DESK RAGE POET
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
PLEASE READ THESE GUIDELINES THOROUGHLY.
Failure to adhere,
will result in your work
being sent off into cyberspace
to the planet Knot-Lis-N-Ing.
We really like:
-Poetry that is strong, relevant, cutting edge brash, but empathically conscious, sensitive, and capable.
-Quality outweighs form or genre. Send us your best work.
-Unique, insightful, unafraid--all good.
-Well crafted free verse, but that does not mean we don't like or consider traditional forms that ring our bell.
-Poetry with a tuned ear to sound, music, and natural rhythm; fused with effective sensory imagery, and spanked by intellectual, emotional depth.
-Shorter rather than longer poems.
-Works that are imaginative and unconventional, without being totally "lost in space,"
so much that they are unreadable and unintelligible.
-Dark fantasy with crystal clear reflections.
-Speculative poetry with a twisted or tweaked sense of humor, familiar with irony, paradox, and a sense of social justice--minus sermon or excess commentary, or rampant other world delirium.
-Poetry that not only speaks to the human experience, but holds it by the neck, when needed, or gently by the hand, when asked.
Take part of your cue from the following poem:
THE ANYWOMAN, ANYMAN
I do not write for academics
formalists or avant-garde,
one constricts, one restricts
one shreds form into shards.
I write for the carpenter,
farmer and the stevedore,
the nurse, driver, captain--
the anywoman, anyman,
in language bold and plain,
no subversive motive
no elitist claim. . .
I write for the everyday heroes,
anonymous, unrecognized,
with no exorbitant expectations,
who want nothing more
than a simple revelation,
some small insight to a
poem's mission--
how does it resonate, motivate,
in some private way relate
to the fabric of their lives. . .
enough to earn a special place
in every recollection of their fates.
© JOSEPH ROQUE 2010
We really don't like:
-Experimental, doggerel verse; polemic rants and raves.
-Atheists on a mission; pedantic sermons; religious missionary pitches.
-Jingles, jangles, bangles, or cliches.
-Syrupy, sloppy, drooly bunches of emotions not crafted into poetry.
-Selfish, self-indulgent footprints.
-Unbridled, frivolous profanity, lurid, dime-store sex.
-Racism, pornography, sexism or sophomoric greeting card verse.
-Avant-garde babble, techno-speak, or visual gymnastics.
-Gory, drippy horror laced with sex, body parts, and juvenile story lines.
Specific Submittal Instructions:
3 poems maximum per submission.
Type or paste your poems into the body of the Comment Box, (Contact Page).
Broken up, encoded, or unreadable e-mails will be rejected.
We acquire first electronic publishing rights. All other rights revert to the author after publication. Published work remains part of Desk Rage Poet's online archives. If your work is republished, we respectfully ask that you acknowledge Desk Rage Poet as the original source of publication.
Regrettably, we cannot offer payment for the work we publish at this time, because: we have no money; we make no money; money is not what this site is about.
No previously published poems (unless invited). We consider work that has appeared on blogs, print journals, or other websites to be previously published.
No simultaneous submissions.
Although we try, we may not always be able to send you acknowledgment of your submittal upon receipt.
If you have not received a response from us within 3 weeks, please send us a query by e-mail. We ask that you not submit any additional work until you have heard on the initial submittal.
Your work must be original, and your own. No plagiarism. Do not send any work until you have thoroughly proofread it. We reserve the right to edit accepted poetry for clarity or minor errors, and to accept or reject any/all work submitted to us. Submissions that do not meet a minimum threshhold of structural, spelling, and grammatical competence, will be rejected.
If any of your work is accepted, I will be proud to showcase it here, and eventually put it to our archives page. You may, of course request removal of your poem at any time, or leave it there to share with others. We ask that you footnote us if and when you publish your work elsewhere.
Tell us about yourself with a brief Bio within your e-mail, written in the third person, of no more than 75 words. List any publishing credits for your poetry, by name of publication, website, blog, etc.
No whining! This is my website, and it is a friendly and supportive one for those who are respectful, courteous, and sincere in their mutual love of poetry. This is a haven for new and established writers, not a "flashmob-moan-and-groan poetry slam for narcissistic malcontents.
Please, reserve all rants and raves for one of the websites (and there are many) out there that encourages mindless chatter and vitriol.
If we decide not to accept any of your work, we will always try to tell you why. These comments will always be intended to be helpful rather than critical or hurtful. We see this as an integral part of our aim to help develop new talent. If you'd rather not receive this feedback, please let us know in your submittal e-mail.