Comments on: “Poetry for men” and other problematic labels

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:37:54 +0000

Thanks to Seth and Hank for your comments. Two years after writing this post, my approach to the issue remains a work in progress. I struggle with hash tags in Twitter now as well and continue to feel that accurate, succinct terminology for what I’m doing eludes me.

This issue has also come up with work published on other websites. The sub-headlines provided by the editors (and even the submission categories) frequently only relate to a fragment of what I’m saying, or miss the point altogether. Characterizing or summarizing what I’m doing in 2-3 words or a short phrase seems to be a challenge, regardless of who’s doing it.

By: Hank Estrada

Hank Estrada — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:06:30 +0000

You’re not alone in this thinking, I am sure! I like how you attempt to sort through the various meanings of related “poetry” descriptions. I even more happy that you left it a question to still be determined…..that’s exciting!

By: Seth Mullins

Seth Mullins — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:03:19 +0000

I can really relate to this particular quandary, Rick. I went through a very similar thing when I was trying to promote my fiction. At times I would tag it as “speculative fiction” or “fantasy” even though it was set in a frontier era and essentially the spiritual journey disguised as an adventure. But I didn’t want to give it a “metaphysical” or “spiritual” tag either, and mislead people into thinking they were about to read something along the lines of Deepak Chopra…

I tip my hat to you for carrying on the fight. I have to say that, as a writer, my twin nemeses are query letters and genre tags!

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:25:03 +0000

Thanks, A.J. I appreciate your comment and your interest.

By: A.J.Johnson

A.J.Johnson — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:39:34 +0000

Just a note to let you know I have an appreciation for your writing, your honesty and style. I will enjoy following your site as well as Twitter.