Nicely Done, Poets!
A few thoughts at the end of 2017
Just published the final issue of PoetsUnlimited for the year 2017, going out to our sixty-two thousand subscriber/readers.
It’s been another very good year on the publication, with a broad mix of poetry from around the world, and fresh works shared every day (with occasional lapses on weekends or holidays). As per usual, the pieces come with a wide range of perspectives and approaches. The diversity of our contributors is a very big part of the value of reading (and curating/editing) PoetsUnlimited.
And what diversity we find. We have some younger poet-contributors sharing their perspectives in poetry. While PU is not a good fit for children, given more adult-oriented themes as a common feature, the participation by mature teens seems to work. Writing poetry is a habit and resource – many of us will tell you – that will serve you well for the rest of your life, in good times and bad.
Other contributors are just starting out at expressing their ideas, feelings and perspectives in words as an adult. As one sees the world more broadly, and explores one’s place in it, poetry is a great avenue to capture insights, hopes and dreams, laments and inspirations.
Others are older contributors with decades of rich experience — of sorrow and elation. The observations of the structure and richness hidden or glaringly apparent in the ebb and flow of life make for inspiring reading.
The diversity of results is enjoyable too. Some write in English though it is not their mother tongue. The language’s grammar rules and conventions can be a challenge, but I think there can also be another layer of richness for the reader when we can sense a bit of an accent in your words, and you find a way to say something that a native speaker may not have considered.
As editor, I only occasionally suggest a small grammar fix where one is obvious if it helps the accessibility of a piece. Most works are usually published as submitted.
Many of our contributors are frankly as good as any lauded, award-winning poet in the pantheon of published poets. Poetry is a funny game, in that few are ever significantly rewarded for their craft. A mediocre poet, with aggressive promotion can rise to prominence, while an insightful master of words may get little attention over their productive years.
In the end many of us will simply decide that they put their words onto paper or pixels for ourselves, and for occasional readers that work through a piece and feel in it something that speaks to them deeply.
Hopefully PoetsUnlimited is making some of those connections possible, and you are finding some satisfaction in participating as a reader or poet-contributor.
The demand to participate is high, and thus to keep this publication manageable, it is only opened up to new contributors a couple of times per year now, but many new voices are added at those times.
All the best for 2018. I hope our writers and readers are finding some enjoyment in their interactions with PoetsUnlimited. May your words always say a little bit more upon the next reading than they did on the previous pass.
