When I was young and more prone to listening to the misinformation I was fed by the well meaning dream crushers I bought into the fact that no one buys poetry.  That advice went right along with no one reads poetry outside of greeting cards and people like you don’t write books (if you write no one will publish unless you pay them and no one will buy what you write anyway).

I still listened when I was told that (despite Mr Lentz telling me that I should give up whatever career choice I was following at Pitt and go into writing) my writing sucked and only people like me would bother reading it.

I don’t listen to the illadvice any more.

This morning I actually bought a copy of the 2014 Poets Market book for my Kindle App and I’m reading it and pouring through every word thinking that it is high time I take myself (and for that matter that you take yourself) more seriously.  You are here… so I’m assuming that you are either proving the nay-sayers from umpteen dozen years ago wrong by reading my poetry (and stuff) simply because you stumbled upon here or because you write.  Either way… welcome and Hello.

If you write, you should come by a copy of A Poets Market, or a Writer’s Market or whatever market and read it.  Borrow one from the library.  Snarf one up when the library has a book sale.  Whatever.

There is good information found in the depths of these books.  Even if it isn’t the current year’s volume, there are articles inside and wonderful advice.  Scour the pages and find what you need.  Glean and learn and add it to your arsenal.

You can if you want to.

People do read poetry.
And publishers today do still publish poetry:

I may never get rich from my writing… but oddly enough… that was never what it was all about to me anyway.