![Ren [Katherine] Powell](/storage/headerthing.png "Ren [Katherine] Powell")
So. You Want to Publish Your Poetry.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 7:33AM You “love poetry”, and you want to know where and how to get a book of poems published.
Seems people want my advice, until they get it. Disclaimer: when - all those years - people would interrupt me in the middle of an anecdote to say, "You should write a book," it was only because no one had yet thought to say, "Tell someone who cares."
At any rate here is honest advice, but it starts with a single question that isn’t always easy to answer: Why do you want to publish your poems? Really?
Do you want to become a “poet” in the traditional, literary sense? Do you hope and dream of your work appearing in Norton anthologies and being accessible to readers for generations after you are dead? Are you a serious literary poet?
- Do you know the differences between books, chapbooks and anthologies?
- Can you list 10 contemporary poets and a book title for each one?
- How many poetry books (not anthologies) have you read in the past 6 months?
- How many poetry books (not anthologies) have you purchased in the past 6 months?
- Can you name 5 print literary journals?
- Can you name 5 online literary journals edited by university programs?
- What does Bloodaxe make you think of?
- What does Copper Canyon make you think of?
- What is a pushcart?
The best advice I ever got as a writer was probably the most painful. Albert Goldbarth once stormed out of class after a passionate rant about the narcissism* of people who claimed to “love” poetry, but don’t bother to read it.
He’d asked each of us (workshop students) to bring in a book by our favorite contemporary poet - and not one person did. In fact, not one person could claim to have read an entire collection by a single, living author. I was so ashamed I stayed away from poetry for a few years. When I returned, I did so humbly – reading and not writing. Learning. Really learning to love poetry, and not (just) my own poetic words.
If you don’t read contemporary poets, why would you think contemporary poets would want to read your work? (From the necessary supply and demand point of view of publishers: if you “love” poetry but don’t buy books by contemporary writers, what kind of poetry lover do you imagine is out there to buy your book?)
Few people would enter a room full of people, deliver a monologue, and leave. The poetry community is like a room full of people engaged in a conversation, one that began long before you showed up.
If you are someone who reads poetry and knows what is published and where, then the odds are you know exactly what to do to get published and are sending your work out there with the help of duotrope.com or newpages.com, and collecting rejections along with the occasional acceptance – just like other poets. You don’t need advice, really, just courage and a hug. Have you looked into solutions like Nic Sebastian’s nano publishing model?
But maybe you are the kind of poet who does genuinely love poetry, but isn’t particularly moved by the kind of poetry published by independent presses or in the academic journals. Blue Mountain poetry speaks more directly to you than the L*A*N*G*U*A*G*E poets.** Poetry isn’t “work”, it’s self-expression and an expression of love. Maybe your desire to publish is driven by a desire to engage directly in conversation with other poets: to share feelings and observations about the world. If so, the good news is that there are dozens of great online poetry communities, sharing and sometimes critiquing each other through bulletin boards or blogs.
(**update based on comments: I put Blue Mountain and Language poets out there as extremes on a continuum, not as two options. There are worlds between, with varying interest in craft, "accessibility", tradition and readerships.)
One of the gifts of the internet age is the re-democratization of poetry by creating space for communities that are not limited by geography. With the help of publishing on demand, poets can create anthologies for limited readerships, books that focus on topics too narrow for established publishing houses to take on for financial reasons.
Check out places like Writing Our Way Home and The Writer’s Island. (I hope people will add links in the comments.)
Maybe you are already involved in a community – say, a support group for families touched by Alzheimer’s disease – why wait for a publisher to put out an anthology of poems that speak to you? Send out an invitation for poems from your community and contact a print on demand publisher. Poetry can be more than a means of expression; it can be a tool for community building.
Or maybe you aren’t the kind of poet who’s interested in communities. You really aren’t interested in other people’s writing. Period. You just want to be able to tell the couple at the cocktail party, or the stranger on the bus, that you are a “published writer” and you don’t have time to hammer out a novel. You want to be a poet because women will rip off their shirts, or the Old Spice guy will drop his towel at your feet. (Because, yeah, that kind of thing really happens to poets all the time).
If this is you, go directly to lulu.com; do not pass go; (And, just like the rest of us) do not collect 200 dollars. You are the only one guaranteed to get exactly what you want. You can update your Facebook profile immediately.
* I am not sure that Goldbarth actually used the word narcissism, and I no doubt remember it thus because of the chord his rant struck in me.
Reader Comments (17)
HAHAHAHA. Yes.
I can answer nearly all your questions affirmatively, and I have no doubt that I am a poet. And even though I read contemporary poets (Louise Gluck, Louise Erdrich, Lucille Clifton, Mark Strand, whomever catches my attention) and even just bought a new Mark Strand a couple weeks ago, and even though I know the journals and read them sometimes, I can't tell you why I want a book of poetry published by a reputable publisher. It's just the thing I do.
Your advice is terrific. I'm going to mail it, anonymously, to some "poets" who always disturb the readings with their presence on the open sign-up sheet.
I know what you mean, Leslie - but I want my books published by traditional publishers because I want to be read by generations to come - sounds pompous, but it is true.
I want to communicate and be heard now, yes, but I also want to be part of the dead poet society, and established publishers are still the way to go... isn't that honest enough? ;)
I love this, and it's so very true.
Personally I love poetry, but I only love reading it. I tried writing poetry when I was much younger (who didn't?), but I've decided I'd better stick to prose and pop lyrics. ;) I just wanted to say that I like the way you phrased this, and that I hope (and think) you will be read by generations to come.
