My mother used to say 'What the eye doesn't see, te heart won't grieve for.' I assume what Les meant was that publication in 'Quadrant' needn't prevent me trying again in the UK. It doesn't. There is a particular joy in selling the same poem twice, or even thrice.

Ah, I see what you mean about the hemispheres, John.

It is amazing to hear you speak of money for poems. How do you do it?

I once received $50 for a poem, years ago - and from an Oz mag, too!

But nothing since.

One of my problems is that I lack the money-making gene - and the very last thing I am is a salesman/businessman.

I sort of feel that if I got myself into the business of trying to make money from hawking poems around, I might as well cut to the chase and get a job with an insurance company.

Also, given the nature of the world, there are plenty of folk out there who can spot a possible buck, and no agent has ever tried to sign me on - which I take as a sure sign that there just ain't no bucks in po-biz.

Well, let's be accurate here - no bucks for the likes of my stuff.

Money for poems:

Quadrant pays
Poetry Review pays
The Spectator pays
The TLS pays (never had anything there till I came second in the competition).

Various other magazines slip twenty quid in your envelope.

There are poetry competitions. I enter most of them. Haven't won much lately but I have won between £500 and £1000 about five times and other prizes say about twenty times.

The Spectator competitions - won about a dozen £25 though none lately it's true

Won £25 at The Oldie once - The Oldie is actually quite a good magazine

Won £25 at New Statesman once

I think the reason quite a lot of British magazines pay is because they get grants from the Arts Council. Not so much now because all the money's gone to the Olympic Games, curse them.

Sometimes poets are paid to write a poem. That's happned to me sometimes (the BBC)and it happens to Wendy Cope a lot and Carol Ann Duffy a lot Sophie Hannah quite a lot. All women - I wonder why that is.

You couldn't LIVE on this but it's nice, don't you think. Of course you have to be a light verse person or else Andrew Motion to do at all well.

[This message has been edited by John Whitworth (edited August 02, 2008).]

I think it's very nice. Man does not live by bread alone, but getting a little bread for your poetry is nice as eating hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns. With lots of drippy butter.

Except for prize money, I have never had monetary rewards from the US, but over the years I have been paid from England, Canada, Sweden and (I think) Finland. In the US it seems to be the policy that one person wins a jackpot, and the rest get nada. Whereas in countries (read European/Canadian) where art is (I think) viewed as one of the basic rights of citizenship, rewards are spread a little more evenly.

Our pendulum is swinging again though, and it will get worse before it gets better.

But I am always reading that in the US, every college has a Poet-in-Residence and every self-respecting church and hospital, not to mention town and state, seems to have its very own Poet Laureate. I've often wondered what their duties are.

Do they look up suitable secular quotes for the minister's sermon?

Do they read to hospital patients comforting verses like "He is not Dead" - James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916) American poet, staff of Indianapolis Journal, called ‘poet laureate of democracy’ according to Google. There ought to be some money connected to that honorable title, doncha think, John?

(And congrats for all the bread delivered to your door.)

I don't know about elsewhere but here in Alexandria, Va. the Poet Laureate position is a three year contract with the poet receiving $500.00 a year. So far all I can tell is that she's expected to read a few poems (not necessarily her own) at political and cultural affairs - such as building openings and Poetry Month at the library - and to write a few poems "celebrating" various historical places or events here in Alexandria.

The woman holding the position currently is the first "Poet Laureate" this city's ever had - and I think she's two years into it. I'm unsure of what happens when her term is done...maybe it's open for application or maybe it's just one more appointed political type position - nothing I can read on the city's web site gives any real information.

Lo

P.S. I've read the few poems she's written for the city so far - personally, I'm not too impressed - no form, no meter and what's worse, no real content, either. Altho, to be fair, I'm not sure I'd be able to do a better job celebrating some ancient event or some current building project. I don't think it's easy to "write on demand."



[This message has been edited by Laura Heidy-Halberstein (edited August 02, 2008).]

I believe the salary of the Poet Lauriate is $30,000 per year, unchanged for forty years, insufficient even to rent an apartment in DC from which to operate.

Boy, you can say that again!!! I don't know what the cost of living is in other places (except for Indiana, of course) but I'd have to bet that the DC metro area is one of the most expensive places in The United States in which to reside. I hear California is worse, but I'd have to see it to believe it. $30,000 a year here would qualify one for low-income housing. IF one could get on the waiting list.

Anyone who takes the Poet Laureate position needs to have another source of income - and a pretty good one at that - or he/she needs to commute from somewhere else a few times a year and let that pretty office space in The Library of Congress sit empty the rest of the time.

edited to add Ok, I looked it up again - the salary HAS been increased - from $30,000 a year to a whopping $35,000 a year - plus a $5,000 travel allowance. Big bucks now, guys, big bucks.


[This message has been edited by Laura Heidy-Halberstein (edited August 02, 2008).]

Lo, the first time Mr. Parnassus held the job, he did rent an apartment in Georgetown and seriously apply himself to the job. But the royalties from Candide and the Molieres were rolling in, and the rent was $700 month. Now a nice hotel runs that for a weekend.

Today you could not rent a parking space in Georgetown (if you could even find one to rent) for $700.00 a month at present day rates. Rents here are outrageous - as are housing prices in general, in spite of the bubble bursting. Dan pays more in monthly condo fees then my entire mortgage payment was back in Indiana.

My cousin in Ohio recently graduated college and is looking for a teaching job. She says there are none in her part of Ohio but that she's being actively persued by the DC school system. They are offering her twice the starting salary she could expect from a beginning position in Massillon, Ohio and she's excited about the possibility. It's more money than she's ever dreamed of making. What she has no understanding of is the reality that says twice the salary will only hold half the value. The reason DC is recruiting in the Midwest is they cannot find anyone who lives here for any length of time who still thinks they will be able to exist on a teacher's salary. It's just not possible.

Ugh.