diff --git a/flake8/__init__.py b/flake8/__init__.py
index 49cbabd..6f33c82 100644
--- a/flake8/__init__.py
+++ b/flake8/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import logging
+import sys
 
 try:
     from logging import NullHandler
@@ -7,6 +8,48 @@ except ImportError:
         def emit(self, record):
             pass
 
-logging.getLogger(__name__).addHandler(NullHandler())
+LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+LOG.addHandler(NullHandler())
+
+# Clean up after LOG config
+del NullHandler
 
 __version__ = '3.0.0a1'
+
+
+_VERBOSITY_TO_LOG_LEVEL = {
+    # output more than warnings but not debugging info
+    1: logging.INFO,
+    # output debugging information and everything else
+    2: logging.DEBUG,
+}
+
+
+def configure_logging(verbosity, filename=None):
+    """Configure logging for flake8.
+
+    :param int verbosity:
+        How verbose to be in logging information.
+    :param str filename:
+        Name of the file to append log information to.
+        If ``None`` this will log to ``sys.stderr``.
+        If the name is "stdout" or "stderr" this will log to the appropriate
+        stream.
+    """
+    global LOG
+    if verbosity <= 0:
+        return
+    if verbosity > 2:
+        verbosity = 2
+
+    log_level = _VERBOSITY_TO_LOG_LEVEL[verbosity]
+
+    if not filename or filename in ('stderr', 'stdout'):
+        handler = logging.StreamHandler(getattr(sys, filename))
+    else:
+        handler = logging.FileHandler(filename)
+
+    LOG.addHandler(handler)
+    LOG.setLevel(log_level)
+    LOG.debug('Added a %s logging handler to logger root at %s',
+              filename, __name__)