When I first started writing poetry again back in the spring of 2012, I posted rough drafts of poems on a hastily constructed WordPress blog mainly to hold myself accountable for writing something every week (preferably every day). I never thought anyone else would read my work, which I was very shy about sharing at workshops and in writing groups. Then, when strangers started commenting on my poems, I was shocked, but still pleased that at least they were only known to me online. There was a lack of reality or of consequences there, or so I told myself.
Daring to bare myself to critique or submit my work to literary journals or participate in competitions… wow, that took much, much longer! It’s still something I am somewhat uncomfortable with, but I push myself to do it. Why?I’ll be honest – my long-term goal is to have a set of poems good enough to publish in a volume. But along the way, I’m enjoying the journey.
I suppose there’s some element of wanting recognition – of course, there is! But above all, I want to learn and improve, which is what keeps me coming back to dVerse again and again (although everyone tends to be very nice and polite about my poetry here). There’s nothing like seeing your poem in print or having to read it in front of an audience – and seeing them react in all the right places. Also, learning to deal with rejection is character-building. The first few months of sending material out, I would be devastated by each rejection. It would take me days to recover. Now, when I get a ‘thank you but no, thank you, not for us’ email, I think: ‘Hurray, that frees up those poems to send somewhere else…’
On the other hand, at the end of last week I read an article in the New York Times about poets who are becoming internet phenomena, publishing only on their own blogs or Tumblr or other social media sites. They have no MFA, no literary awards, no poetry collections to sell, but their poetry has an emotional appeal and immediacy which wins them thousands of loyal followers. That is encouraging news in an era when poetry has been so often pronounced dead (or elitist).
I would love to hear tonight what you think about sharing your poetry with others, whether you participate in competitions, whether you submit to journals and other literary sites or if you are patiently building up an online following. And, however you feel about it, I would encourage you all to take part in this poetry competition over at Shiny New Books site. It’s on one of our favourite themes, after all, and it’s free to enter, which so many competitions aren’t nowadays.
Calling all poets out there! We are looking for original poems of no more than 25 lines on the subject of‘Reading’, and you can interpret that as widely as you like, feel free to be innovative. Our deadline for submissions will be 1st December 2015, and we’ll be announcing the winner in our Winter edition in late-January.
dVerse 
Hi Marina!!! I have started looking and joining our local Ontario Poetry Society as they have contests every quarter, and a chance to be included in the publication. Its not free though as you have to pay for each contest.
I was actually reading some poems during the weekend in Instagram and I am amazed that there is an interest in such posts. What makes it easy is that one only has to “Like” to post and share it with others. Some are raw and free form, so its another vehicle to explore if one has time.
Thanks for the link~ I challenge myself to join and participate as it gets my muse going with the deadline ~ A very interesting article thank you ~
Ah, paying for competitions is another (serious) kettle of fish. It feels particularly tough when you don’t have a lot of income coming in and you feel guilty for ‘squandering’ it on something that has little realistic chance of success… Luckily, there are some free things too, or else I try to look for things where I am guaranteed a bit of feedback, rather than just a terse ‘sorry, not selected’.
That’s me…that fixed income issue seniors deal with is quite REAL.
I really do not like the idea of paying to submit. Then it sounds more like a money-making venture than a competition. I have not done this in quite a while….but did sometime in the past…and never will again. There just seems something wrong, wrong, wrong about paying to do this. Probably better off buying a few cups of coffee at Starbucks than wasting money like this. Sorry that I am so cynical.
Good evening, everyone! I’ve just come back from playing chauffeur to my older son, who had a particularly stroppy teenage moment this evening about not preparing his schoolbag the night before (although he finds it really hard to get up in time and get ready to catch his bus in the morning). So I am a little tired and rattled, but hope real life won’t distract you from the discussion!
I used to submit to competitions ( years ago) but lately I hesitate because of the expense…it can add up fairly quickly. Another factor is time…the time it takes to find the competitions, to adjust to their formatting requirements etc. I think that line about enjoying the journey sums it up for me. Though it would be nice to have additional income, at this point, my primary goal is to write and to share what I have to say. To that end, I’ve even reduced the prices of my publications.
Thanks for inviting us to a provocative discussion, MarinaSofia. I may change my mind after reading the response here.
