* Regular IS&T contributor Alexis Rotella has a new collection of tanka out called Elvis in Black Leather (44 pages, softback, Modern English Tanka Press 2009 - www.themetpress.com price $9.95, ISBN 978-193539809-7). To quote the blurb for the collection – written by IS&T editor Charles Christian... "This is the most enjoyable collection of tanka I've read in a long time. What I like about it (along with, it shouldn't need saying, the quality of this poet's writing) is the way Alexis Rotella is pushing the boundaries of the genre, so they are not only linked to a common theme - a remembrance of Elvis - but also breaking into the realms of reportage and biography and away from the frequently genteel constraints of traditional tanka."





* There seems to be a growing chorus of discontent from writers and poets who feel they are getting a raw deal from both online and small press publishers who are playing hard and fast with their IP rights. The worst example we have encountered is an online site that demanded a poet seek written permission to use one of her own poems – despite the fact she was unaware she had even submitted any of her work to the site for publication.

Hey, publishers – its called piracy. You are all very quick to complain if someone rips of one of your titles – yet you have no qualms about ripping off your own authors. In related developments...

- Ink Sweat & Tears will be republishing its publication guidelines in a separate post – none of the terms have changed but it is probably worth restating them.

- AND, here is a story from Wikipedia you may want to consider...

Poetry.com was previously run by a Maryland-based company called The International Library of Poetry, also known as the International Society of Poets and the International Poetry Hall of Fame. This company was considered by many to be a vanity publisher. Poetry.com claimed to coordinate monthly poetry contests and other services through its website, though the actual competitive nature of these contests was disputed. The site's ostensible primary purpose was publication of poetry anthologies submitted by aspiring authors, and invitations to poetry conventions hosted by the group. The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland classified the business as a vanity publisher, and notes that the quality of the poetry submitted to them "does not appear to be a significant consideration for selection for publication."

Critics of the International Library of Poetry's business model describe their practices as "deceptive and misleading" in that they misrepresent their activities as a contest based on the quality of poetry submitted, whereas in fact the quality has little or no influence on the outcome. They are also accused of portraying the anthologies they publish as a "real literary credit that poets can be proud of" while simultaneously producing anthologies that are available on special order only and which are full of poor quality poetry. Other critics point out that standard industry practice is for winners of poetry contests to receive gratis copies of any publication of their work, and that ILP fails to follow this protocol.

The Better Business Bureau comments that it has received "hundreds" of complaints concerning ILP, and that it considers their business to be vanity publishing. In 2004, the New York State Consumer Protection Board launched an investigation into ILP, which it said "takes advantage of people both emotionally and financially," but suspended the investigation due to a shortage of complaints.