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Poetry Institute of Canada

CaoPaux

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06-05-2006, 10:49 PM
BardSkye
Grace Under Pressure

Poetry Institute of Canada

While we were away my local television station did a "Beware" on this publisher, who apparently goes through school English teachers to offer a contest with various prizes, one of which is inclusion in an anthology. They do actually give away the prizes they promise but the anthology is a whopping $50 available only if the parents want to pay for it. Out of 74 students from one school who entered, four were rejected.

Didn't find anything about this publisher in the thread search I did, so I thought I'd post it here.

The story can be found at CFCN TV, Consumer Watch archives.
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06-05-2006, 11:22 PM
Alan Yee
Keeper of Flying Hellhounds

This sounds like a spin-off of Poetry.com/International Library of Poetry. It sounds very similar, especially the part about a $50 anthology.
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06-06-2006, 11:37 AM
CaoPaux
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http://www.poetryinstitute.shawbiz.ca/index.htm

I'm not finding any rules re: poetry submissions, however the short stories are limited to 360 words. I expect it works out to a printed page per entry.
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emilyA

poetry institute of canada

I just wanted to include a positive note about Poetry institute of Canada. My 7 year old granddaughter submitted a poem last year and was published.. It was HUGE for her. It did wonders for her self esteem to be in a book with other poets of all ages.
Her parents ordered a copy of the Anthology for the grandparents for Christmas.
What a lovely gift. I spend hours reading those poems which are really quite good.
The ages of the poets range from 7 to over 80 and its a really nice keepsake.
 

Momento Mori

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How much did your son/daughter have to pay for the anthology?

Personally, I think there's something despicable about playing on the hopes of young children in order to force parents to part with their cash.

MM
 

JerseyGirl1962

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Personally, I think there's something despicable about playing on the hopes of young children in order to force parents to part with their cash.

MM

I agree. Couldn't they have asked their daughter to write up a couple of poems and have them bound up (with a nice cover) at lulu.com?

I hope they didn't pay too much for the book.

~Nancy
 

veinglory

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Is this just another name for poetry.com, or a clone of it?

Teachers should do some research befor they play along with these profiteering scams.
 

susieq

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The link mentioned is gone, but I found a copy of the official transcript and thought I'd paste it here. People should know that they offer to publish almost everyone.

SOME ALBERTA SCHOOL KIDS HAVE BEEN TARGETED IN AN OLD PUBLISHING PLOY.
IT COMES FROM A COMPANY IN VICTORIA.
AND IT STARTS WITH AN INVITATION TO ENTER A CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST.
SOUNDS GOOD. BUT AS LEA WILLIAMS-DOHERTY FOUND OUT, IT'S NOT REALLY A CONTEST. AND IT PLAYS ON KIDS' EMOTIONS....AND PARENTS' POCKETBOOKS.


CONSUMER WATCH OPEN M017

SOUNDUP(***SOUNDUP***) TAPE 2 21:07-21:47((WIDE SHOT CROSSFIELD ELEMENTARY)) TRT=01

ENGLISH TEACHERS AT CROSSFIELD ELEMENTARY RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE POETRY INSTITUTE OF CANADA.. ENCOURAGING THEM TO ENTER THEIR STUDENTS IN THE INSTITUTE'S SHORT STORY CONTEST.

72 GRADE 3 AND GRADE 5 STUDENTS ENTERED. A MONTH LATER.. PARENTS STARTED GETTING LETTERS FROM THE INSTITUTE.

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=TAPE 2 :54-58 ((Joan: My boy, being a boy, ripped his open and said I'm published, I'm published!.))
TRT=:04

THE LETTERS CONGRATULATED THE STUDENTS ON BEING SELECTED AS FINALISTS.. AND STATED THEIR STORIES WOULD BE PUBLISHED IN AN UPCOMING BOOK. AN ORDER FORM WAS ALSO INCLUDED.. PARENTS COULD BUY THE BOOK FOR $38.. AND FOR ANOTHER $14.50.. THEIR CHILD'S BIOGRAPHY WOULD BE INCLUDED.

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=TAPE 2 5:22-28((Joan: He said mom, why can't you spend the $50 and buy the book because then I can see my story and my friends' stories and read them.))
TRT=:06

BUT ONCE PARENTS STARTED TALKING.. IT BECAME CLEAR THAT NEARLY EVERY STUDENT WAS A FINALIST.

