The art of poetry

There is a poet in everyone. Every human being is able to see the beauty of poetry in every aspect of life. Whether it is in nature, our friends, happenings around us, our loved ones, there is poetry in every one of us. However, only few actually write poetry. And fewer still enjoy poetry publishing. Most of us are closet poets are those who enjoy writing verse and then tuck it away in the cupboard where no one else can enjoy it!

It is indeed a joy to read a good piece of poetry. As verse merges into verse, we see through the eyes of the poet as he transforms the reader into echelons hitherto unexplored and only imagined in our minds. However, it is in the language of the poet that poetry comes alive and acquires a spirit.

It is a well-known fact that one cannot make a living out of poetry publishing, as it is not quite viable monetarily. However, one can strive to write poetry and who knows, a stroke of luck could make you a Wordsworth! Many poets today indulge in poetry along with a mainstream job so as to sustain themselves. It is also difficult to find publishers who will take on your work. Poetry publishing therefore is a tough task.

It is very rarely that you will find a publisher to take on the onus of bringing your work in print. Acquiring a literary agent for a budding poet is one daunting task and while poetry is indeed a beauty to read, it is not widely appreciated. Most of us study poetry in school and are done with it. How many of us look beyond our textbooks at poetry?

There are however some methods to get poetry read by the public. Poetry publishing still has hope. The Internet is perhaps the best medium to publish your poetry and be seen and read. You could either create a site for yourself wherein you can publish your poems or you could be part of an ezine on the Internet. Here you can be seen across the literary world and your poetry will be read and appreciated and discussed as well. And all this is done online.

There are of course several magazines across the world that will publish your poetry. While some offer merely a platform for the budding poet in you, there are some who will even offer a remuneration to publish your poetry in their magazine. Publishing poetry in any medium brings you a high that has to be experienced. You could also approach an agent who could publish poetry in the form of a collection with various poets. This is perhaps a good start.

To make a career out of poetry, one has to strive and of course luck plays a major role in the way of success. Hone your talent, develop the poetry writing skills in you and make an effort to do your best. Language and trends change with time. You cannot adopt a style that will not be appreciated in the literary circles and the poetry loving public. Trends change and one must keep that in mind while writing poetry.

If you want to bring out the best in your talent, read poetry published by known legends, current greats and it will definitely help in improving your style. Many poets resort to taking on the task of publishing their anthology of poems themselves. This enables the poet to print a limited number of copies with the help of a smaller printing house. A small circulation to start off with can boost a budding poet's confidence.

You will come across several types and genres of poetry. What is your style? You might enjoy writing on nature, relationships, legends, or perhaps even abstract issues. Each individual has a style. Humor is well accepted and enjoyed by many. However it has to be well written to bring out the poignancy and essence of what the poet wants to convey.