to use.
The new web site is wonderful Ivan,calming relaxing a place to think learn and ponder in quiet solitude.As a practicing Nichiren Buddhist I welcome this gift and give thanks to your wonderful efforts on our behalf. Lynn Fux (Israel)
It looks beautiful.
You can have all the suupprt from us. Just take care of your health.
Ba Khan
Ivan, the new website is lovely! Good job! But I do so miss your commentary. The one change I would request is that your commentary be part of the first view. For newcomers to your website (and to poetry) your commentary is invaluable. For that reason, I’d make it part of the initial view.
It looks beautiful, Ivan. Congratulations!
Ivan … love your poetry and comments … could the poem at first glance be in larger font so can read at glance without having to open up another link to it …
thanks
much appreciated
carmel
Beautifull website Ivan, a pleasure to read.
Love
Tarini
Nice! The new layout is simpler & easy on the eyes. I especially like the explanation of what chaikhana means. It seems to invite one to rest for a moment. It also links readers of today to that ancient caravan of traders, explorers and sacred seekers stopping for a while….then moving on to the next chaikhana. I like that sense of connecting to the past. Perhaps the photo can vary to reflect that going from place to place.
Thanks, Ivan, for the time, energy & care you put into the new look. And thanks too for inviting feedback. Well done!
thank you, Ivan. You are brilliant! A Shining Light to all of us. Thanks again.
Barb
Wonderful idea, I love it
I send you my best wishes and love all the way from Bahrain
The new website looks wonderful and as always, a pleasure to visit! Thank you for your work and dedication!
It’s beautiful! I admire that you have used your tech skills to enhance the spiritual experience. You touch many with your insights, and have contributed to a more enlightened world vision. Inspired by your site I took my nephew to the teahouse in Boulder and had a wonderful dinner in a magical space. Keep up the good work!
Beautiful, Ivan, and I’m so grateful that you create such a meditative place for us!
Many Thanks!
Ah!Blissful…oceans of gratitudes for creating such place.
Love & Warm Regards
I love the new website Ivan and I shortcutted it to my desktop so I can visit often. It’s like having my own poetry workshop here in my home, especially with the videos. Much gratitude.
Ivan,
Yours is the gift that keeps on giving…Thanks so much for your efforts…It’s the things like this that help me remember to focus on the internal light, as I sometimes allow the darkness to creep in a little too close…Nice work.
Ivan
I guess I am the only one with any suggestions.
First, although the site is peaceful and quiet I began to feel as if I was looking into the pale blue eye of a beautiful Siberian Husky. I do not know why but is difficult to stare into those eyes. Maybe adding some subtle water mark art would help my eyes.
Second, the bar slots on the left side spill into your main page.
Just some thoughts.
Whatever you do, I will always return
I really like the new website, and appreciate the amount of work you’ve done. I am so very grateful for your work Ivan, and look forward to visiting your website more often, as well as emails and FB, you are amazing! I love how you are bringing poetry from every culture and spiritual tradition to so many people worldwide; thank you for stating what you have about showing the positive in cultures we westerners sometimes malign thoughtlessly.
a lovely place to rest and sip poetry and bliss! I loved imbibing your poems and feel refreshed! thanks for sharing yourself! you are encouraging me to find and honour my own poems again !
in one of yr. blogs you said you had Chronic Fatigue…..it seems you are transcending this condition … at least I am amazed at the energy and passion you bring to this project and trust it refreshes you as well..
all best! Joy
Good morning Ivan,
Yes I have been enjoying the full moon. I believe the website is lovely. Beautiful
photograph and space abounds, sacred space. I go on overload with much internet
material. The Warbler is a great poem to begin.
I never dreamed when I found Poetry Chaikhana a couple years ago that I would
grow to love it as I do. Thank you for sharing your work, your knowledge, and
helping us grow
My only issue is that the text is too wide for the screen, and I have to use the arrows to read the right edge (this could be just the system I’m working on). Otherwise, lovely! Here’s one of my song lyrics.
I used to think that beauty was my hair
My eyes my lips
My hips
What clothes to wear
But then I learned
And my vision burned
At the beauty everywhere
I once thought steps went either up
Or down
I never knew there was a
Middle ground
But then I found
All this different sound
Had been playing all around
We’ve got to open our eyes to see
All this wonderful diversity
We’ve got to open our minds to find
The possibilities
Of our destinies
I used to think we never could depart
From bad or good
Our nature
From the start
But then I learned
Through pain I earned
This sympathetic heart
copyright 2009 V. J. Leventhal
i love your website, i love the poetry you share, i love your comments and thank you for taking the time to email poems weekly.. you are a source of joy and peace and love. <3
Very impressive. All of your hard work is very evident. Your work enriches are lives.
Thank you for sharing your talents with the world.
Bravo! I love the new images and appearance. It’s fabulous you took an existing template and tweaked it. I don’t know how you manage to do this time-intensive labor of love, but we, your readers, sure appreciate it. I am remiss in getting my proofing back to you in a timely manner. Tomorrow it will happen.
Well done Ivan! your new website is very easy to follow ,most inviting, and so rich. I love Chaikhana Poetry and open it every morning first thing in my “quiet time” . It brings me in and sets the scene for my day. I have passed it on to many people..it’s for sharing. Thank you. Cynthia.
So talented… so gifted… and I thank you once again
from a place in Florida and my place in Montana…
namaste
Thanx Ivan the new website is very beautiful & its serene eloquence is most welcoming to our world weary souls ! Chaikhana has always been my favourite to catch a quick sip of mental calm & carry the thought process it evokes into daily life. Thanks again for your many hours of tireless labour for our greater good !!
Congratulations Ivan, the new look of the website is wonderful and very relaxing….
Thank you for such a wonderful website:)
Lakshmi