...on how I first got published. Let me know if you've heard this one before.

Around the age of 16, I noticed an ad in the paper for a FREE poetry contest that offered $500 to the winner. About a year into writing abstract and angst-filled song lyrics that I called poetry, I decided that I could probably win this contest--not that I was sure of myself or anything.

So I entered the contest. Unfortunately, I did not win the $500 prize. Fortunately, I was the lucky winner of an Honorable Mention certificate, and the company decided to accept the poem for publication in an anthology they were putting together. It only cost like $60. So, of course, I jumped in and bought the anthology and even a coffee cup (pictured below).

However, things started going south once I received the anthology and realized that the poetry in it was not exceptionally good. And when I looked at my poem surrounded by these other poems, I realized my poem probably wasn't particularly gifted either.

Suddenly, I was getting offers to enter another FREE contest. So I sent them my absolute worst poem. It was also an award winner that merited publication. Of course, of course. I felt like such a sucker.

Over the years, this company would send me notifications of contests, gifts I could buy to commemorate my great achievements, offers to spend thousands of dollars attending their prize ceremonies, where I could also win big money.

They were unrelenting, and for over a decade it has been a dark secret hidden in my past. Something I've been ashamed to admit. But no more. I want others who've fallen into this trap to know they're not alone; I want others who could fall into this trap to know what I did not know as a junior in high school: stay away. There's nothing illegal going on, but ethics are thrown out the window, for sure.

If you've had a similar experience or have a "friend" who's gone through this, I definitely encourage you to share.

Best,

Robert 

Yes, I bought the coffee cup. What was I thinking?!? ;)

The post office decided to help me out with this blog by delivering a package including Issue 53 (March 2007) of remark.--this issue actually guest-edited by C. Allen Rearick. This very well could be the last acceptance I can point to this year, and I'm not ashamed to admit that my poem "buried alive" is by far the shortest piece in the issue measuring in at only 4 lines. For me, it's not the size that matters, but what you do with that size.

I could just say, "Go me," and call it a blog, but I really want this to develop into a community. So I'm going to include one of my TOP SECRET poetry submission tips: When you submit batches of poems, whether 2 or 10, vary the length of your pieces.

Putting on my editor's cap, I have to make editorial decisions based off many criteria. Space is one criterion that comes up often. If an editor has 30 lines to fill and 2 poets with 20-line poems, then it's simple mathematics that only 1 poet will make it in the issue. That gives you a 50% chance of being accepted. If you happened to include a killer poem of 10 lines or less, then your chances increase.

Of course, the shorter poem still has to be very good and fit within the editorial scheme the editor has planned for that issue, but editors constantly are forced to make difficult decisions between poems and poets they love equally. If you have quality poems of different lengths, it makes perfect math sense to bundle different sized poems.

Let me know if you agree or disagree with this. Let's continue to build our community together.

Best,

Robert

I've always loved the opening to T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." What better way to open my first post for Poetic Asides, which I hope will be a springboard for poets to build a community and dialogue with each other. So why this blog?

As a poet myself who submits, who gets rejected, and who (sometimes) gets accepted, I plan to help share my experiences as a working poet. Hopefully, that leads to inspiration and comments that will allow us to share experiences and knowledge with each other.

As an editor who deals with other editors and publishing professionals, I plan to share news, insider views, and possibly interviews to help give a clear picture of the poetry "business" of things. I, of course, use the word "business" lightly, since poetry is almost never about the money, but more about the love of writing and sharing words and worldviews.

So thank you for reading this introductory post. Now, let us go, you and I to build a dialogue. This is your blog as much as it is mine and Nancy's.

Best,

Robert