Facts ands Opinions About Poetry.com

Facts and Opinions
About Poetry.com

If you write poetry, you probably have heard about Poetry.com. From friends who want you to be recognized for the talent they see in your work, to those infernal pop-up ads, it seems that many people have had some kind of experience with the International Library of Poetry, and Howard Ely, Managing Editor.

This article is neither to promote nor discredit Poetry.com. I am searching for your input to help me make a decision. If you have had contact with them, I would like to have contact with you.

I am in the process of signing up to go to their convention at the Coronado Springs Walt Disney Resort from February 25 to 27, 2005. I received an official invitation from them on the Internet, and in the US mail. I've gotten invitations before, and been thrilled at the thought of going each time.

A couple of years ago I put a deposit down, wasn't able to go, and did get my $75.00 back. This time I'm trying to get myself there for real. Maybe there's a reality TV show in this somewhere. Everything is so reality now. What is reality anyhow?

At any rate, I've already paid a $75.00 deposit for the convention (full price to be paid by mid February is $595.00), purchased a round trip plane ticket, and am counting up the savings account, an extra part-time job, something to see how I could possibly have enought money to stay at the resort for the "special promotional International Society of Poets rate" of $183.00 per night.

The convention brochure tells of coffee house rap sessions, awards for poetry (possibly based on oral presentation--Can I do "Def Poetry"?), engraved loving cups for poetic achievement, banquets with dancing at midnight, and the grand prize of $20,000.00 cash. It sounds like a good time, especially if you are chosen as a winner. There are also two cruise vacations and 20 publishing contracts up for grabs--10 recording and 10 publishing contracts. You even get door prizes for showing up. But you have to pay a lot of money just to show up.

I have entered the Poetry.com contests from the Internet, and received an "Editor's Choice Award" of the month, and have been published in their anthologies and CDs more than once.

If Vanity Press means you pay lots of money to get your name and work in print, AND have a copy of it, I am indeed one who has fallen into the pit of vanity and can't get out.

I am vain. I am not Warren Beatty (Carly Simon was singing that song about him, supposedly). But, I would like to think I have some talent. I have the receipts to prove. . . something. . . sort of. Actually, I am not SURE of anything.

The only thing I know is that anything about Poetry.com costs a lot of money.

All this aside, I am very interested in hearing of other people's experience with Poetry.com: their letters, awards received, conventions, and poetry conventions in general. Some of what I've heard about Poetry.com has not been positive.

I haven't made it to a Writing.com convention yet, but I hope to soon. At a Writing.com convention, I would expect to meet some people I already know, and even more writers on the site, with whom I can share the experience afterward. I think a Writing.com convention may be organized very differently from the FamousPoets.com convention I attended in Reno last September. That was my first convention experience.

I had a nice room. There were lots of people in lots of different rooms throughout the Labor Day Weekend. We read our poems to each other in groups of 30-50 people. We talked in the elevators to have personal conversations where you find out the things you have in common. I had several elevator friends. There were people you'd keep seeing and you'd smile at each other. I lost their names and numbers, and they've lost mine too by now.

We listened to speakers. We received "stuff," and memories of the weekend. It was fun, but I was looking for a publishing company, an agent, an editor--if they were there I couldn't find them. I missed getting Leslie Nielsen's autograph by two minutes Darn! His reading of "The Raven" was something I'll never forget. Yes, he was wearing a tuxedo. People were really dressed up for the formal evening of entertainment. It was like a gala ball, but less grand than an inaugural ball. Evening gowns were everywhere Saturday night.

People get lost in a crowd. I'm not always real outgoing. I didn't meet any people who I'm still corresponding with from the FamousPoets.com convention, though there were about 450 poets in attendance.

I'm a bit skeptical of what Poetry.com does, as opposed to what Writing.com is. Writing.com is home. Poetry.com is a contest.

They aren't the same thing. They have different goals. Writing.com promotes writers. Poetry.com promotes. . .

but one couldn't compare these two. That would be like comparing a pumpkin to a raisin. Writing.com is the tops in my book.

Poetry.com does lots of business. I'm most interested in any personal experience you would be willing to share with me. I need your help to open my eyes, and perhaps the eyes of others. Reality is what you make it, so I need lots of perspective on this.

Please send me an e-mail if you can.

Thanks, and peace, ~sunflower

ps I received this unbelieveably informative link, and wanted to share info. This just blows me away!

http://www.windpub.com/literary.scams/bigmoney.htm (copy and paste into your browser)