Is it a lack of interest, lack of time, lack of drive....what is it that allows some horrible concoctions to be professionally published under the guise of poetry, yet some of the most talented writers on the planet (you know who you are *s*) remain unpublished

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2000

Answers

I have been published in the Canadian Friend, which is the Canadian Quaker magazine. It doesn't mean much though, if you're a Canadian Quaker and you submit an article or whatever, if there is room, they publish it. It's not a huge market. I have published a couple of articles there, and a couple of poems. They also don't pay, so I maintain my amateur status. No big whoop.
For me, the biggest stumbling block to even trying for publication would be self doubt. When I posted the question a while back about "What makes a poem good?" that was because I really wanted to know. Some people obviously like poems that I find completely unsatisfying. People actually quote poetry from Hallmark cards for heaven's sake. I just don't trust my own radar, don't know when I've written a poem that sucks, one that's pretty good or if I've ever written one worth attempting to publish.

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

court orders mostly......something about "taste" and "the public interest"......the police and book editors come to my home regularly and burn all paper.....i've had to switch to china plates....

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2000

My Poetry has been published in print in the litzines DELMAR, EVER DANCING MUSE, DRUMVOICES REVUE, in the newspaper/magazines BLACK THOUGHT, INTERMISION,and RIVERKING POETRY SUPPLEMENT in the BREAKWORD WITH THE WORLD CHAPBOOK SERIES, and in online zines EAT POOP http://www.eatpoop.net ECCENTRICITY http://www.bigzines.com/eccentricity and KINTESPACE http://www.kintespace.com

My poem "The Quiet Zone", which originally appeared in DELMAR, is in the St. Louis anthology AINT BUT A PLACE, edited by Gerald Early.

I think it is imperative for a poet to try to get his work memorialized or preserved in some fashion. Appearing in print is one way. Apparently this MP3 recording hookup is coming along. I think poets should think about CD's, audio and video tapes and DVD's too.

-- Anonymous, May 26, 2000