Poetry.com AKA The International Library Of Poetry ripoff con merchants, preying on innocent creative people and destroying their hopes of critical acclaim and success A company that should not be dealt with under any circumstances. Owings Mills Maryland

As a keen amateur poet and short story writer I was delighted to find the poetry.com 'competition' details while surfing the net. I submitted a poem that was very close to my heart - written for a beloved husband during a serious illness. I was thrilled to receive notification from poetry.com that I was a semi finalist in their competition and that they wished to publish my poem in an anthology.

I am a senior citizen, with not much money to spare, but thought that the published book would make a wonderful gift to my husband. As I am short of money, however, I contacted a friend in Philadelphia to ask her whether she thought the price of the book excessive. She told me that she belonged to a poetry circle, and that poetry.com had been mentioned as a company that should not be dealt with under any circumstances.

Two of her friends, also senior citizens, had paid nearly $90 in total to have their poems and a short biography published in a book of very mediocre poetry. As an exercise, several members of the poetry circle had submitted deliberately bad poems - one written by a six year old grandson - and ALL had been 'entered in the semi-final' of the so-called competition. A member of her family had also paid a similar amount and had never even received a copy of the book.

I feel disappointed and angry that I was foolish enough to give away my precious poem to such an organisation. They obviously rely on the fact that peoples' egos are bigger than their common sense. I am also extremely surprised that poetry.com can get away with this sort of thing. Here in the UK they would have been exposed and put out of business.

Della
stroud
United Kingdom

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