The news today reflected a sweet high note for poets in the United States!
According to the Associated Press, the Academy Of American Poets announced contributions of $50000 each to 23 state and local poets all around the country from New Hampshire to Washington. This has been supported by various poetry initiatives from “poetry slam” workshops in South Carolina to Creative Writing programs in New Mexico.
“The Academy of American Poets celebrates the unique position poets laureate occupy at state and local levels, elevating the possibilities poetry can bring to community conversations and reminding us that our national spirit can be nourished by the power of the written and spoken word,” Ricardo Maldonado, president and executive director of the poetry academy, said in a statement.
It seems dreams are not that far away for poets. Poetry foundations of many kinds offer brilliant wordsmiths an opportunity to take their voices to the next level with organizations such as the Poetry Foundation, Academy Of American Poets, Poetry Society Of America, Cave Canem Foundation, Montreal Canadian Poetry Prize, Beyond Barouqe, and America Poetry Review. These are amongst the most popular in North America. There is also a Pulitzer Prize for poetry in the US as well.
In the UK, the Kings Gold Metal For Poetry shines as the gold standard for the best of the best. Finding an organization closest to you that you are comfortable with is as easy as typing in “poetry organizations” into your favorite search engines like Google , Bing, etc…
These are incredible awards to strive for, yet where does that leave poets that are on a steep ladder of most slippery steps?
Although the prospect of awards, cash prizes, and recognition is rather appealing to any artist, a humbling truth is that poetry is a slow going process… often taking a long time to even be noticed.
That being said, social media and the internet have become game changers for many in poetry. Just being able to get your work out there makes all the difference in the world.
Name recognition associated with posting on and commenting on poems associated with poetry groups also helps poets to get to know each other and encourage each other in many ways more valuable than money.
With the ability to reach so many people at once, and with the right amount of patience, fortitude, and talent, who knows what dreams may be able to be attained!
Matt Elmore
https://apnews.com/article/poetry-academy-laureates-fellows-awards-118878bacdd75ee6c89ccf23aecb2a9f
Poetry ,unites people from all classes, races etc and helps the world to live in harmony and without differences .Good luck to all
ReplyDeleteI believe this is the purpose of many of these prestigious awards… to exemplify the scope and attention to worldwide issues that are not only relatable to the human condition, but provide a practical model to emulate and strive for! Thanks for reading…!
DeleteGreat news! I wish all the best of luck! My country not included, but love and luck is! Fatamira
ReplyDeleteHello dear Fatamira! I have to tell you, your poems are deserving of a thousand prizes!! Seriously! I love their mystical rhythms and magical content that takes me away from this often mundane existence! For what it’s worth… I award you the Elmore Award Of Academic Excellence in Poetry! Congratulations!!!! Applause applause.
DeleteTerry Bridges 26/7/2023
ReplyDeleteAs you say Matt in your article poetry recognition is normally a slow process. Poetry awards and cash prizes are of course welcome but social media have accelerated getting your poems out there and read. There are many awful problems with the Internet but there is an abundance of online poetry groups fro people to get involved in. I started posting on poetry UK 3 years ago and then joined others. We may be invisible poets but we are becoming seen! Happy days
Hello Terry!! So happy you joined me on here! It was getting lonely!! Haha!! Just kidding… hey, I totally agree. The idea of just being able to get out there and share our work is amazing to me. I’ve only been on poetry groups for a couple of years now, but continue to be amazed at the amount of talent out there. Although the Kings Metal is most appealing, along with the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize, I am content to be the kind of “urban poet” Steve Wheeler refers to in his blog with the same name… shouting my verse out for any to hear in the hopes that someone relates to my cries for justice, retribution, or just plain jubilation. Your poems reflect all three criteria! Thanks for reading Terry! Hope to see you on here again.
DeleteAs you say Matt in your article it is good news that there is an increasing number of poetry awards and monetary prizes for poetry. That's very welcome indeed. But the astonishing power and influence of social media has vastly increased the possi ility of getting your poems out there and read and seen. I joined poetry uk 3 years ago under covid lockdown. It's one of the best decisions I've made in of many different kinds of poetry. I found other sites too as my confidence grew. It kept me going and im so grateful. Ive encoutered some extraordibary poets and people! . Happy days for poets! ss my confidence grew. It my.life. it's improved my work and improved my understanding of all ma
ReplyDeleteHello oh anonymous one! Lol! I’m still getting used to using this blog, and finding things to write about… because I am really just a poet with a dream. But I believe we all are to a certain extent, and I share your exuberance concerning social media and poetry. I belong to Poetry UK as well, and it is an amazing site with some wonderful talent. I’m so glad you have found some kindred spirits in the poetry groups as well. I certainly know I have. Becoming part of the Wheelsong family is one of the most incredible things to have ever happened to me, and I do my best everyday to bring something to the table on “Invisible Poets”. I’m also pleased as punch that you read my report here, and certainly hope you continue to check out the other incredible offerings besides mine this Wheelsong Books blog has to offer…!! Every article is more than worth its weight in salt!! Have a good one!!
DeleteI joined several poetry groups almost 3 years ago. I never thought about anything other than sharing my work but as of today I have been published in dozens of international publications including annual Anthologies and I just published a book in the UK and one here in the United States.Anthologies
ReplyDeleteYour work is most deserving of publication and even more so, the more I read it, I believe you are on your way to becoming one of the greats Imelda. I could easily see you in the roster of one of these prestigious organizations with the right content and a little luck. Either way, we love you just the way you are, and I PERSONALLY get excited everytime I see your name on a poem. You inspire me as a poet.
DeleteAwesome news Matt
ReplyDeleteI love seeing ANY poetry content in the news… I have to admit, this got me excited. I’m nowhere near that kind of level… it is at the topper most of the poppermost… but someday maybe… we can always dream! Thanks for reading!!
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