So I fancy my self a writer :dubious: … And technically I am… I had a short poem published in a book by my Jr. High school…(any one with a comment about my validity: suck it easy :rolleyes: ) But I as a published writer would like more recognition… I’v seen and read about the scams like blogit.com and poetry.com, but is there any real sites I could post my work and actually get paid for them?? Thank you for ur time and recognition 
… Everyone else at the risk of sounding redundant “suck it easy” :p!!!
For poetry – not likely. Poetry is usually payment in copies. There are some paying markets (The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine), but the competition is fierce (thousands of submissions a year for the one or two slots an issue) and you need to write a certain type of poetry. If you write outside what they generally publish, you won’t make it past the first cut.
Poetry has been small market for decades. There are many poetry magazines (find The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses for some options), and if you write a lot and market diligently, you will get published. Some even pay. But you’d be lucky to make more than postage.
I’d be surprised if any poetry sites pay anything. Even the ones that aren’t scams probably don’t have the finanaces to do so.
If you want to make some money as a poet, you need to publish a lot of poetry all over the place, build a reputation, and then get some chapbooks together. Even with that, you’ll need to supplement income by giving workshops. Or get a job teaching at a college – some will add a well-regarded poet to their English department.
[Moderating]
Let’s refrain from these kinds of comments, even if they are not directed at anyone in particular. And just a word of advice – if you don’t want people to question your “validity as a writer,” on this board at least you should make an effort to write grammatically and spell correctly.
Since this thread is about poetry, I am moving it to Cafe Society.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
What, you mean like last year?
Not too appear overly snarky but if your OP even remotely reflects the quality of writing you are able to muster up, you’re better off pinning your hopes on next week’s Power Ball numbers.
Well, first, I’d recommend continuing with your regular English classes. Keep reading more and different kinds of poetry, and work on your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Because spelling errors, LOLspeak, and bad punctuation will get you rejected instantly, even before any has taken the time to actually assess your work.
Thankyou for ur brutal honesty 
. But it is only a hobby so I guess, in my off time maybe I’ll find the a spot or 2 to publish some of my poems( I’m always told they’re very good) but I don’t have the time or the extra money to commit to being a full time poet. Gotta pay the bills, but thant for ur response and list of possible refences 
Suck it easy B H 
Alright. I get the point but I am rather young and I am here to ask and learn. The coment was to let the critics kno I could care less what they think, and they can save their comments for the peanut gallery. I understand ur point, n think some people should relax a little. Some people their level and r comfortable enough 2 not bother w/spell-checking everything even if it means u will have typos or misspellings, but I understand and will refrain fr any more rude or illicit comments fr now on… LOL But I already wrote one thoughtless reply one critic who was not swift enough to understang that he is who I was talking to. I have tried to remove it after reading your reply but have been unsucessfull. Al I can say is sorry,and that I’m here to grow and ask not to be browbeaten. Thankyou for your words of guidence.
This is absurd. Please…enough with the Prince number-letter thing. And really…unless you’re not a native English speaker, I’m inclined to think this OP and subsequent posts are a joke.
Thank u. Very sensible.
Why is everyone so uptight w/me?? Need You Know :NO I’m not a native speaker I am from the Phillippines. What is ABSURD is a place that is billed as fighting ignorance, but where all but the administrators wish to fight the ignorant and not the ignorance, and for somone who is so quick to judge instead of lead a helping hand you use allot of “…”!!
OK, OK, relax. I didn’t realize you were from the Philippines. Your spelling makes much more sense now that I know this. My girlfriend of 3 years is also from the Philippines - she is from Ilocos Norte, and lived there until she was 9. English is her first language though - she was taught it in school, and although she can understand spoken or written Tagalog, she’s no longer fluent in speaking it herself. (She is also a big fan of poetry.)
You might want to consider writing poetry in Tagalog if English is not your first language. Either that, or have a greater knowledge of English, if you want to write poetry in English. You seem to have a basic grasp of the language and syntax, but you should polish it before trying to write poetry in it. Work on your spelling, grammar, punctuation - things like that. That’s the best advice I can give you.
Could you post an example of your poetry here for us?
I know people have brought it up, but let me try this a different way:
You will get approximately zero help on this board if you don’t begin writing like, well, published poet. By that I mean no “ur” for “your” and no “2” for “to.” As you’re not a native speaker, we tend to let minor grammatical and spelling errors go (though you should work on that if you want to be a published poet in English), but if you haven’t noticed many of the people here are a tad… hostile to any form of letter/number substitution and word shortening (abbreviations such as Dr. notwithstanding). And yes, Argent used a couple of ellipsis, it’s not terrible, and is certainly easier to read that netspeak. I don’t say this to be mean, just to point out the reality of this board to you before you get frustrated with us.
However (in the interest of fighting ignorance and exploring all options), there is a possible way to make poetry on netspeak, however you have to be able to use proper grammar and spelling selectively. If you’re good a performing you can make what’s called “slam” poetry based on it, however as slam has less boundaries you have to be very good at pacing and performing in order to get anywhere with it, since you have no guidelines to follow like you would in, say, an Italian sonnet (or whatever types you like). Slam is published less though since it’s a performance medium, meaning you need to get up on stage and read it very emotionally and energetically.
