The Ultimate Rejection Letter
Robert J. Tiess has edited the Poetfest Poetry Anthologies, published seasonally online, for the last three years. But CONCLUSIONS, the anthology scheduled for Winter 2000 publication, was in his words “not meant to be.” Tiess recently wrote to all those who had submitted poems informing them that the poetry he'd seen was so bad he could no longer face publishing it, and so was throwing in the towel:
As you might recall, Poetfest anthologies, published and viewable for free on the Internet, consist of submissions from around the world. There have always been many rejections (75-90%) in each quarter, but the submission pool for CONCLUSIONS was overwhelmed by underwhelming work. I decided to use this as an opportunity to address the many poets that come to Poetfest in search of publication. Many wrongly assume they need only submit anything resembling a poem and it will be published. I have spent the past three years working with poets at Poetfest, and before that, yet another publication called NeoLogue. As a writer who has largely withheld his own works from the publishing industry for various reasons, I was particularly dismayed at the poor quality of verse this submission quarter. Poetfest admits both beginning/promising and “accomplished” poets, and some poems may be aired here that may not see the light of page anywhere else--partly because I believe in expanding the parameters of poetry and because certain writers with obvious promise do need a forum where they can be published and may pursue their literary potential. However, this time it was not meant to be, and CONCLUSIONS will not be published. Poetfest will go on, and contributors have been reminded to submit only their best works.Further correspondence with Tiess elicited ever more derogatory descriptions of the state of the art. Opinion: it's not that poetry is having a resurgence, he says, it's that Bad Poetry is!
--Bob Holman
The Ultimate Rejection Letter
January 2, 2000
To All Those Who Submitted Works for the Winter 2000 Poetfest Anthology CONCLUSIONS:
Let me begin by thanking all of you for sharing your works with Poetfest. As you may already know, Poetfest Anthologies have been published on a quarterly basis for the past few years now, presenting promising works by beginning and accomplished poets alike. While Poetfest has been and always will be aesthetically inclusive, even as wide-ranging as to be formal or highly experimental at times, there has persisted a threshold of excellence only a few poems have actually attained or exceeded in any given quarter of Poetfest's publications. This will always continue to be the case.
In our current quarter, the Winter 2000 Poetfest Anthology, CONCLUSIONS, was to have continued this eclectic gathering of poems for our readers around the world. The editorial will to do so was certainly here; however, the poems were not. There were many submissions from around the world, as has always been the case with Poetfest. The critical absence of poetry arrived in another form, for never before in the history of Poetfest have there been so many poems, yet so little poetry. To put it another way, most of the poetry received (apart from a very modest number of fine exceptions) did not meet the editorial standards of Poetfest. One might go as far as to say the majority of submissions were overwhelmingly underwhelming.
Rather than to publish a collection merely for the sake of the Poetfest series, the ultimate “conclusion” for CONCLUSIONS is there will be no Winter 2000 collection. Poetfest continues, and the new theme and submissions deadline is now at the site. However, prospective poets should take this unprecedented conclusion as a royal invitation to revisit their writing, their notions of what makes a poem a poem, what it is to be a poet, why some ideas have no choice but to be expressed through poetry, the sound of words, the value and rhythm of language, the importance of metaphor, allusion, imagery, form and formlessness, and so forth.
Those of us who regard this craft seriously understand the difference between “words arranged in lines” and a poem; it is something that transcends form, something often personal, subjective, but meaningful and substantial in our minds and from our mouths when we read it inwardly or aloud. One needn't have graduated with an MFA to recognize a poem. Scores of classic examples exist for us to study, emulate or thoroughly avoid in our phrasal pursuits of new ideas and fresh expression. Revisit the works of Frost, Dante, Basho, the Brownings, Donne, Milton, Eliot, Dickinson, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Chaucer, Pound, Yeats, et al, read our contemporary poets, subscribe to literary journals, attend readings, get involved with the craft and internalize some minor or major part of it that you can apply to your words so they may no longer be merely words arranged in lines, but poems, possibly good or great poems. Each of you possesses that potential.