GRAPHIC IN
IN FACT.. CROSSFIELD'S PRINCIPAL SAYS OF THE 72 ENTRIES.. 57 WERE ACCEPTED FOR PUBLISHING.. 11 WERE TOLD THEY WOULD BE PUBLISHED IF THEY CUT THEIR STORIES DOWN.. ONLY 4 WERE REJECTED.
GRAPHIC OUT

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=TAPE 2 12:41-59((Lana: The fact is they're not up front and honest about this, I think that's the harm, if they want to indicate to us that they're doing a publish for profit business then we as parents can understand that whereas the letter going directly to the children, children don't understand that.))
TRT=:18

STANDUP(***STANDUP***)TAPE 2 20:03-21 ((Lea:The harm, parents say, is in the deception. Here are excerpts from letters parents have written after their children's work was accepted. "when I picked up the mail and read to him that his poem would be published, tears filled his eyes" and this one, "he is very proud to know that he is recognized all over Canada".)) TRT=17

SOUNDUP(***SOUNDUP***) TAPE 1 9:26-12:34((christian in office)) TRT=01

U OF C CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSOR CHRISTIAN BOOK SAYS THESE PUBLISH FOR PROFIT SCHEMES HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES. THE CONTEST PROMOTERS.. WHICH ARE NEVER RECOGNIZED LITERARY ENTITIES.. LEAD WRITERS TO BELIEVE THEIR WORK IS OF PROFESSIONAL QUALITY.. MAKING SALE OF THE BOOKS BACK TO THEM EASY.

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=TAPE 1 3:49-59((Prof: It's usually major vanity publishing houses, they use it as a means to accumulate subscribers potentially to their product))
TRT=:10

SOUNDUP(***SOUNDUP***)TAPE 4 9:16-11:26((STEPHANIE FLIP BOOK)) TRT=01

A PRODUCT THAT WILL NEVER BE PUBLICLY SOLD.. BUT STILL BRINGS A HANDSOME PROFIT. I TOOK A COPY OF ONE OF THE INSTUTUTE'S BOOKS TO A CALGARY PUBLISHER TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO PRODUCE.

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=TAPE 4 7:13-28((Stephanie: It would probably be between 2-3 bucks and that would include the printing cost itself, any correcting costs in proofing stages, getting artwork for the cover...)).
TRT=:15

THAT'S A $50 PROFIT ON BOOKS WITH BIOGRAPHIES.. SELL 1,000.. YOU'VE MADE $50,000. I CALLED THE INSTITUTE.. AND ASKED TO TOUR ITS VICTORIA FACILITY.

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=AUDIO FILE 2phoner1 15:01-35-41 ((Woman: "Like, we're just run out of a house, right? Lea: So there's not an Institute per se, it's just a company that's been formed? That's right, yeah."))
TRT=:06

THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY.. FIELDED THE REST OF MY QUESTIONS.. INCLUDING WHETHER IT WAS TRUTHFUL TO CALL IT A CONTEST.. WHEN *MOST STUDENTS MAKE THE FINALS..

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=2PHONER1 15:15:52015:16:02((peter:"Well of course, I mean there's nothing wrong with that, what happens is they send their work in and what we do, everything is positive about what we do")).
TRT=:10

FINALLY.. I ASKED HOW MUCH MONEY HE MADE ON EACH BOOK.

CLIP(***CLIP***)
TIMECODE=2PHONER1 15:18:14-22 ((Peter: "Well I'm certainly not telling you that, that is absolutely private, you shouldn't ask such a question and in fact that is the last question you're going to ask me")).
TRT=:08


T-POETRY6
LIVE LEA(***LIVE LEA***)
SUPER=550-LEA WILLIAMS-DOHERTY;
GRAPHIC=410
AND WITH THAT.. HE ENDED THE CALL.
I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT THE INSTITUTE DOES AWARD THE CONTEST PRIZES IT PROMISES.. IT DOES PROVIDE THE BOOKS PARENTS ORDER.. AND THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO BUY A BOOK.
JONES SAYS HE FEELS HIS COMPANY IS FOSTERING CREATIVE WRITING AND BUILDING CHILDREN'S SELF-ESTEEM.. AND STATED IT'S NOT ILLEGAL TO MAKE A PROFIT WHILE DOING SO.
AND THAT'S TRUE.. WHAT THE INSTITUTE IS DOING IS NOT ILLEGAL.. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT'S DECEPTIVE.
TWO BOX(TWO BOX)
THANKS LEA.
 

susieq

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I meant the link to CFCN. I see The Poetry Institute of Canada also has a website for the Young Writers contests now at www.youngwritersofcanada.ca.

4 rejected out of 72? I wonder why other schools and teachers don't notice this low rejection rate? Do they just think their students are special and particularly gifted?