Yes, it does take time, doesn’t it? I always tweak a poem to fit in with the requirements, plus the research, plus checking the journals out to see what they normally publish and which of your poems would fit in there… Which is why I haven’t submitted anything for ages. I used to do it much more regularly last year – and even had some small successes.
I would say I would have better things to do with my time, but good for you for submitting, Marina Sofia; and even better for you for having some success with it. And wishing you even more~
Hello everyone! Joining in late and for just a few moments. The journey, the learning, the pushing myself to expand – I write for me. Plain and simple. I “self publish” on my blog and post links on a couple of poetry communities. That is good enough for me. Years ago I was all into doing public and invited readings, trying to get published. It was such a cynical experience for me, I stopped writing for quite a few years. Elitist, dead, incomprehensible, boring – all words I have heard ascribed to poetry. Yes, some of it is really weird (to my mind), and some really is pretentious as well as the writer. I don’t feel I “have” to write everyday and post everyday. It is a labor of love, not a labor. I like the two communities I post to because the people are nice, the prompts are interesting, like today (and hopefully next week, ahem!), the posts are educational and expanding of myself and concepts. The prompt of enjambment threw me for a loop. It took me awhile to find my voice in the device but reading links from other poets helped. Now I am conscious of it. Mary’s most excellent post was another post that put me in mind of certain devices. A friend of mine was whining he never was accepted, never published….I asked him if that was the only reason he wrote poetry. I like reading all the different takes on a prompt. I’m extremely shy and have gotten more shy as I have gotten older. Standing in front of people now to read a poem would bring on anxiety so I am happy to have my voice heard on my site, dVerse, and another one. Nice sites, nice people.
Amen to that, Toni!
Thank you, Toni. Like you, I learn so much from the techniques and crafts described and ably demonstrated by the other participants.
And that’s a very interesting point you raise via your friend: ‘if you knew you would never be published, never be accepted, would you still write poetry?’ I’m pretty sure the answer for most of us here at dVerse at least is: ‘Yes’.
A resounding YES!
I am very shy as well. The idea of an open mic scares the bejeebers out of me. We have one here in town, and as much as I would love to share and get that feedback, I can’t bring myself to do it.
It is scary! Do you ever go to listen? That’s fun too
Marina, like you, I started tentatively with a blog which blossomed, and although I have had quite a few poems published in ezines and in print, my blog has brought me regular readers and good friends, which I couldn’t hope to have with any poetry publication. This is why I value dVerse so much.
My first two submissions were accepted, in 2009 so the first rejection was bruising. I’d sent four poems to a magazine, which elicited this email in reply: All four totally unsuitable. Gone to the paper bank. I replied in rhyme so acidulous it nearly burned the paper!
I’ve learnt that rejections are always a matter of personal taste. I used to take the rejected poems and rework them, try to make them better… until the day when one that was scathingly rejected in one place was actually shortlisted (unchanged) for a competition. Then it became clear to me that it’s a matter of the right poem at the right time in front of the right person. And that often it’s a matter of chance. Better odds than the lottery, though, I tell myself!
I so agree. I research the judges for competitions and try to choose the right poem.
Very time-consuming. But then I remember how disciplined Sylvia Plath was about sending out things all the time – and how she taught Ted Hughes to do that as well.
My biggest issue with a poetry contest is the restrictions for submissions. I don’t understand if I submit a piece that I’ve poured so much time and effort in and is rejected in one competition, can’t be sent somewhere else. Why would they care if it was never published? Like you say, it is about the right person at the right time.
A lot of journals or competitions don’t allow simultaneous submissions or else ask you to notify them if your poem has been accepted elsewhere – I think it’s for copyright reasons. I do find it harsh that they consider even things which appear on your blog to be ‘previously published’ and so won’t accept them as entries.
Marina Sofia, what a wonderful article. I just read through the article you shared from the New York Times and was really fascinated by the rise of Instagram and Tumblr poets. I do not know much about either Instagram or Tumblr, but it seems that some of these poets are now self publishing books & have thousands of followers. This phenomena seems to be increasing interest in poetry.
I wonder also why Tumblr and Instagram and not the blogosphere? Why aren’t poets rising in such a phenomenal way through the blogosphere?
I also noticed that there is a You Tube Channel devoted to poetry now (mentioned in the article), so I went in and subscribed to it.
