I'm a semi-finalist!!!

[McClance]

Recently, I entered a poetry contest.

Today, I received a letter in the mail saying that I made it to the semi-finalists!!!

This is the closest I've ever come to winning anything anywhere!


Just wanted to share the news. :ok:

[Anareth]

Please tell me the names "Poetry.com", "National Library of Poetry", or "International Library of Poetry" don't feature anywhere in this.

[McClance]

Please tell me the names "Poetry.com", "National Library of Poetry", or "International Library of Poetry" don't feature anywhere in this.

Uh-oh... :erm: :disguise: Why shouldn't Poetry.com not feature in this? :redfruit:

[McClance]

It's about a family of California Warbler birds who were nesting in my backyard last year and how I would help them protect their chick from our cat.



"California Warbler"

Rustling through the leaves,
A California Warbler finds tasty insects.
Hiding in the brush,
A small chick waits patiently her parents' find,
Trusting only her parents,
The chick obediently takes the bugs.
Warbler parents boldly warns away
The approaching predator.
With each approach of the predator,
Another being comes to their aid.
With a friend's help,
The Warblers' chick remains safe from the predator.

[Kaoru]

Uh-oh... :erm: :disguise: Why shouldn't Poetry.com not feature in this? :redfruit:

:erm: I got the same letter about becoming a semi-finalist. ... I never even sent in a poem. Not to say your poetry isn't wonderful--just be wary about the letters.

[Azarias]

Uh-oh... :erm: :disguise: Why shouldn't Poetry.com not feature in this? :redfruit:

Because (http://www.winningwriters.com/wergleflomp/silverbowls.htm) it's (http://www.eliteskills.com/writing_scams/poetry.com.scam.php) a (http://poetrynotcom.tripod.com/) humongous (http://www.writersweekly.com/warnings/poetry.html) scam (http://wockyjivvy.com/poetry/shame/index.html).

These people will ask you for money. Do not give it to them.

Here's (http://www.winningwriters.com/includes/conteststoavoid.htm) a (by no means complete) list of poetry contests you don't want your name associated with.

[Anareth]

Thanks, Azarias. Spared me having to find the links. Or I could just dig up my old letter from them.

I hate to burst your bubble, but everyone who sends them a poem gets to be a 'semi-finalist.' Including the Detroit Zoo chimp the Free Press let play with a keyboard when they did an expose, and first-grade-level pieces of crap sent in as known bad poems. They're strictly a racket, and publication in them has no standing in the real literary/publishing community.

If you're looking for real poetry markets, besides on-line, you might want to swing by forums.srellim.org (Meeting of Minds) and PM Ghyle--he's a serious poet, or trying to be, and would have better on-line and off- leads. Definitely to more reputable stuff than the poetry.com scam.

I swear, this ought to be a sticky in here--every few months someone comes in all excited, and those of us who've been burned in the past (or didn't get taken in--wish I was one of those, but I blame being a dumb high school freshman at the time for my gulibility) have to burst their bubble.

[McClance]

:eek: :O

Ah... I see...

Well, it's certainly a good thing I posted this "news" here before I sent off the forms. I should've known it wouldn't be so easy.

Thanks for the red flag. :)

[Kath]

I hate to burst your bubble, but everyone who sends them a poem gets to be a 'semi-finalist.' Including the Detroit Zoo chimp the Free Press let play with a keyboard when they did an expose, and first-grade-level pieces of crap sent in as known bad poems. They're strictly a racket, and publication in them has no standing in the real literary/publishing community..


Actually, Anareth, that's not true. Many authors have tried long and hard to come up with a poem so dire that these scammers wouldn't accept it, and finally Teresa Nielsen Hayden of Tor books managed it.

Have a look at this part (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006498.html) of her blog. Please. If you havn't seen the Nigerian Spam set to rhyme yet, you really, really should follow this link.

She's also part of the team of authors that took on the infamous vanity publishing company PublishAmerica, with the wondrous "Atlanta Nights" by Travis Tea. Wiki article here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Nights)...

[Brenda]

I know of someone whose grocery list was accepted...

[Anareth]

You know, actually, some of the takeoffs on her theme are actually pretty good. And I find it hard to believe that ILP didn't accept it unless it was lost in the mail (or they mistook it for actual Nigerian bank draft scam e-mail.)

[Kath]

Exactly. I'm pretty sure they'd have spam-filtered it.

I'd forgotten how good some of the others were, to be honest. Jo Walton's adaption of "modern major general" (or whatever the real title is) has me in stitches every time.

[Kath]

You know, links are a lot more useful when they're not exactly identical to ones posted as part of a more comprehensive list up-thread... Sheesh!

[Aurelia]

Kath - I posted it because it gives more literal stats than listed above....it supports the argument, not repeating it.

[Kath]

Kath - I posted it because it gives more literal stats than listed above....it supports the argument, not repeating it.


As I said before, it's STILL exactly the same as a link further up-thread. Double check the link under "it's" in Azarias' post if you doubt it.

I'm sorry BB, but it's the same link. I accept that you didn't realise this at the time though, and that it was a genuine error.

[Brenda]

Also, sometimes I miss links if they're not specifically indicated, as in having every word in a sentence be a different link. I hadn't seen bb's link.