$$ and poetry

[Leanne]

There are lots of ways to make money by writing - not many of them have to do with poetry though. I hate having to pay fees to enter contests, or to have something read, because to me $5 is a meal missed that week. Often, two meals, whereas to most of the people entering, $5 is one coffee out of twenty they drink that week. It's all a load of poo tickets anyway. I can't say I write for the love of it, because I'm too busy hating. Grrr. Fuck off, who asked you anyway? Carol Ann Duffy knows, but she's not talking. Or if she does, the accent cruels it.

Give it up Mercedes, you know you love to hate it :p

I agree that paying for contests hurts and I don't do it myself, but I have a general aversion to arbitrary judging of poetry and won't enter into that debate because I know I'm a bit odd... however, some people see it as an investment in their publicity, which as we all know is the only way to make money these days. Having said that, perhaps it's not unreasonable to question whether the idea that we must pay to make money is actually damaging the credibility of our art.