On Contests

by Michael Bugeja

Q. I sent poems into several poetry contests, but did not buy the books. The letters I received appeared to indicate I would be published, but I have not seen them [my poems] in print, so I am not sure. Are these anthologies available in libraries? I am in a small town with a limited collection, but I could check on the interlibrary loan system. Or would it be better to write the sponsor? I am currently focused on developing my freelance writing opportunities, as well as raising two children. If I could confirm that they were published, I would be able to add that to my resume, but I had attempted to locate the books once, without success.

A. I am familiar with anthology companies that sponsor poetry contests. Some people inaccurately dub them "vanity presses." A vanity press requires payment before guaranteeing publication; these companies do not. But the catch is, you have to buy a copy of the anthology, often costing $40 or more. If you don't, then you inherit the problem you have. There is no easy way to check out such anthologies because libraries tend not to invest in these types of products, although you can write to the individual anthology companies to learn which libraries do. I would request a list of specific libraries, rather than libraries that received copies either as part of a promotion or as a gift from a donor. Be sure to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for the reply.

If you receive such a list, you can try the interactive library loan route again; but I doubt you'd have much success there, either, because shelf space is scarce in libraries (even for books donated by patrons). Furthermore, if such books were available, they'd be shelved under "reference" and usually not allowed to leave the premises.

I wouldn't worry too much about confirming publication "to add that to my resumé." Such publication credits don't have much "resumé value" as typically poems are too easily accepted into some of these anthologies. Most editors know this.

Why don't you do a little experiment to verify that? Scribble a note to your children, husband or a friend. Add a few misspellings. Break the lines haphazardly. Put a title on it and send it to the poetry contests that you identify in your question to me, and which I will not name here, to be fair. Just send one bad entry and again, be sure to enclose an SASE. My bet is that your "poem" will be accepted.

In the meantime, here are some basic guidelines for the mainstream literary and small press marketplace:
• Poets should not have to pay "reading fees" when submitting work to editors. If so, submit elsewhere by checking out thousands of magazines in
Poet's Market [http://www.writersdigest.com/catalog/index.htm].
• Poets should never have to buy the publication in which work appears or pay to publish short bios for "contributor's notes." If your work is valuable and worth mentioning on your resume, then someone should be rewarding you for the honor of printing it.
• Poets should receive at least one contributor's copy for accepted work. Sometimes, in addition to contributors copies, you may receive a small honorarium ($5-25).

The best way to become a published poet is to read magazines and target specific markets. I explain how to do that in my Poet's Guide (Story Line Press), which also covers anthology companies more in depth. Better still, you can access my book for free via interlibrary loan.

-- MB
©1999 Michael Bugeja

Michael J. Bugeja's poetry has appeared in hundreds of America’s most prestigious magazines and journals. He has authored four text- and trade books, including Guide to Writing Magazine Nonfiction (Allyn & Bacon, 1997); Living Ethics: Developing Values in Mass Communication (Allyn & Bacon, 1996); Poet's Guide: How to Publish and Perform Your Work (Story Line Press, 1995); and The Art and Craft of Poetry (Writer's Digest Books, 1994). In addition, he has published two books of social criticism and six book-length collections of poems, as well as a collection of award-winning short stories and a novel.

His writing awards include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, an Academy of American Poets award, and a lengthy list of other awards and prizes. He writes a column on poetry for Writer's Digest and is honorary chancellor of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies.