Gail:
I remember reading in a Poets Market that Poetry boasted that no major poet in the 20th century has not at some time been in Poetry magazine. I first laughed at their cockiness, but then I couldn't think of an exception. I recently started browsing
through to see my friends' poems, and was impressed by the amount and quality of formal verse. I'd also love to be in Poetry someday, and I see no way of writing something of sufficient quality unless I read their journal. Much of it still goes over my head. They tend to lean heavily toward cleverness and originality.

I was on the verge of subscribing until I saw the humor edition. They should never try to be funny. I like submitting, because they always reject me within six weeks.

Stephen


[This message has been edited by Stephen Scaer (edited July 20, 2006).]

Gail, it's one of my favorite journals -- mostly for its generosity of range and voice. I like the diversity. I'd choose it for abandonment on a deserted island, along with the complete formal pieces of Antonin Dvorak (from that nefarious Ghetto of Classical Music), and a CD Rom of the entire, varied works of Vincent Van Gogh (from the evil Post-Impressionist Empire).

Stephen, you lucky dog! I generally have to wait MONTHS for their rejections...

Jen

While I enjoy reading these discussions, the subject might as well be "possible life-forms in the caves of Io".

Not only have I never held a copy of "Poetry", I only know something about the stuff they publish from this board and their online selections.

And that goes for ALL the mags discussed on this board. I can't afford subscriptions, and the local rural bookshops and libraries just laugh.

The thing is, I can't decide whether this is a disadvantage for my writing, or an advantage. It means I am not writing to "fit in" anywhere.

I suppose it's a moot point, since that's just the way it is.

Mark,
Me too. I also wonder that if I subscribed to it, which allowing for currency differences and postage, would cost a lot, would I start trying to please it. Would that matter? Would I be insincere or merely flexible. All this and more from a small place in Queensland whose local poetry society fills me with fear. Nay, horror!
Janet

I subscribe and will continue to do so, though I occasionally throw an issue across the room.

It's a good value, especially if you can get a half-price subscription. I enjoy most of the prose and some of the poetry. For quite a while, I maintained that I liked the poetry better under Parisi, but perhaps my taste is changing. I agree with Jennifer about the diversity, with David (both Davids!) about it being a way to keep up with what's going on.

Toni

Excellent from beginning to end. Favorite issue: June-July 2004 Contemporary British Poetry Edition

I confess: I am too cheap to subscribe to Poetry.

My preferred way to find out what's happening is to read versedaily.org and poems.com (Poetry Daily) every day and buy Best American Poetry every year. It seems to me that I learn a good deal about various journals by those two methods. "The Writer's Almanac" from NPR will also occasionally show me a great new pub.

The terrific essays that appear in Poetry often show up in the "news and features" area of Poetry Daily, as do many other great articles.

Maryann (aka Scrooge)

Mark and Janet, alas, if you’re participating in online workshops and discussions, you’re already sullied by notions of audience.

It’s sometimes hard to reconcile one’s art with the selling of it. They are two entirely different activities. Here’s something by Kay Ryan that might be of interest in regards poetry and readership (from Poetry magazine, actually):

I should say I’ve snipped some sections. I can only type so much.

``````````````

If I were one person I could answer the question of how I perceive the audience for poetry in a single way. But I am of two people, so I must answer in two ways—first,
as the godlike writer of poems, serenely independent of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and, second, as her cousin.

So to begin, let us draw close to the empyrean springs and ask the poet, even now
dipping her alabaster hand into the poetical waters, how she feels about audience:

“Do you think, as you write, about who will read your poems and how they will like
them ? Be honest.”

No, I do not. My attention is entirely taken up by the voice in my head – a perfect tyrant,
utterly without charity, and a pig for pleasure. Ordinary conditions do not obtain. Take the condition of time, for example. While I’m trying to satisfy this inside voice, time takes on that bulgy condition it has during the most critical stage of a skid, where astonishing maneuvers become possible simply because they must (or you’ll crash). It is extremely occupying. (snip) On the other hand, this lofty condition enjoyed by the poet takes up only two hours (of ) a week. A good week. I must spend the rest of the week as my cousin.
This cousin has a higher, and I’m sorry to say, a lower nature. Her higher nature
sees itself as the steward of the poet’s work and responsible for helping that work secure a place in the world. This means that she must take an active, practical interest in living readers, not just by tidying poems themselves so they’re fit to be seen, but also by moving the poems along… the best that she can. In this spirit, she seeks good journals for the poems and good presses for the books, accepts reading dates and interviews, so that the poems might reach an audience and rise or fall fairly, based upon their merit instead of simply resting upon the bottom because nobody ever saw them.

I often see her as a betrayer of the poet, but she isn’t. Secretly they are best friends.

```


[This message has been edited by wendy v (edited July 20, 2006).]

Mark - As one poor country mouse to another, I'm delighted to hear you confess the way things are for you. I thought I was alone. Likewise, I can't decide if not having subscriptions and libraries and money is an advantage or disadvantage. But TG for the WWW.
Wendy - thanks for those snippets from Kay Ryan. I can relate to that.
Mary

I have been published in Poetry, by Christian. I dropped my subscription because the poetry and the prose sent me to the exit.