Poetry Information

Write Your Way to Fame


Have you ever thought about how nice it would be to see your poem discussed in the New York Times? Think you have what it takes to become a famous poet? Well the unfortunate truth is that no one has what it takes to be a famous poet. Here's a little exercise: Name the most famous contemporary poet you can think of. Louise Gluck, Frank Bidart, and Maya Angelou, are all well known poets, but did you even know who all of them were?

Mainstream America has no interest in poetry and so your biggest audience, as a poet, is going to be other poets. Even Maya Angelou had to write novels in order to place herself in the who's who's list of poets. Poets have to have day jobs. Even Pulitzer Prize winning poets are essentially awarded a day job along with the esteem and money that comes with the prize.

Now then, if you still aim to be a published poet, despite the lack of fame or wealth you will receive for your endeavors, there are a few things you can do to boost your "career." Considering the fact that your biggest audience will be poets, you might need to establish a name for yourself within that circle.

Get subscriptions to well know literary journals. Keep your poetic eye on the kind of poetry that these journals publish. When you find a reputable journal that publishes poetry that compliments your poetic style, find out how you can submit your poem to this journal.

Submitting poetry to literary journals is an art in itself. Always pay particular attention to the guidelines and be sure to follow them to the last letter. If and when your poetry is published, be sure to pay attention to the rights. You might not be able to submit the same poems to another journal.

All right, then your next step will be to submit poetry to other journals, and since you've been published before, you can put that in your biography. You are now establishing a history of getting published in reputable journals. The more you publish, the higher you can go, see?

You can also try your hand at publishing chapbooks and asking local bookstores if you can do poetry readings to help you sell them. Self-publishing, which is how you publish your chapbooks, is more common and helpful for poets than it is for traditional novelists. The reason for this is that the consumer very rarely seeks after poetry. You might consider publishing your books and chapbooks after developing a history of getting published by literary journals.

Finally, don't count out the power of the Internet Super Highway. Create a website for yourself that attracts the poetic community. Advertise your website and try to boost up your site's Google rating. Once you do this, you have a great marketing tool for your self-published chapbooks and poetry books.

There are many ways, some not even mentioned in this article, for you to establish yourself as a poet. Just remember that it might be a slow, and at times, arduous journey that rarely yields wealth and fame.

Devrie Paradowski is a freelance writer and poet. Her poetry has been published by several literary journals and she has written dozens of articles for various publications including "Poetry Renewal Magazine," and "Poetryscams.com." She is the author of the chapbook, "Something In the Dirt," which can be found at http://www.lulu.com/content/108560 . In 2001, Devrie founded a popular online literary community ( http://www.LiteraryEscape.com ) that has become highly respected for some of the most honest and in-depth poetic critique on the Internet. In keeping with her commitment to inspire amateur writers to hone their skills, she also founded a local writer's group called, "The Fire and Ice Writer's Group."


MORE RESOURCES:

Writers' Forum features poetry festival bards
VillageSoup Belfast,  USA - 4 hours ago
11, hosted by Betty Duff and co-host Joan Clemons, will feature three poets connected with Belfast’s third annual Poetry Festival to be held Oct. 18. ...


Simmons festival taps poetry as bridge to Chinese culture
Boston Globe, United States - Sep 6, 2008
"Poetry is a more complex interaction between the cultures," he said, noting that the form is often embedded with cultural cues that are completely ...


New poetry from one time Somervillians
Somerville News, MA - 14 hours ago
And as it happens McNamara has published a poetry collection by Taylor Altman, who was a member of the Somerville-based literary organization the “Bagel ...


Call for Entries: Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest ...
Listen & Be Heard, CA - 14 hours ago
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves to express their innermost thoughts and feeling into the beautiful art of poetry or ...


Poetry book of the week: The Lost Leader by Mick Imlah
Independent, UK - Sep 6, 2008
... book's outstanding poems, includes the couplet "you'd fixed it/ For the powers-that-be up there to pay me/ To do a poetry reading with Kathleen Jamie". ...


State announces 2009 poetry contest
KTVZ, OR - 15 hours ago
(AP) - The Oregon Arts Commission has announced the fourth annual statewide poetry contest. The state and the National Endowment for the Arts are sponsoring ...


Gulf Times

QTV’s poetry programme a huge hit
Gulf Times, Qatar - 13 hours ago
QATAR TV’s Darb Al Liwan programme, which seeks to revive an old Arab tradition of improvising poetry on the spot, has become a big success. ...


Visual Poetry show opening Sept. 13
Peterborough Examiner, Canada - Sep 7, 2008
But these 10 women and one man, calling themselves the Visual Poetry Group, are doing that at the Kawartha Artists Gallery this month. ...


Poetry: Find encounters of the sacred kind
The Evening Sun, PA - Sep 7, 2008
I thought I would retreat into a book of poetry available in the shop and lose myself for a while; however, I only found myself exposed more rawly to the ...


On Poetry: Writers gain strength in co-op
Traverse City Record Eagle, MI - 22 hours ago
By FLEDA BROWN It's a thrill for me, too, to discover a writer I admire. It's nice to think that she just sprang full-grown from the head of Zeus, but, ...

Poetry - Google News

home | site map
Web Site Development - Search Engine Marketing: Dream Team Media