Poetry Sites
Molly A. Saty
In modern times, no one makes a living writing poetry. Unlike
writing prose it is not a fulltime career. It may be central to your life and
is a cheaper than lots other pursuits, and some poets do get work because they
can lecture or teach. There is not much money in poetry so stay away from any
site that offers big money, sends out flashy pamphlets, or promises to publish
your work if you buy something, (like an anthology or a lot of other award
material, etc.) You do not want your work included with the kind of poetry they
accept. Computer search “poetry scams.” A lot of scam places have credible
sounding names that keep changing. (Some out of Olin Mills ML)
Credible contests usually charge a small fee (Ex: $2-$4 for one
to five poems). A few are free, especially for students. Or send off work in
groups of 3-5 poems to literary magazine. Don’t be in a hurry to get published
until you have a large collection of poetry you are proud of. Take time to
develop your own voice and style. Most important…keep all your work organized
in clean copy, learn to revise and evaluate your work, and keep reading poetry.
Go to the library…or get a copy of Poets’ Market and see the
entire literary magazine that accepts poems. Some may apply to beginning
writers. This is a good resource and includes workshop and convention info.
The following are among the hundreds of legitimate sites and
prompts:
www.byline.com...contest monthly…one for 1st time
writer
www.poetandwriters.com...lots
of links
www.nfsps.com National
Federation of State Poetry Societies & all links
www.washingtonpoets.com
or any state group is a good site
www.poetyjournal.org...leads
to dozens of links
www.poetrybyway.com...everything
you need to know about form, terms and poets. This is a great reference for
writers and readers.
College or school publication, legit newsstand or literary
magazines are safe. Many site are .org for nonprofit. Look for student contests
for children. All contests have strict rules and deadlines. Follow rules to the
letter. Many state contests are held for spring or fall conferences and have a
category for student residents. Major publishers require agents. Explore small
presses. Competition is tough. Manuscripts should be perfect…carefully revised.
Self publishing may be perfect for your poetry.