even more…

                  the

“Poetry” Society

                    …continued

Who does and who doesn’t know their enjamb from a baking-powder biscuit.

Simply because a person is a “Poetry” Society member, even of long standing and of esteemed “societal repute”, doesn’t mean they are knowledgeable or are able to transmit to another, any amount of proper and valuable specific information. Is this a writer, one would want to glean advice from?

·      At first, usually a gut-feeling is all that is required to separate the chum from the maguro.

·         A fair indicator of a potential advisor’s accomplishment level: is the writer legitimately published.

·         Legitimate publication: periodicals that are actively edited (not just submitted to, with acceptances, out-of-hand); most internet sites do not qualify; self-published books or chappies (for this determination) do not qualify.

   Keep in mind: becoming legitimately published in this post literate society, is akin to chiseling David or the Pietá from marble in an era of 3-D printers—few are impressed, because they do not possess the intellectual or emotional tools to even be impressed.

   Usually, bye-passed out of ignorance: it seems, the act or procedure, and dogged determination of attempting publication with a legitimate outlet, is one of the true-test methods of determining one’s own or another’s strengths, weaknesses and level of writing accomplishment. These venues are outside the grasp and influence of friends, relatives and the crop of mushrooms inhabiting the usual societal situation along with their requisite p.c., ooh, isn’t that nice, observations.

·         Determining if a particular “adviser” is published beyond the “Poetry” Society’s in-house anthologies, will provide a relatively unbiased evaluation of that writer’s accomplishment level.

   Perhaps, the writer is regularly inked in quality publications, but only to publications of a specific or limited scope; well-and-good. Is this, however, the type of “poetry” and associative discussion in which one is interested. Although, legitimate publication in any interest area does hold credible value.

next: a look at “Poetry” Society contests and publications…

     Max tdc