Anyway, thank you for this well organized and well researched article!!
It’s a very interesting article, isn’t it? And I’m always pleased to hear about the spread of poetry and its ‘democratisation’, if you like. Of course, there will be people who complain about ‘dumbing it down’, but it’s got to be alive, not tucked away in an ivory tower, right?
I agree, Marina Sofia! Bringing poetry ‘alive’ in this way can only help spread the love of poetry. Nothing wrong with that in my book.
This was a very interesting article. It makes my heart happy that young people are showing more interest in poetry.
I entered in the CBC Poetry Prize a couple years ago, not expecting to hear anything out of 10,000 submissions. I cherish the three poems I wrote for this and hope to be able to submit them somewhere else.
A short response: It was a major step for me to let others read my poetry, and after many many years of not writing, it was a big step (creatively to therapeutically) to starting writing again. This is so true for me: “I suppose there’s some element of wanting recognition – of course, there is! But above all, I want to learn and improve, which is what keeps me coming back to dVerse again and again (although everyone tends to be very nice and polite about my poetry here).” — I would add that I embrace the politeness. I have a degree in creative writing and, thus, have been through workshop gauntlet. When I want to or get to that point where I am seeking to be ‘workshopped’ then I will seek that out. For now, it is grounding to be among a community of writers who love to write and share their efforts in self-expression.
There is another facet pushing me and that is the belief in the power of language (discourse, nothing-outside-the-text) to change the world for better or for worse. I hope my offerings help make the world a better place, rather than pulling it down further into hatred and ignorance. It is built upon the notion of six degrees of separation, so if I directly only reach 20 people or 10 or just 1, the ripple still reaches out as if I had a million readers.
Yes, I love the politeness and friendliness of dVerse too – like you, I’ve sat through some excruciating workshops where someone’s work gets ripped apart for no good reason other than to show off, or else because ‘that’s not how I would have written it’.
I love what you say about the belief in the power of language. Have you checked out the site ‘I am not a silent poet’?
https://iamnotasilentpoet.wordpress.com/
While it tends to be mainly UK-based and therefore the political allusion may sometimes be obscure to those living elsewhere, it does get me debating and thinking about things in a different way.
Thanks for the link to iamnotasilentpoet. A great site. Inspiring and reminder not to fall into navel-gazing poetry.
Also, as far as publishing poetry, I have self published 4 books of my own poetry really…. Mostly I do this only for myself & my family and friends, not go gain fame or fortune. Smiles. Actually the true reason I write is pretty much for ME at this point….because I find it FUN.
As far as performing, I did some of it in the past. Really enjoyed the open mics, but it seemed that they have faded away in this area for some reason. Sadly. I do enjoy attending these events though, not only just for the sharing of my own poem but also seeing who else in the area is writing and WHAT they are writing. It is sort of like having a ‘live’ open link. Smiles.
There aren’t many open mic sessions for poetry here, but I did attend one while I was in London for work and I was stunned at how good some of the people were. It was hugely educational, as well as entertaining!
And congratulations on self-publishing your poetry. That, to me, is very courageous indeed, even if it’s mainly for friends and family. I don’t think I have the nerve to do that yet.
As for fame and fortune – I’m not sure many poets gain that at all… It’s not like bestsellers. You’ve got to do it for the love of the word, don’t you?
Oh, you should do that, Marina Sofia. Actually a major reason I did it was so that someday my grandchildren would have my poetry in their hand and could learn to know me in a new way. I am sure it will be some years before they will be reading these books…but… So, smiles, think about your future grandchildren, and….. (Using Lulu wasn’t that hard!)
Mary, what a beautiful thing…to leave a gift of poetry for your grandchildren. I do believe it reveals a whole different part of us to our loved ones.
That is such a beautiful thought, Mary, bequeathing something to future generations. The love of language and beauty. I’m not sure my children are very much interested in my poetry (yet), but maybe my grandchildren will be…
I do not really use Tumblr or Instagram, may have to check them out; Self-publishing through Amazon, or elsewhere freaked me when I read others who published what I considered inferior work; in much need of editing & rewriting. Vanity publishing, which a lot of poets do, is beyond my budget too. Chapbooks confuse me, as do how some do publish just one featured poet. As an ex-actor, I love performing my poetry in open mic clubs. The anthologies published associated with dVerse included some of my stuff, but building a small following on my blog via dVerse seems to be enough for me. Publishing my work, never getting feedback, is like sex without love; thrilling but empty emotionally. I enjoy writing just 1-3 poems a week, or about a 100 a year. My growth, as a poet is directly analogous to the prompts at dVerse.
