Dear Michael,
It's just a few short weeks until your poetic accomplishments will be honored at poetry.com's and the International Society of Poets' Summer 2005 Convention and Symposium, to be held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC, from August 19-21, 2005.
I'm writing to tell you exactly what to expect and how to prepare for this special moment in your life.
First, we have scheduled for you to receive your Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Silver Award Bowl immediately after you present your poetry in front of your fellow poets. You can count on a true international audience for your poetry as we already have poets registered from 50 countries around the world!
Second, the award you will be receiving is so large and heavy that it may be a good idea for you to bring an extra suitcase to carry it home. The Award is a magnificent work of art (a $200.00 value) that measures over 10 inches across and over 11 inches high, handcrafted in silver, with your name custom-engraved on a beautiful cherry-wood base (see it here). I'm sure it will merit a special place of pride in your home.
Third, it's my pleasure to inform you that we have also decided to create and present to you a beautiful and colorful Commemorative Award Medallion in appreciation of your poetry presentation at this prestigious International Symposium.
Fourth, you need to submit your registration to the convention as soon as possible as our available space is nearly sold out. While we regret having to turn poets away, we purposely limit space to ensure a close-knit atmosphere where lasting friendships will be made. Poets consistently tell us they appreciate this policy and that the opportunity to make new friends is one of their favorite reasons for returning again and again.
And Michael . . . there's much more . . .
36 POETS WILL SHARE $74,000.00 TOTAL IN PRIZES--INCLUDING
THE SINGLE LARGEST POETRY CASH PRIZE EVER AWARDED--$20,000.00!
And don't forget the most lucrative amateur poetry contest ever! Your contest entry poem can be written in any style, on any subject . . . and can be up to 40 lines long.
Just think . . . for this poem alone, you will have the opportunity to win one of 36 cash and gift prizes to be awarded at the Symposium . . . including a Grand Prize of $20,000.00--the largest cash prize ever awarded in an amateur poetry competition. There's also a Second Prize of $5,000.00, two Third Prizes of all-expenses paid vacations for two, including a Caribbean cruise and a trip to Cancun, Mexico, a Fourth Prize of $1,000.00, and six other cash prizes of $500.00 each. World-renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.D.Snodgrass and Academy of American Poets Past Chancellor David Wagoner will be with us to congratulate poets and present the Grand Prize.
Your society is also encouraging today's youth to develop and utilize their poetic talents in a positive manner. This year we will award five $1,000.00 cash scholarships to talented young poets attending the Symposium.
Our editors and professors will also be searching for new poetic talent. Twenty poets will be "discovered" in the contest reading sessions. These winners will be awarded publishing or recording contracts that will generate international exposure for their poetic artistry.
In all, $74,000.00 in cash and prizes will be awarded at this single event!
LIGHTS . . . CAMERA . . . ACTION!
And that's still just the beginning . . . we've got three very special days planned for you . . . ones you'll never forget!
**You will be officially inducted as an honorary "International Poet of Merit" for 2005-2006.
**You and your poetic achievements will be honored at two Gala Banquets and Award Ceremonies.
**You will enjoy dazzling world class entertainment created especially for you featuring Tony Orlando and the Drifters. These special command performances will delight you. There will also be many other Las Vegas Headliners and Midnight Dance Parties on both Friday and Saturday nights!
**You will learn more about your craft in seminars, reading rooms, rap sessions, and workshops, where you can read and discuss your poetry in informal settings with other poets from all over the world. Back by popular demand are the ISP rap rooms, our famous sunrise poetry readings, the ISP Coffee House, the ISP Open Microphone Rooms, and workshops on how to fine-tune your poetic talents.
**You will have the rare opportunity to get up-close and personal with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W. D. Snodgrass, Academy of American Poets Past Chancellor David Wagoner, Dr. Len Roberts, Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin, and other poetry celebrities who will be in attendance.
**You will participate in a fantastic international poetry competition featuring 36 prizes totaling $74,000.00. A Grand Prize of $20,000.00, two all-expenses paid vacations for two, including a Caribbean cruise and a trip to Cancun, Mexico, 8 other cash prizes totaling $9,000.00, 10 poetry recording contracts, 10 book publishing contracts, and 5 Young Poets Scholarship prizes will be awarded at this single event.
**You and your guests will also be eligible to win one of many door prizes, valued at over $6,000.00.
**You will make friendships that will last a lifetime and will return home with wonderful memories, your Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Silver Award Bowl, your Commemorative Award Medallion, and lots of other special gifts.
DON'T BE LEFT OUT
Don't miss this opportunity. Space is limited, and our Conventions routinely sell out. Plan to join your fellow poets in the United States capital at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, DC, August 19-21, 2005, for the poetic event of the year! I am also looking forward to meeting you and celebrating the power and beauty of poets and poetry!
