| Author | Message | ||
| Emusing
Senior Member Username: emusing Post Number: 7326 Registered: 08-2003 |
Hi Wilders, I wanted to ask your opinion and ideas about an interesting subject - poetry biographies. I had two poems accepted today by a journal and was told that they love my poems but that my bio was "boring" and suggested I liven it up. I am grateful to this editor for bringing this to my attention but it raised a big question. Seeing plenty of bios come my way both as an editor and more often as the co-host of a monthly reading where we get many academics who do not include any personal info in their bios, I have to wonder about this trend and what it means and how significant it is in the overall scheme of things in the poetry world. If someone has been published in Poetry, Ploughshares and Field (let's say) do you think they will beef up their bio? On the other hand, I have occasionally seen bios from poets who have too many pubs to mention include personal information only. What do you think is a good example of a bio that meets both these criterion? e p.s. The editor of Rattle likes interesting bios -- says so right on the submissions page. Word Walker Press; Moonday Poetry; Kyoto Journal | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 33529 Registered: 11-1998 |
Dearest -- I don't have any examples of good bios at hand here, but what I'm noticing is that people are trying to inject a little "personality" into their bios. Something personal, something entertaining, something amusing, something quirky -- whatever fits them as a person. A listing of straight credits, and nothing else, is rather boring. And people who list every little journal they've been in are extremely tedious. Mentioning four or five of the best ones will do. I was reading an interview with David Kirby and he made fun of that, as a matter of fact. Had a whole list of "fake" journals with great names. The one I liked best was "Cranky Elbow." I use it all the time myself now. Hope this info is helpful. Love, M | ||
| Fred Longworth
Senior Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 5678 Registered: 05-2006 |
Sounds to me, e, like the marketing consciousness has snuck into the foyer of the poetry house. Even a simple bio must be jazzed up, puffed, inflated, hyped, ballooned . . . or it's out of sync with the times. I might make up a little lie to include in your bio, to add some real spice. For example, I bet few people know that you -- (1) race motorcycles competitively; (2) spent two years doing research at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica; (3) was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana; (4) are the mother of Jason Jones, a pitcher in the 2001 Little League World Series; (5) wrote the song "Three Times Enough" on Cheryl Crow's latest album. Fred * * * * * (Message edited by sandiegopoet on March 19, 2009) I do not wish my worms to be considered for annelid of the week. They are already so thin and emaciated. I can only pray for compost. | ||
| Teresa White
Advanced Member Username: teresa_white Post Number: 1786 Registered: 01-2005 |
e, I have problems with bios too. Btw, I was published in Rattle once. Actually, I didn't even have to submit...An editor 'saw' one of mine on a poetry forum, I believe, and simply asked me for it. This doesn't happen very often but it beats submitting to the slush pile. I dunno exactly what you can add to 'personalize' your bio. Maybe: education, career, hobbies (yep, hobbies..only fer gawd's sake, don you dare call them "hobbies.." That word is a definite no-no in this high-falutin world of POETS. Ahem. Me, after the usual, my latest bios have mentioned that my husband and I "rescue" abandoned cats and: get them needed medical care and try to find homes for them. Actually, the latter is almost imposible for these mostly abandoned "pets"....And they soooo miss their people. Needless to say, we have six "indoor only" and four "outside only" cats. We love them all. Yep, it's a lot of money for us...on fixed income but...anyway...that's what I SAY to "punch up" my bio. I could tell them that I am fascinated with anything and everything "African" (almost emigrated there ten years ago...long story)...etc. etc. Anyway, just pick something you think others will find interesting about you...Your pick. I'm sure you'll think of something appropriate. And, if not, look at Fred's suggestions again. LOL Take care, Teresa Be satisfied that ye have enough light to secure another foothold. Anon. | ||
| brenda morisse
Senior Member Username: moritric Post Number: 3232 Registered: 04-2007 |
(Message edited by moritric on March 19, 2009) | ||
| Zefuyn
Intermediate Member Username: zefuyn Post Number: 978 Registered: 12-2006 |
