-- International Library of Poetry --
-- National Library of Poetry --

The International Library of Poetry is one of several organizations of questionable repute operating under the internet domains poetry.com and poets.com.  Once known as the "National" Library of Poetry, they are now "International."

Poetry Contest   ~            Exercise caution            ~   Poetry Contest

Serious poets consider the International Library of Poetry contests and their affiliated organizations to be unethical, and their free poetry contests a scheme designed  to prey on amateur poets by relieving them of their money. 

Currently these are found under a variety of internet domains including "www.poetry.com" and "www.poets.com"



Is the following poem worthy of consideration for a national prize?

    My Cat Has Fleas

My cat is chewing on her butt; 
It makes me think she is a nut.

I try to drown the fleas in spray; 
They jump and shout and just yell "Hey!" 

I try to drown the fleas in powder; 
they eat it like it's fine clam chowder.

I try to drown the fleas in gas; 
that really burned my kitty's ass.

Yep. The NLP picked this poem as a national semifinalist in their free poetry contest. Click here for details. And you can have your very own semi-finalist poem published in a handsome book of similar, excellent poems for only $49.99.
 

This web page is provided as a public service by Wind Publications. Your comments are welcome.

           

See what the following folks have to say about the National Library of Poetry contest, then decide for yourself if they are scam artists.

Big Money in Poetry -- "I cried like a baby after realizing that I was just ripped off . . . I cannot express the deep, emotional anguish this has caused me -- "

Article by Dave Barry -- Knight-Ridder Newspapers --
Oh, I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking, "Dave, you wienerhead, they don't really think you're a leading poet. They got your name from some mailing list, and they'll publish any drivel you send in, because what they REALLY want to do is throw a book together and then sell it to a bunch of pathetic loser wannabe 'poets' for some absurdly inflated price like $50." 

Poems of Shame -- "The National Library of Poetry sponsors poetry 'contests' several times throughout each year . . . See the wretched poems the National Library of Poetry deemed Semi- Finalist worthy."   

$  The Money is Rolling In to the National Library of Poetry.  Do the calculations yourself or see this web page:

"National Library of Poetry--A Scam That Doesn't Scan" -- an article by Jenijoy La Belle in AWP Chronicle, Vol 30, No 3, page 30, December 1997. Author considers the ethicality of mass- produced poetry anthologies.  Click here for a summary of this article.

Take Action. You don't have to stand by & watch while the NLP empties unsuspecting pockets. Take action! Here are some things that you can do.

ABC TV's 20/20 Exposé on The National Library of Poetry -- "tip-off on a rip-off" -- an entire second grade class received identical acceptance letters for their poems. Barbara was appalled as usual.