In our modern literary world, which is vastly overpopulated, if not polluted by miserable writing across all genres, those of us aspiring to publication and a readership must exercise far greater self-discipline, self-restraint, and develop a profound respect for our literary environment, the natural resources of which are dangerously stretched across the few orthodox print publishers remaining whose own poetry titles have dwindled over the years. That is one reason why so many prospective poets have flocked to the Internet, correctly identifying it as a liberating medium through which their unimpeded verse could reach some audience. Poetfest provides a moderated medium solely for those poets demonstrating some dedication to their craft and a passion for poetry.
Only through steady exploration and refinement of one's own expressive, intellectual and creative capabilities can we embark on the long, necessary journey from the utterly prosaic to the poetic. For each of us that journey varies, and each of us travel in various directions. Some of us go only so far and are content with little advancement, while for those of us in it for the long term, the excursion evolves into an odyssey, perhaps a lifelong pursuit of the grail of literary excellence. We cannot afford to practice poetry any less seriously, lest we risk the lifework our ancestral writers have expended to advance the cause, reach and depth of literature. Editors and publishers can and must also act accordingly, maintaining, not lowering literary standards. There are more poems than ever, and the hunt for a few good words becomes increasingly difficult.
Dedicated as it is to its many fine readers and contributors worldwide, Poetfest declines to publish CONCLUSIONS in its deeper loyalty to contemporary literary standards, which the Internet threatens to dilute and homogenize through bad publishing practices among authors and publishers--often the same persons in the online environment. In many respects, the Internet is perhaps the best and worst thing that has happened to poetry in recent time, allowing more poets than ever to post their works without the need for actual publishers. The temptation to flood the Web with one's works, ready or not, is vast, and, if pursued irresponsibly, bears some lasting detriment on poetry and all literary expression. Poetfest will continue to do its part to preserve a sphere where serious poets may convene and aspire to publication and asks of its poets to respond with a firm, personal rededication to this art, if it is indeed that important to them. It should be.
These words go out to all poets at and beyond Poetfest, as the submission situation here reflects a global pattern of literary products saturating publishers to the detriment of the few writers whose lifelong work will never quite receive their due editorial attention, as editors and their assistants spend the majority of their hours rejecting works that should have never been submitted in the first place. Poetfest encourages submissions only of a poet's very best work, at Poetfest or anywhere else where poetry is solicited. Incomplete, unpolished works, works containing unintentional spelling and syntactical errors, and random word arrangements claiming to be poems should remain unsubmitted until a poet personally perfects those works; only then should they be sent forth into the publishing world. If every writer did this, we would all benefit as authors, editors and publishers, and our contemporary literature would benefit most of all.
This editor remains optimistic and already looks forward to the next collection, QUESTIONS. All of you are once again invited to submit new material for consideration. The call for submissions remains ongoing, but, before you do so, I would ask that you consider all the above and act accordingly, sending only your very best work or withholding your work until it is perfected to the very best of your expressive abilities. Whatever you personally conclude, to submit or to wait and develop your talent, thank you all in advance for your understanding, cooperation, and interest in Poetfest Publications.
May all of you enjoy a healthy, joyous and prosperous new year. Keep writing, and take care.
Truly yours,
The Poetfest Editor & Publisher
Poetfest Publications
What do you think about the state of poetry & publishing today? Is the Internet good for the art? What does it take for a poet to be “serious” about poetry? Art or craft? Inspiration or study? Come on over to the Poetry Forum & let's talk these issues over.
Robert J. Tiess (b. 1971) -- Writing is the single most important thing in his life. A writer, poet, dramatist, philosopher, and electric guitarist, Robert also edits and publishes the free Poetfest Poetry Anthologies on the Internet. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz (B.A. English Lit, 91), his many interests begin, most importantly, with the ongoing study of literature and extend to areas such as astronomy, chess, advocacy of free speech, world mythology, search engine technology, and information research and resource services. Robert's writing has appeared in such diverse publications as PotePoetZine, Amazing Computing, English Journal, Recursive Angel, and Chapter & Verse Publishing for Children. Robert also works for two upstate New York public libraries and in his spare time (!) enjoys drawing and painting.
Two of Robert Tiess' poems are online at these links:
- “Caesuraenjambement” in PotePoetZine #3
- “Baroque” in Recursive Angel, Volume III, Issue X
