I rarely enter contests. I just think there is something degrading about bearing the soul to strangers for a fee. Because there is always a contest entrance fee.
But when I’d heard that Dorianne Laux was to judge The Smoking Poet contest – the first annual – and the entrance fee was only $5, I decided to send them three of my poems. They weren’t necessarily the ones I’d consider “my best” poems, but they were poems that I thought were closest to the type of poetry that bears some semblance of affinity with the preferences of the judge, keeping in mind that there is no perfect way to measure another person’s preferences.
Nevertheless, I was elated to have received a rejection letter from The Smoking Poet editors and a thank you for participating. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I’ve never seen a rejection letter from a contest before. But keep in mind I’m using the term “rejection letter” loosely. Tell me if you think this reads like one:
Thank you, Allen, for being part of The Smoking Poet’s First Annual Poetry Contest. The final votes have come in from our panel of judges, and although your poetry did not make it into the top four selections, we wanted you to know that we enjoyed reading your work very much. From so many, many submissions, it was difficult to choose … but we hope you will submit to us again. Watch for our regular calls for submissions and more upcoming contests.
I don’t know if any of the other non-winners received the same rejection letter, or a similar one, but I thought it was nice of them to say that they enjoyed reading my work. Congratulations to the winners of the contest, and may your best poems be set in the future:
First Prize: “Northward” by Koh Xin Tian
Second Prize: “Sock Puppet” by Malcolm R. Campbell
Third Prize: “Reunion: 30 Years Too Late” by Lana Maht Wiggins
Honorable Mention: ”Selected Love Letters I’m Still Trying to Write” Kelli Russell Agondon
By the way, I love the name The Smoking Poet for a literary journal. It speaks rebellion.
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Call me a cynic but I suspect they ‘enjoyed reading’ everyone’s poems.
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jWell … I didn’t want to say that. lol
But I got a kick out of the letter, nonetheless.
Zinta Aistars and J. Conrad Guest are two classy people.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/dec/03/publishers-rejection-letters
Told you so!
I framed my first rejection letter. I tell myself it’ll make a great story for folk when it’s sitting right next to my first Booker prize.
And hey, if I lose it, I’ve always got plenty more…
They’re part and parcel of it though, aren’t they? I’m almost fond of them. Well, if fond means I hate them.
Hugs
Anna xxx
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Just found your site. I’ve been looking for good poetry blogs. Yours in the best I’ve found. Just subscribed to your E-Mail feed.
Also read your ABOUT page. I admire your decision to return to Iraq. Hell of a choice though, just after marrying. Christ, that must have been hard.
As for myself, I’ve never been published. Anywhere. Despite having sent my poetry out to numerous publishers. They all have their reasons. Too long. Too short. Too many poems already. Too late. Too soon.
Your rejection slip is classic: We love your quality poetry but are already awash with quality poetry. Says the beautiful girl: You’re such a wonderful boy. You’re perfect in every way. But I already have so many perfect boyfriends. Why don’t you try the girl next door? It’s me, not you. You know?
My wife and I have been trying to rent our apartment. It just so happened that the last applicant was a retiring poetry editor – a middle-aged woman who kept a scrappy little assistant in tow. She grandly apprised my apartment then, a couple days later, I received a graceful rejection letter from her (or her assistant). I kid you not. She wrote something like: Thank you for showing me your apartment. I can see you have done wonderful work on it but it just doesn’t meet my needs at this time. Thank you for considering me. I’m sure you will have no trouble renting it out.
Ha! I kid you not.
I wrote her back and told her she had been in the business too long.
I don’t know Allen. The thought of winning a contest or having my poem published does nothing for me anymore. So the poem is published? I hear nothing in response. It simply disappears along with the thousands of other poems published every month. So far, I find posting my poems on-line to be more rewarding and if I can give a reading… I would much rather do that.
In the meantime, I’m going to follow your advice and check out facebook. I’ll be reading up your other advice postings too.
Patrick Gillespies last blog post..Dec 21 2008 – deer hunting
Patrick, thanks for stopping by. And good luck with that apartment.
Just for the record, Allen, I really did enjoy reading your work … and I don’t write that on every reply I send out. I am not only an editor. I was a writer first, foremost, and will be long after. I know how it feels on both sides of that desk. I also believe this world can use all the kindness and courtesy we can muster. There can be a myriad of reasons a poem does not get accepted, and so many of them are purely subjective, not at all a measure of quality. Sure, sometimes it is because a submission, well, sucks. Yours was assuredly not among those.
Thank you for your kind words. And – your interest in The Smoking Poet. By the way, a new call for submissions is out … along with the second annual short story contest.
Have an inspired new year!
Zinta Aistars
TSP Editor-in-Chief
http://www.thesmokingpoet.net
Patrick: The thought of winning a contest or having your poem published does nothing for you anymore? So the poem is published? You hear nothing in response? It simply disappears along with the thousands of other poems published every month?
What of the agent or publisher to whom you submit your book of collected poems? The credential of having won a contest, judged by a notable such as Dorianne Laux no less, would certainly make an acquisitions editor sit up and take notice, don’t you think? Or would you choose not to make note of such a credential in your query?
Zinta, thanks for stopping by. I really wasn’t crushed. I understand the difficulty of selecting a few shining stars among a sea a gold-plated moons. Judging contests is hard work. I’ve actually had my own shot at it once or twice. And having been a journal editor, I’ve seen that end of it too. I was really intrigued that I got a letter from a contest as I’d never seen one before. Thanks for the encouragement.