Word about PoetryCircle is spreading. While we're happy that our membership continues to increase, the editors of the site agree on the following:

-- the Internet has quite a lot of poetry forums where amateur poets can post their work freely
-- the Internet has few forums that cater specifically to more advanced poets and readers of poetry

PoetryCircle wants to be in the latter category.

I would like to draw your attention to the first paragraphs of the signup agreement:

This is a forum of and for advanced poets. We therefore encourage you to sign up using your real name, the pen name by which you are widely known, or the pen name by which you would like to be widely known. Changing your user name at a later time can be cumbersome. Using a fanciful user name will not endear you to the other writers who post here.

After signing up, you can change the user name that other members see by clilcking Profile, Account Related Settings, changing the value in the Name field, and then clicking Change Profile. You will still have to log on to the site using the user name that you originally chose, however. If you'd like to start over entirely, you can create a new account on the site. Existing accounts will not be deleted, however.

Anyone can submit poems here, but we do have a rejection system in place for work that we feel does not meet the standards of the site. You will typically be notified if a poem or prose work you have submitted has been rejected, but a specific reason for the rejection may not be given, as the volume of work we receive often does not allow for individual responses.

Since it's difficult for one person to know what another person considers "advanced" perhaps the problems that you're having maintaining the level you want for the forum could be remedied by making the site private. In order to become a member, a person would need to submit three (or however many you think you'd need to judge their ability) poems. If they are deemed advanced enough by the editors (or some combination of them) then the person is let in. That way everyone understands the rules from the beginning and you don't have to be in the position of sending out rejection slips to people that you didn't think belonged here in the first place.

cheers,
nancy

I agree with Nancy. It's tough enough out there without having to deal with "rejection slips" from a forum and it would be less confusing for people visiting the site.

Best,
Ayesha

idon't understand people having a problem with the rejection slips.  i guess they've never submitted anything to a print magazine before.  i've been publishing for 36 years and i still get way more rejection slips than letters of acceptance.  that's just the way it is.  sometimes you just go to bat and strike out.
     please keep the rejection slips...i'd rather be told something i wrote was crap rather than having someone pat me on the back just to be nice and make me feel good. 

Is the Rejected Poems space new?  I think that's a good thing, because the 'rejected' poem is still being displayed, but relegated to a site that doesn't clutter up the sections of poetry deemed up to par.  If someone's work seems to linger in the RP site, they could set a goal to do what it takes to write something that stays on the submissions page.  Seeing what doesn't work along with what does can illuminate new perspectives and be a good learning tool.

jay;
     it just blows me away that someone would get so offended and bent out of shape by a simple rejection ship that they would ask you...demand you...to remove them from the membership!  you cloven-footed nasty beast!
a rejection slip!
the nerve!
who's ever heard of such a thing!
 ;)

John,

Who'd of thought? My message box is full of disgruntled notes from people whose work landed in the reject bin.

After seeing your latest post, I'm going to cut and paste it as the response...Since I reject half of my own work, it'll save me time.

larry

Yes, relatively--and it's only visible to registered users.

I'm personally very grateful for the rejections part of this website.  It is honest and isn't about telling people what they want to hear.  I wanted honest opinion about some things I had written and some idea of what I was doing wrong.  I got it here and it was very valuable to me.  Thank you so much.  I own't be posting anything else, just reading and enjoying what others write.  The ones that know what they're doing. 

hey, please don't let rejection stop you...you gotta keep on trying.  man, i've been publishing for 36 years now and i still get more rejections than acceptances.  it's a simple fact of being a writer.  you keep on submitting...keep on trying. 

Sometimes rejection becomes such a part of your life that the only thing left to write about is rejection.

:)

now that is true wit, Jay----sounds like Mark Twain...

michael