Poets United's Founder Serves as Panelist at CPL Poetry Fest @ Harold Washington Library

 

On April 29, 2023, Chicago Public Library hosted its 24th Annual Poetry Fest celebration downtown at The Harold Washington Library. I had the pleasure of attending and serving as a panelist for their workshop on "The Business of Poetry." 

It was an enlightening experience, in which I "dropped some knowledge" and also gained a lot of useful, strategic tips from the other guest panelists, which included my new poetry idol: Eros the Prince of Poetry.

Both new and seasoned poets at the gathering posed some great questions on how to get started, copyright conundrums, and marketing their work.

Some of the key tips I shared with attendees included:

1. THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING MARKETABLE PRODUCTS TO SELL THEIR POETRY

2. HOW TO EXPAND THEIR PORTFOLIO BY SUBMITTING TO PUBLICATIONS THAT PAY WELL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS (including Chicago Writers Association)

3. RECOGNIZING THAT PROMOTING POETRY IS NOT A "PERFECT SCIENCE," RATHER, IT REQUIRES TRIAL AND ERROR AND CUSTOMIZING ONE'S GAME PLAN FOR WHAT'S BEST SUITED FOR HIS/HER GOALS, PERFORMANCE CHOICES, TIME, ETC.    

4. REFERRING THOSE WHO DID NOT HAVE A WEBSITE TO BOOK THAT POET, WHICH PROVIDES A DIRECTORY TO LIST POETS FOR BOOKING PURPOSES-- FOR A NOMINAL FEE

The business discussion lasted about an hour and was well-attended. It was very enjoyable. The only suggestions that I would give for future events are:

1. THE PANELISTS SHOULD BE GIVEN A SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED AMOUNT OF MINUTES FOR THEIR RESPONSES--FOR EQUAL SPEAKING TIME 

2.  SEPARATE TABLES SET UP WOULD BE NICE FOR THE PANELISTS TO SPREAD THEIR PRODUCTS OUT FOR GREATER VISIBILITY AND EASE FOR PATRONS INTERESTED IN PURCHASING

Below are some photo highlights

A special thanks goes out to all those who organized and contributed to the fest to make the day a great success!

Image credits: Pixabay.com