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Do
you scribble rhyming lines while wearing black and sipping coffee?
Do you hope to be the next Longfellow, Frost or Sexton? Then, perhaps
online poetry is the just the idea for you.
Many poets write privately, but long
to be published and shared with the masses. Today, with the advances
that the Internet has brought to our world, more and more poets
are seeing their names in print.
The medium of poetry forums and poetry
Websites is staggering. Sites range from home-grown hobby sites
to full-fledged online magazines. They are the vehicles for the
poet who wants to be published and read by the masses but hasn’t
made the leap to print. Having your poetry published online is also
a way to supplement your submissions to magazines and journals.
Local poet and North Dakota State University
student Preston Mark Stone, who has been published on several sites,
including Gravity and Agnieszka’s Dowry, seeks online publishing
as a means to “encounter new and surprising poets.” Perhaps
you are one of them.
But how does one break into the online
poetry scene? Any search engine like Yahoo or Google will bring
up a host of privately run sites that may feature a specific poet
or mesh together the works of several writers. You will find sites
that are topic specific or that are simply a forum for anyone who
fancies oneself to be a poet.
As with most creative outlets on the
Internet, options range from slick, corporate-run Websites like
poetry.com, to the more independent vibes of publishers like Stick
Your Neck Out and Word Salad. Sites like Sundress are a clearing
house for all types of writers, artists and photographers and accept
all kinds of creative work. Professionally done online poetry publications
like Slope read like true magazines. There are as many Websites
as there are styles of verse; from free flowing to haiku, aspiring
poets should have no trouble finding an online location that fits
with their individual tastes and writing styles.
If finding the website is simple,
then actually getting published is next in line. With so many different
online publications to choose from, even a novice can find their
work and their name included in the online poetry community. Web
sites that accept submission usually have clear and easy to follow
instructions for submitting, including how many pieces you can submit,
what rights the publication will have over your poem once it is
published, and how they will contact you to let you know if you
are accepted for publication. From start to finish, the process
of submission is simple and straightforward on the well-run online
poetry publications.
Perhaps the first step in getting
your poetry published online is the most overlooked. Writing a good
poem is the essential first step. Ask Stone what he sees as a key
ingredient to getting published online, and his answer is clear.
“Write the best poems you can possibly write and someone is
sure to publish you,” Stone advises.
Stone also recommends getting to know
the site you are submitting to and to be professional in your dealings
with online publications. Know what types of work are in the publication
and if it matches your needs, your style and your poetry. And be
professional. Bad grammar, spelling errors and submissions without
an introductory letter are circular-file material. Being published
online is just like being published in a print piece. Send an effective
introductory letter, use your spell checker and steer clear of the
Internet faux pas of all caps or word shortening. As Stone reminds
poets seeking publication, “a good magazine is run by good
editors looking at hundreds of submissions.” Don’t be
the poet that is remembered for sloppy work or misspelled words.
Obviously, professionalism is key
in the process of online publishing. Find the right site for your
poetry, submit by posted deadlines, follow the sites guidelines
and send a follow-up thank you note to any additional correspondence.
There is also the option of creating your own poetry website. If
it’s your site, then you’ll definitely see your name in
print.
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