June 2003

(if you drop in here straight, you need to read the previous parts first to get the whole picture. Start reading with Poetry scam(s), Part I.)

Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe it. I don't believe it! I'm so excited! Oh my god!
I just received an email from Mr Steve Michaels at poetry.com (I thought he was fired or something, I hadn't heard from him in AAAGES!!) and I just HAVE to share this ultimate achievement of mine with you!
I am "cordially invited"! This was what he wrote:

Ladies and gentlemen, and fellow poets . . . It's now time to declare the winner of the largest cash prize ever awarded to an amateur poet . . . Our Poet of the Year for 2003 . . . and Grand Prize winner of $20,000 is . . .

Pietje Puk!

We're familiar with your work, Pietje, and you know . .
it could happen just that way!

Dear Pietje,
I would like to inform you of your nomination as Poet of the Year for 2003, and to personally invite you to read your poetry at the single largest gathering of poets in history, where you will be formally inducted as an International Poet of Merit and Honored Member of our Society for 2003.
Your induction will take place Friday evening, August 15th, in the United States Capital, Washington, D.C., during the 2003 International Society of Poets Summer 2003 Convention and Symposium.
You will also be honored with two separate and very special awards for your poetic achievement (Arno's note: we're still talking about the poem "Poor Victims" here) at special ceremonies throughout the weekend.
First, to honor and commemorate your poetic accomplishments, after you present your poetry in front of fellow poets from around the world, amidst the applause from the audience, you will be presented with your Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Silver Award Cup. The Award is a magnificent work of art in itself ($200.00 value), uniquely engraved and mounted on a cherry-wood. This incomparable award is so large and heavy, you may need an extra suitcase just to carry it home!

And Pietje . . . there's much more . . .

In recognition of your poetry presentation at this prestigious International Symposium, we will also create and present to you a beautiful and colorful Commemorative Award Medallion to honor your poetic dedication and achievements.

36 POETS WILL SHARE $74,000.00 TOTAL IN PRIZES--INCLUDING
THE SINGLE LARGEST POETRY CASH PRIZE EVER AWARDED--$20,000.00!

And don't forget the most lucrative amateur poetry contest ever! Your contest entry poem can be written in any style, on any subject . . . and can be up to 40 lines long.
Just think . . . for this poem alone, you will have the opportunity to win one of 36 cash and gift prizes to be awarded at the Symposium . . including a Grand Prize of $20,000.00--the largest cash prize ever awarded in an amateur poetry competition. There's also a Second Prize of $5,000.00, two Third Prizes of all-expenses paid vacations for two, including a Caribbean cruise and a trip to Cancun, Mexico, a Fourth Prize of $1,000.00, and six other cash prizes of $500.00 each. World-renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass and movie star Mickey Rooney will be with us to congratulate poets and present the Grand Prize.
Your society is also encouraging today's youth to develop and utilize their poetic talents in a positive manner. This year we will award five $1,000.00 cash scholarships to talented young poets attending the Symposium.
Our editors and professors will also be searching for new poetic talent. Twenty poets will be "discovered" in the contest reading sessions. These winners will be awarded publishing or recording contracts that will generate international exposure for their poetic artistry.
In all, $74,000.00 in cash and prizes will be awarded at this single event!

LIGHTS . . . CAMERA . . . ACTION!

And that's still just the beginning . . . we've got three very special days planned for you . . . ones you'll never forget!
**You will be officially inducted as an honorary "International Poet of Merit" for 2003.
**You and your poetic achievements will be honored at two Gala Banquets and Award Ceremonies.
**You will enjoy dazzling entertainment shows created especially for you featuring Hollywood living legend Mickey Rooney, members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Drifters, legendary Motown singing group, the Marvelettes, plus other special surprise entertainers. These special command performances will thrill and delight you. There will also be lots of other entertainment, including Midnight Dance Parties on both Friday and Saturday nights!
**Hollywood icon and legendary star of the silver screen, Mickey Rooney, will entertain and inspire us throughout the weekend.
**You will learn more about your craft in seminars, reading rooms, rap sessions, and workshops, where you can read and discuss your poetry in informal settings with other poets from all over the world. Back by popular demand are the ISP rap rooms, our famous sunrise poetry readings, the ISP Coffee House, the ISP Open Microphone Rooms, and workshops on how to fine-tune your poetic talents.
**You will have the rare opportunity to get up-close and personal with the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass, Dr. Herbert Woodward Martin, Mattie Stepanek, and Dr. Len Roberts, who will also be reading their own work.
**You will participate in a fantastic international poetry competition featuring 35 prizes totaling $66,500.00. A Grand Prize of $20,000.00, two all-expenses paid vacations for two, including a Caribbean cruise and a trip to Cancun, Mexico, 8 other cash prizes totaling $9,000.00, 10 poetry recording contracts, 10 book publishing contracts, and 5 Young Poets Scholarship prizes will be awarded at this single event.
**You and your guests will also be eligible to win one of many door prizes, valued at over $6,000.00.
**You will make friendships that will last a lifetime and will return home with wonderful memories, your Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Silver Award Cup, your Commemorative Award Medallion, and lots of other special gifts.

DON'T BE LEFT OUT

Don't miss this opportunity. Space is limited, and our Conventions routinely sell out. Plan to join your fellow poets in the United States Capital, Washington, D.C., August 15-17, 2003 for the poetic event of the year! I am also looking forward to meeting you and celebrating the power and beauty of poets and poetry!

Sincerely,
Steve Michaels
International Society of Poets
Convention Chairperson

Oh my god! I'm cordially invited to the symposium held in D.C., for which I have to pay myself at an incredible offer generated by the International Library of Poetry. And I cannot have the awards that I won because of my Outstanding Achievement in Poetry sent to me, because they are so large and heavy that they would need an extra suitcase to send them to me and it would be stupidly expensive if they have to pay for it, that's why they want you to pay for it yourself. Unless ofcourse you pay the stupidly large amount of money for the offer they gave you to attend to the symposium in D.C., because if you do that, they could buy you THREE of those awards, and that again, would be ok for their cash cheque.

This is the second time I get cordially invited to the symposium, and this time it's with a poem that has absolutely no Outstanding Quality in Poetry.
Need more proof that to THEM you are only a walking piggybank?

TO BE CONTINUED!
Continue with Poetry scam(s), Part XII.