Sincerely,
Steve Michaels
International Society of Poets
Convention Chairperson
2 comments:
This comment was left by "aaronette" of 20six.co.uk fame on 22 July 2005 at 21:58 while this entry was on that blog service:
I thought I was the chosen one
For honour such as this.
But no: it seems there are lots of us
From whom they take the p***.
I thought my ode was wonderful -
It sounded most sincere,
I thought I'd receive the published work
In leather to revere.
Perhaps we could meet at this 'do'
To discuss, to speak and smile.
Prizes we'll not receive
Not in a little while.
(Oh b****r)
I think she just tossed it off for the purpose.
Fraudulent Vanity Press Publishing of Manuscripts and Poetry
Aspiring writers who place their hopes and dreams into the hands of fraudulent literary agents and publishing companies are often deceived into paying for an over-priced editing service, lied to about the qualifications of the editors, misled about the potential for acceptance by a publishing company, and ultimately rejected by fictitious literary agents or publishing houses.
The dreams and aspirations of unpublished writers make them an easy mark, falling for half-truths and dubious incentives. A recent investigation of one company showed $10 million had been paid by 6000 would-be authors seeking help getting their manuscripts edited and published while another company was ordered to pay $5 million in restitution to 4000 writers who used the services of these so-called "vanity presses", "book doctors" or "literary agents", which are noted for charging up-front fees but never delivering on their promises of fame, fortune and notoriety.
Writers are encouraged to believe that putting a book together is the quickest avenue to self-esteem, but after being duped, suffer a shame compounded by years of rejection letters from mainstream publishers. These companies take elaborate measures to disguise both the fact it is a vanity press and that most bookstores will simply not stock vanity press offerings
One company charged for this practice was Edit Ink out of Buffalo, N.Y.
Never To Be Selected By Oprah
A budding author, you see an advertisement for a company seeking manuscripts and are encouraged to send all (or a large part) of your manuscript to the company for review. The company then sends you a letter stating they have reviewed your work and that it is certainly marketable, as it shows "great promise and excellent commercial possibilities", but just requires some professional editing.
They also send you a "joint venture" publishing contract, which upon your signing allows them to publish your book — at a cost to you of between $3,000 and $8,000 for such things as part of the publishing, layout or typesetting. This is commonly referred to as "vanity publishing."
Some companies initially charge about $1300 to "edit" your book but then either ignore you or "refer" you to the next stage in the sham publishing cycle. The referrals are made in bad faith because your edited manuscript is still no closer to publication.
This next stage "publishing" company expresses great interest in your literary masterpiece but declares that it needs yet more editing. They in turn charge $5 per page to provide the most rudimentary editing. From this they send 15% to the initial referral service which took your $1300.
Soon you are deluged with an escalating schedule of reading fees, contract fees and marketing fees, all collected without any effort to actually agent your book in return. After resubmitting your edited writings to the original literary agent or publishing house, you are then informed that your manuscript has been rejected.
Violets Are Blue And So Are You
Novice poets yearning to see their work in print will often take any opportunity to have their talent noticed. Not surprisingly, there are individuals who would like to take advantage of that eagerness and naiveté while reaping a tidy profit for themselves in the process.
A Maryland firm that has garnered a national reputation for preying upon unsuspecting victims goes by the names the National Library of Poetry, the International Library of Poetry, the International Society of Poets, and the International Poetry Hall of Fame.
In addition to providing press releases to the media, they also advertise poetry contests in many magazines as well as at their web site, www.poetry.com. The advertisements, press releases and web banners claim up to $58,000 in prizes will be awarded in the contests.
After answering an ad in a magazine and submitting your poem, you are notified that your poem will be included in a special edition of their anthology. The carefully worded letter takes great pains to assure you that you do not have to make any purchases, yet goes on to list a host of available 'options'. Some of the options are: $20 to add your biography, $29 to have your poem read onto audio tape or $38 to have it mounted on a plaque.
Wishing to show that there is no attention to the art of poetry or critical screening of submissions, humor columnist Dave Barry, journalists from The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, and Arnold Diaz of the ABC News program 20/20, have all submitted poetry to be considered by the ILP. The journalists involved entered poetry that was intentionally badly written and in the case of 20/20, the poems submitted were actually penned by a group of second-graders.
In every instance, the poems were highly praised with the authors being offered the opportunity to purchase an anthology containing their poem at a "special pre-publication price" in the range of $40 to $50.
Although ILP technically does publish the work as promised, the anthologies are available by subscription only. Because of the poor quality of most of the poems, anthology credits are not respected by legitimate publishing professionals. Sadly, many more people are taken in by this deception when local newspapers report on people's inclusion in the anthologies as if they were a genuine literary accomplishment.
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