Can I display my poetry on this website?
Yes. You must register using your email address or social media account and then you can publish your poems and quotes on this site. Registration and all services of poems-and-quotes.com are free.
Why do I have to register to submit my poems to poems-and-quotes.com?
Registration is necessary to identify the origin of your submissions. Also, you can use your account to manage your previously submitted material, add a profile, participate in the discussion board, etc.
Are there any special rules for submission?
Yes. You must comply with our Terms of Service.
Why do you request the rights to edit, delete, and publish my poems?
This is a necessary precaution. Generally, we do not edit member submissions and we remove only submissions deemed inappropriate, but we reserve the right to remove any submission at our sole discretion. We reserve the right to re-publish your submissions so that we may enter your poems in our e-publication. If poems-and-quotes.com publishes a book, poets will be asked for their permission to publish their work. If you feel these terms are unacceptable, do not submit any of your material to poems-and-quotes.com.
How can I find a poem if I know its title and/or author?
Your best bet is to use the “search poem" tool, which will display all results matching your search criteria. You can also post your question in the discussion board or use a search engine such as Google to find poems on other websites.
There are so many poems on this website. How can I find the best ones?
There are more than 600,000 poems on poems-and-quotes.com. Finding the ones you are interested in is a challenging task; however, there are a few helpful tricks at your disposal. First, poetry is categorized by genre, so you can browse through specific genres that peak your interest. Second, you can use sorting options to find the most recent, most popular, and most commented poems. Third, if you like a poem and would like to read more poems written by the author, you can visit the author's profile (click on the author's name just below the poem’s title). Fourth and finally, there is a “Poems you might like” section, which gathers similar poems that you have read and voted on.
How do I copyright my poem?
In theory, when you write something, it is copyrighted. No further steps are required to protect your intellectual property. In reality, it might be difficult to prove that you are the genuine author without evidence. You can officially register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office for $30 (the application process takes 4-5 months).
Somebody has published my poem on the internet without my permission. What should I do?
The internet is a medium subject to abuse - some people might re-publish your work and claim it to be theirs. There is no easy way to solve this problem. If the plagiarized work is submitted to poems-and-quotes.com, you can complain on the poem, which will be forwarded to the moderators for review. If your evidence is convincing, we will remove the plagiarized work and award a penalty. If the plagiarized work is published on another website, try contacting the site’s webmaster and ask him/her to remove the work. If this does not work, contact the web-hosting provider. You should be prepared to take legal action.
I want to publish my poetry in a book. Can you help me?
No, we do not provide this service and we are not affiliated with a publisher. Use a search engine (e.g., Google) to find more information.
What do the awards mean and how do I get an award?
Explanations for [P], [C], and [F] awards may be found here.
Nobody is commenting on my poems. How do I get my poems noticed?
The best way to get your poems noticed is to comment on other poems. Lengthy, praise-worthy comments return the best results. You may also get your poems noticed by being active on the discussion boards. Familiarity and sociability generate interest. Other methods to get your poems noticed include: Joining a poetry club or participating in small scale poetry contests held by other members. You can also request for feedback in the feedback forum.
What is senior member status? How do I achieve senior member status?
Senior member status allows members to nominate 3 poems per week for the weekly, site-wide poetry contest. To reach senior member status, a member must achieve a silver C award, or a silver F award.
What does a weekly contest judge do? How do I become a judge? Who are the judges?
There are 5 weekly contest judges per 3 month rotation. Judges read through the nominations page each week and select 3 poems that they would like to grace the front page. These poems are ranked (10 points, 7 points, 4 points) and the 3 poems with the most cumulative points earn their place on the front page. Tie-breakers are decided by the site. Judges write comments for their selected poems, which are presented on a weekly contest thread hosted by a moderator. It can be found here. If you are interested in becoming a judge, please private message the joint moderator account. Judges remain anonymous until the end of their terms, at which time they may choose whether or not to reveal themselves.
What is a moderator? What do moderators do on poems-and-quotes.com? How do I become a moderator?
Moderators are carefully selected volunteers who give their time to help members navigate the site appropriately. They are here to ensure all members are treated with respect. Most importantly, they enforce the rules and guidelines listed in Terms of Service. Moderators can edit submissions, delete submissions (with or without penalty), and suspend members when necessary. Moderator turnover is rare, but when a new moderator is needed, current moderators collectively choose the newest addition. Sometimes applications are opened up to the site, at which time all members can apply.
My account was suspended. Why? How do I submit an appeal?
For an explanation of why your account was suspended, please contact moderators. Likewise, you can appeal your suspension by writing an email to the moderators. Do not create an alternate account to private message the moderators with your questions and concerns.
What if I disagree with a moderator?
Moderators sometimes make mistakes. Disagreements occur. Try to communicate with the moderator in question respectfully to settle your disagreement. Moderators are not targets for your obscenities or insults. If you do not agree with a decision, you are NOT entitled to start a thread arguing about the verdict. Any correspondence about suspension length and reason will be handled through the suspension appeal process. If you feel a verdict is unfair, please contact an alternate moderator. You are also welcome to contact the Administrators through the Contact Us page, but be prepared to review the Terms of Service and know that the site is able to verify your accusations. The Administrators will not mediate opinion and will only get involved if rules have been violated.