I can certainly imagine you performing at openmic clubs and just bemoan the fact that I don’t get to see many of those where I currently live (or at least not in English).
I haven’t quite figured out the difference between chapbook and volume of poetry either, except that the former contains less poems perhaps?
I hear what you say about the instant feedback you get online, while with published work (or participating in competitions) you never hear back, they just keep you hanging on…
Hello all.. Joining quite late before going to bed. When I started blogging I came upon a weekly writing contest called Trifecta, and actually won a few of those.. But so far I have not taken the time to send into competitions or even for publications.. As I said in a comment to another blogger – I really prefer the instant sugar-rush of blogging…
I remember Trifecta – I think it closed down very soon after I started blogging, so I never worked up enough courage to participate.
I can completely understand the sugar-rush of instant feedback, but isn’t there the danger (I ask myself this, you understand – every person feels differently) that I just get stuck in a comfortable cocoon of online friends who give me positive feedback no matter what I do? Mind you, you don’t learn much from a generic rejection, or from a critiquing session where everyone is just out to demonstrate how clever they are. But the most growth in my poetry has come when I submitted something that I was rather proud of and had worked a lot on to a neutral third party – and got some very targeted, constructive suggestions for improvement or critique of what I was doing (using too many abstract nouns, for example).
Oh yes, I learned that a lot from the book project we ran.. I have received constructive feedback a few times, also negative comments.. I think you are perfectly right.. Sooner or later I will take the next step..
I loved Trifecta, and miss the challenge of 33 words up to 333: poetry that is shrunk to fit is my kind of poetry.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we can have like a Trifecta like challenge in D’verse? I also liked their challenge to write words or group of words, and we have a week to write ? If others like the friendly competition, why not include it too ?????
I would love to do that too… 🙂
I rather like the sound of that too. After all, those who don’t want to compete don’t have to, but it might be fun to do a one-off.
I’m not sure what Trifecta is, but in the beginning of dVerse we used to alternate MTB with Critique and had very little, if any response. It just didn’t work. If you look way back at the beginning posts, Luke Prater posted an excellent and practical explanation of how critique SHOULD be constructive…without crushing anyone.
Hi MarinaSofia…thanks for starting an interesting discussion. When I first started my blog back in mid 2010, I asked a friend about how to attract visitors to my blog and she suggested a large poetry group of which she was a member. My initial thought was that I would write memoir on my blog (I had never written poetry) but I decided to give it a try. And that is when my poetry writing began. It was a wonderfully supportive group and many of the people I met way back then, I’m still visiting today…some are in dVerse too. I found the prompts really spurred my creativity and I enjoyed it very much. At first, I thought my answer to your question of who do I write for, would be for me but I realized that if I didn’t have the feedback that I get, I don’t know if I would be as enthusiastic about writing.
I’ve submitted my work minimally and have never paid for submissions. I don’t have the finances to support that and it doesn’t appeal to me either. It is fun to see your work in print though; I can’t deny that. I’ve had one piece of memoir published in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper and one of my poems was published in a new ezine that dVerse had joined with when they asked us to submit poems on the topic of urban life.
I too am a very shy person but with the encouragement I’ve received, I’ve found that my voice has grown stronger and I’m not as reticent to put myself out there. But ask me to speak in front of a crowd…and I might start running!
Gayle ~
Thank you, Gayle, for a very thoughtful and nuanced reply. You certainly touch a point I have often wrestled with myself: am I really writing for myself, or if I start waiting for the feedback from others on my blog – am I really writing for them, for the strokes of approval I hope to garner?
So pleased to hear that your voice is getting stronger and overcoming your shyness. We can be much braver in our writing than we can be in person, in front of a room of strangers, can’t we? And if our blog is read by hundreds of people (most of them strangers), we can still be braver than if we had to read our work in a room with just 50 strangers.
I’m torn about contests. I often read about them, then shy away from them. But I have had some interest in some that are for a book length poetry collection. I want to publish mine and it seems like an opportunity to be read more. Like Glenn said, that getting read completes the conversation. I wrote for/to myself for years. Sharing feels amazing.
