Writing Contests to Avoid

In a poetry publishing workshop I led in early August, the group had a lively discussion about vanity presses and bogus contests. We compared notes about how folks had been surprised, disappointed or burned by sending their work out to houses of ill repute. Since then, I've been compiling a what-to-avoid-when-sending-your-poetry-out list. Though my own personal litany is as of yet incomplete, I was pleased to discover two great resources this week. Lane pointed me to this great article about how to discern which writing contests are worth their salt--and which should be avoided. And Christina announced this book in her great giveaway extravaganza. Thanks to my smarty-pants writer friends, we can all learn more about how and where to send out our work so we can minimize frustration and disappointment--and maximize success.

Comments

[Mari]

The contests announced in the "Grants & Awards" section of Poets & Writers Magazine have all been rigorously screened for legitimacy by the magazine's staff. It's a reliable and comprehensive resource for writers looking to submit their work.

http://www.pw.org/

In my hard-won experience, the words "caveat emptor" (sp?) -- "let the buyer beware" -- apply to literary contests just as they do to life! My advice to would-be submitters: do your research, then go forward with your eyes wide open. And good luck!

[Christina Katz]

Thanks for mentioning the giveaway, my dear!

Happy long weekend in Taos (!!!)

Christina

[Megan]

Ooo, very helpful post, Sage! Thanks so much! Love your blog...