Pilfering poets

I would like to praise Roy Rivenburg for finally exposing the shameful shams that are the for-profit poetry contests all over the U.S. (“There Once Was a Poet From L.A.,” Nov. 24).

Eighteen years ago, I participated in a contest put on by John T. Campbell’s “World of Poetry” press. They convinced me that I was the sole winner of the “Golden Poet Award of 1984” and so convinced me to fly to Reno to accept my award and praise. I spent more than $400 to go to the convention and more money to have my picture and inscription included in their prestigious (yeah, right!) poetry anthology, which they also convinced me would be distributed throughout the literary world.

When I got to the convention and discovered 2,000 other excited poets who were all receiving the same “Golden Poet Award,” I was humiliated and devastated.

Although I, along with a few other now-angry poets, took some measures to expose this heart-wrenching invasion of our souls (we notified the American Poetry Society and a local newspaper), we could not stop this example of free enterprise at its worst.

Poetry is very personal. It comes from your innermost soul. It is difficult to bare it to the world. Every poet hopes and dreams of some kind of recognition for his or her heartfelt labor. To have it cruelly trivialized by profit-mongers is a personal invasion.

I know there are other scam contests out there, and I inform other poets and would-be victims of the true nature of these contests whenever I can. Thank you so much, Mr. Rivenburg, for doing the same so sublimely.

C. Steven Blue

Northridge