I never thought I would use Twitter. I don’t carry a cell phone, don’t do FB, and generally don’t enjoy social media. But I joined Twitter last name under my pseudonym for NaNoWrimo and discovered a world of poets, thousands of them. Each one is there for their own reasons, some strictly to promote their books.
But what I got really excited about were people using it as a canvas for micro-poems. It’s been a challenge to have to chisel down to 140 characters. Very cool exercise. Sometimes I post a longer poem 1 verse at a time. There is a wide variety of types of poets, all ages, novice and well published. I have learned so much from some of the older poets and had fun sharing poems back and forth. It’s a medium with a lot of potential. It can reach so far.
This is a great discussion and I will check back once more tomorrow
I was very sceptical about Twitter too initially. I thought it was like those silly mobile phone conversations you hear on the train at times: ‘I’m on the train, darling.’ I didn’t want to know what people had eaten for breakfast etc.
But I’ve become converted too, because I get links to such wonderful articles as the one above (that came from a Tweet), become acquainted with all sorts of wonderful writers and poets, and it’s through Twitter that I got my ‘job’ as a reviewer of crime fiction and am getting in contact with publishers.
I have yet to write micropoetry though – perhaps I am too verbose for that?
And I’m torn about contests too. I sometimes go through a period when I work up enough nerve to submit to journals and participate in contests – a period of 2-3 weeks. And then I close down again for a few months (while the rejection whistle and thump in).
Thanks for sharing more about Twitter,MarinaSofia. I was wondering how time consuming it would be. Instagram is another one that has been recommended to me and I hadn’t even thought of it as a venue for poetry. Who knew. 🙂
This is a great conversation and I am intrigued by the responses. I have never shared my blog on any social medias. That is probably why it has taken me 4 years to gain approx. 1,000 followers. I am very leery about sharing with friends, etc. since much of what I write comes from personal experience. At the same time, I am hooked on the response, the “sugar rush”. I am not ashamed to say that I write to make an impression. Artists don’t usually paint to cover their own walls, so why should we? I think that we have so much to offer the world with our inhibitions, our unique perspectives and expressions. We can make impacts….on people or maybe even in some small way, on society. Just my opinion.
I am SO grateful to have found dVerse where fellow poets are courteous, encouraging and inspiring.
4 years for 1000 followers is not bad – I don’t think I’ll have achieved quite that when my blog turns 4 (and I do share my blog posts quite a bit on Twitter). But it’s not about views or followers for me – I like exchanging ideas with others, and often finding more congenial, like-minded others online than what I find in real life.
I agree with you. It is not all about followers. That is why I come to dVerse. It is all about the people here, the personalities that shimmer through in their work and all that can be learned from another’s view and craft.
Thank you, Marina. I am contributing very late on this but must tell you all that pushing the “publish” button is still difficult after a little over a year of writing almost every day. I started my blog accidentally when trying to support a Facebook friend at his blog. All I wanted to do was comment! The next thing I knew I had a blog. I was about to delete it when I realized that I could write my aforeto secret poetry and no one would see it! Right. I love writing though and it is worth the angst of putting it out there!
Thank you for contributing – it’s never too late! What a happy accident that got you writing and sharing your poetry! I had to laugh at your comment that no one would see the poems even if you click the ‘publish’ button. I am lucky in that no one from my close friends or family is interested in the slightest in my poetry, so they would never seek out my blog. This gives me quite a bit of freedom to write and just be myself.
It was a most welcome mistake! Thanks again Marina!
Late to this discussion…but for what it is worth, I began my blog in 2011 with an on-line creativity class using photos and writing…then added some painting. My following is small, but I’ve not gone to great lengths to bring readers to it…not interested in marketing it. Without Dverse.com it would not be what it is now. I, too, wish to gather in one place my writings and art in a book for my children and grandchildren. …it’s not about making.money. If I resonate with just a few readers, I am fine with that. Writing is its own reward. I appreciate the topic, Marina; thank you for the good conversation!!
Thank you, Kathy, it’s never too late to join in. And I can really relate to your motivation. It’s not all about crowds, is it, or marketing? I like the thought of gathering all your work – writing and art – in one place.