Though I’m also not sure what kind of poetry you like to do, if you post a couple examples of your work we may be able to point you in a direction more related to your talents, “poetry” in and of itself, if you haven’t noticed, is a pretty broad topic. Depending on what style and such that you write in we may be able to give more concrete suggestions (follow a certain education path or look at certain publications etc).
Edit: Also, I don’t really care, but as a personal request I implore you to write your responses under the quoted text. It drives me up a wall when people don’t. You can continue doing it the same way if you want, but I figured I might as well TRY and ask you.
Ok, but my work is very personal, and I fear the board will shread me to ribbons. But because you are asking nice. I ask please to everyone if you dont like it you don’t need to insult. This one made me cry as I wrote it. I called it “Street Dreams” I gave it to poetry.com but they refused. Go and figure, I thought they took everyone. Ok I’m stalling.
Street Dreams
As I scream at the top of my lungs,
“Oh Dear God, Please help me!” Who have I become?,
Can you hear me in a whimper a thousand miles away?,
Perhaps in a soft whisper in the streets as trees sway?,
The wind blows harder as I called aloud my thoughts,
Of sweet simple harmonies, and life that I have not,
Where did all my dreams go to?, Or did I give them away?,
For the sound of sweet melodies, In the pleasant things you say?,
Sorry I learned to type by text & yahoo messenger. In the efforts to try to improve my skill, I will follow your instructions, friend. I’m just a little scared to share. For people have always told to me: Be careful what you write someone will steal it. I’m not questioning anybodies morals. Just that I’m still a guest and don’t know what to expect. Thank you for your guidence. 
This is another example as per the request of Jragon. This was writen to a girl I shared a trip to Palawan, where we took a trip to visit a family shrimp farm. Palawan is mostly known as a vacation Island and most fillipinos long to one day go but never get a chance. It is mostly known for it’s undergroung river which is the longest in the world and is classified as one of the seven wonders of the world, but the it is also known for its butterfly garden, crocodile farm, monkeys, giant lizards, among other things. We wish to be together but are third cousins. I know this is not very close but it is still frowned by our families. At the end of our trip we exchanged shirts a rememberence. Once again please don’t judge we come from a place where life is very hard, and many only have bright dreams lit only by dim or dark realities. We were lucky enough to have been able share things only many could see only in fantasy. Thank you.
“Deep Blue Dreams”
I’ll send u hugs and kisses,
Back rubs, and bedtime wishes,
Stolen moments in of falling water,
Holding hands, hidden from our fathers,
Bright morning lights,
Midnight insect bites,
Burning wounds as tides rise,
Carrying you to the ocean’s side,
Adrift upon a dark lit river,
Pictures by the biggest lizard,
Walks that never seemed to end,
Feeding goats and cats and your best friends,
Late night talks of wondered doubts,
The sounds of your voice till the light brown out,
Lots of food everywhere we go,
Nothing to eat, but chicken adobo,
Butterflies that can’t let go,
Crocodiles to kiss my nose,
Tricycles and aeroplanes,
Mosquito nets and cute pet names,
Skin so smooth, soft as supple leather,
Warm and cozy, like a grey hooded sweater,
Or striped sleeveless collared shirt,
With the sent of lessons learned,
Who knows, what life we’ll lead,
But none, if we don’t believe,
Maybe all we have is moments gone,
Not enough to keep you holding on?,
I don’t know what else must done,
Or what dreams are still to come,
But so long as your still a dreamer,
I’ll always be your true believer…
I know I’m the best writer but i’m still learning. And noone has ever said my writing is terrible.
I ment NOT the best! Sorry :smack: this has been a challenge, but I’m glad I’m getting the pratice. I don’t have alot of money but I think the fee is worth it, if I can find a place to fit. Please tell me if you feel not best suited for me. I promise not to be offended and thank you for the help you have already presented. Good night.
As others have said, there is little money in poetry.Think how few poetry collections are published and how few copies they sell.
(Also if u r using txtspk then u put off a large number of people 4 the reason that it grates. :eek: )
Finally do you have TV talent programs where you are? If so, then watch as people turn up and say “My family and friends say I’m really talented.” Then it turns out they are not. :smack:
Ask a published poet to comment on your work. And be ready for disappointment. 
AAAAAAAAH!! Adobo! My girlfriend makes that for me! But she uses pork, not chicken.
I’m going to be honest, the sentimental sap in me actually likes your poetry. A lot. It’s really pretty sweet.
There’s no money in poetry though, it is true. Especially not the kind you write - people nowadays, as with most kinds of art, go in for stuff that’s edgy, avant-garde, and…in a word…weird, or at least more weird than what you’re into. This can be good and bad…the art world is a very pretentious place and it’s basically ruled by a little elite in New York.
This poetry thing should be a hobby of yours…make your living doing something else. Trust me, the time and effort you put into it will not be justified by the tiny financial reward. Do something else, like go into the skilled trades…you can make more money as an HVAC man than a college professor nowadays.