I started posting my poems, as I wrote them, to rec.arts.poems on
USENET in 1988. Since then I have extended it, first to
alt.arts.poetry.comments and then later when the mailing-lists
appeared to `british-poets`, `peter howard's list' and finally
`poetryetc'. It is a very trivial thing for me to do when I
am word-processing a poem. Needless to say they are first drafts
which may have minor modifications made later, but I seldom
post corrected copy unless it is drastic. It is only occasionally
that I get feedback, when I usually know I have got a hit,
but it does help to advertise my Webspace where all my poetry
is lodged by keeping my name in reader's eyes.
Thru posting poems from 1988 I spent an enjoyable ten years in
Jon Corelis online poetry discussion and criticism group where
poems were workshopped. All my poems were circulated there.
If you cant get to a highquality local workshop then find one
on the INternet. THey abound. There is no substitute for peer
review.
You might have to wait months submitting a poem to paper magazines
before it is published and then it disappears into a black hole
as do books after their review. But the great advantage of the
Internet is that it is instant and if you get a reaction it comes
within a matter of hours.
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