Thanks, Kris! I appreciate the comments. And I admire lyrics. Have tried working with musicians to write good lyrics and just don't do it well enough... a whole other craft involving knowing what sounds good in song... hats off!
Online poetry communities that are reasonably active include Poets United at http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/ and One Stop Poetry at http://onestoppoetry.com/ and Poetic Asides at http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/ ...
Thank you so much for your input, Rob! I forgot to mention Sunday Scribbling. Great folks there, too.
While the general thrust of this is fine, the people who most need it might get the idea that there's nothing between the greeting card poetry of Blue Mountain and the Language poets. They also might get the idea that there are no journals that publish accessible poems that even (gasp!) mete and rhyme. Further, they might get the idea that members of poetry communities just hang around together to share those simple little poems, and that they're not interested in publishing in those hoity-toity journals. Let's correct those mistakes, shall we?
There are plenty of journals that publish accessible poems. Start with Rattle. There are lots that are friendly to formal verse. Just google "Venues for formal poetry" and you'll find Rose Kelleher's useful list at the top of the result set. There are communities that will support you in the goal of writing non-abstruse, metered, rhyming poems and getting them published in respectable places. Eratosphere is at the top of that list.
To read contemporary poetry that you might like, you need to know which journals print it!
My mention of the Language poets did not necessarily exclude other poetry traditions. I set up those examples as poles along a continuum, without dismissing the merits of either. I did not imply that people who do not write academic poetry were writing "simple poetry". Your insinuation regarding my attitude is offensive, and I believe entirely undeserved. I write in formal (gasp!) rhyming and metered verse myself.
How elegantly you've added to the discussion, Maryann. Thank you.
Great post! I would also recommend Your Daily Poem www.yourdailypoem.com as a site that features a wide, wide range of poetry from poets living and dead, but all with an accessible, and even upbeat, vibe. Good for folks who think some journals are too "academic." Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, who runs it, posts poems each day, also has an open mic space for you to post your own poem for comments, and quite a bit of interaction.
I see I've blundered, and I apologize. You've read me as saying that you yourself hold those polarized ideas. I didn't, and don't, think so. It's "the people who most need" your post who might misunderstand, since they're not aware yet of the continuum between those poles. And it's for them that I intend my response. I'm sorry it offended you.
Sorry to have misread your response, Maryann.
I interpreted, "Let's correct those mistakes, shall we?" as a sharp tone aimed at me.
Tone is so easy to misread and I tend to do it quickly. ... apologies. I seriously need a vacation and an attitude adjustment. I appreciate your addressing what I left unclear!
And thanks, Sarah, for the daily poem link!
Okay, I've got to ask: why do the five ONLINE journals need to be "edited by university programs"? Of the many noteworthy ezines that I can name few, if any, have much to do with a university: TheHypertexts, The Flea, Shit Creek Review, Autumn Sky, Pedestal, etc.
Interesting article, though. Thanks for posting it, Ren .
Hi Colin - Yeah, I agree there are a lot of GREAT online journals that have nothing at all to do with universities! I have loads of rejection slips from them to prove it. I am also an associate editor for one.
I thought about that little qualification when I made the list in the context of the continuum I was presenting, as a way of pointing out awareness of the academic literary tradition. I figure if one can name 5 academic journals, then one is also aware of all the others, while the opposite may not necessarily be true (that is, even if people are very elitist about university publications they KNOW which publications they are turning their noses up at, while people who are familiar with blog-community journals with ambitions of being included in traditional anthologies, may not have the whole picture). I didn't mean to imply that they were more "important" or better - or what one "should" be submitting work to. Thanks for letting me clarify that.
Hmm. Part of my question involved the double standard of PRINT versus ONLINE venues. That is, why should ONLINE journals require a university affiliation while PRINT ones don't?
As for the "academic literary tradition", is this really best experienced through individual university journals (print or online), focused as they may be on staff, students and alumni, as opposed to the independent, ostensibly objective "real world" literary magazines (e.g. "Poetry")? Isn't that like judging a theatre troupe by its dress rehearsals rather than by its performances? After all, it isn't like lit zines are known for expressing the <I>popular</I> literary tradition, right?
I really think I answered your question, Colin. Whose double standard? I am not setting up any standards. The reason that I did not talk about editorial boards for print journals was that it takes a monetary investment to create a print journal and deserved or not print does have a perceived gravitas by many - still - again, deserved or NOT. A lot of tenure track positions hang on the balance of PRINT still today. I am not the one sitting on those boards. Even the Poets&Writers counts print as more weighty than online...
By definition (the academic part of academic tradition), university journals would be a good source of academic tradition.
Seriously, you have a bone to pick, but it is not with me. I think we probably would probably agree on the quality of many journals out there print and online regardless of their uni affiliations or budgets.
Let me try one last time to make myself clear:
> Whose double standard?
Yours. The one you created by appending the qualification "edited by university programs" to #6 but not #5.
> ...university journals would be a good source of academic tradition
Agreed, but wouldn't an independent literary journal be a better one? To wit, wouldn't any of the unaffiliated journals on Jeff Bahr's list (below) render a less biased and wider view of the academic tradition?
http://www.jefferybahr.com/Publications/PubRankings.asp
> I think we probably would probably agree on the quality of many journals out there print and online regardless of their uni affiliations or budgets.
FWIW, I suspect you're right. My concerns didn't relate directly to quality, though.
In any event, thanks for your responses thus far, Ren.
Thanks for your comments, Colin! I appreciate especially your naming specific journals and giving links!
best,
ren