This is something that I have also thought about recently. I would never list a long line of historical achievements, only what is current and perhaps forthcoming. Outline a few online journals - so the reader can find you again Born in / lives Then something personal and surprising, or amusing, but brief. Here is one I just read today: Erin Pearce is eccentric and hopes this will work to her advantage as she completes her degree and begins to write for young adults. A brag list is the most off putting for me as a reader, I prefer the poems to speak for themselves. My two cents. Mel This right here / This right now / is an unforgettable / time / of learning. / How could I not laugh? – M.S. | ||
| Packrat
Intermediate Member Username: harolyn_j_gourley Post Number: 367 Registered: 02-2008 |
Fred's got the Truth Tiger by...both ends! Although an actual lie might be setting up a sad denouement...s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g bits can be a Hoot! I got asked once, locally, for a "bio.", and thought the asker actually meant it...*LOL*! Three pages later my "draft" got that out-from-under-the-shaggy-brows/over-the-top-of-the-reading-glasses LOOK, and the baffled query, "What the ____ is this, then??!!" (Uh-ohh...) So, back to the drawing board...I hadn't a clue what was actually wanted, so I went looking for some examples. I pitter-pattered through cyberspace, a while, until landing on a Storytellers' web-site that listed a buncha 'tellers with "bios." attached. WELL! Now we're getting somewhere! And what I found was often better than the "product" they were promoting (i.e., self; seeking "gigs", etc.). One of the interesting bits to emerge was the phenomena of...if it's probably a silly/stupid question, it's "fair game" for a sillyanswer. Responding to the prompt, "Born:",one listee simply wrote, "Presumably.", (indicating both that it was ambiguously phrased, and her birthdate--and age--weren't anybody's business! Another on...to the query of(something like), "What would be your perfect venue/performance-setting...responded with a Sarah Bernhardt-esque description (something ethereal and wispy-like) of...wrapping her naked self in gossamer veils and emoting in the moonlight...just nonsense (and hilariously obvious at it) for an unanswerable "question". Anyway, what the Bios. are for (and Fred's right, it's a self-written commercial for self-marketing...) is to provide a pocket-reference that will give the reader a sort of quickie mental picture of the person to whom it refers. They usually are a paragraph or two long. They act like McQuick-snapshots, to draw you on to "try the product". As for stretching...heh-heh-heh! That can be downright gratifying! I had to do up a Bio. for a storytelling festival I was invited to, for their web-site' posting...I mentioned (quite tongue-in-cheek) being the "Bay-Bye Days" Rocking-Chair Grand Champion for 200_." (YEAH! I had the best time, the longest rock, came earlist and stayed latest...and after 6 hours they packed the tents up and concluded the event, since...having only ONE contestant show up (me!) kinda took the thrill out of the competition! So...see what I mean?! I was the "Grand Champion", absolutely indisputably...so...stuck for an interesting "credit", stretching things, a bit, was greatly appropriate! Don't let it throw ya...in the end, always remember that if you can get them to laugh--even just a wee, begrudged and disgruntled snort!, ya GOT 'em! (Oh! Oh! Oh! And always write your bio. up in the third person, as if you were a first-party describing a third-party to a second-party; i.e., as if someone else were describing you.) --Packrat. (P.S. The hoary old maxim, "If you can't blind 'em with your brilliance, baffle 'em with your (best) bullshit!!", is extremely suitable of application in addressing this particular concern...blah-blah-blah, etc.!! --P. *LOL*) (Message edited by harolyn j gourley on March 19, 2009) | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1428 Registered: 11-2007 |
i hate that bio part. The sad thing is, Im not a bio reader, and I see little point to it at all. The only place I really pull one out is for a book prize, since they seem to insist. If the poem or poems dont sell on their own merit, why do we have to have a bio that no one reads or much cares about, beyond the editor? editors should ask for credits, ignore the cute stuff. There are times when I have decided not to submit (that'll show em) (they'll be sorry) to a place that insisted a bio accompany every submission... (Message edited by judyt54 on March 19, 2009) Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Christopher T George
Senior Member Username: chrisgeorge Post Number: 7403 Registered: 12-2004 |
Hi E Certainly a mere list of publishing credits can be a yawn but on the other hand a rib-tickling offbeat bio can be off-putting too. I sometimes read a bio on a poetry site and have to wonder why I should take this person seriously if they can't be bothered to impart information without being wacky. So in other words, I think a balance ought to be struck between just giving the facts, ma'am, and injecting the right amount of humor to pep things up. That's my two cents. All the best Chris Editor, Desert Moon Review http://www.thedesertmoonreview.com Co-Editor, Loch Raven Review http://www.lochravenreview.net http://chrisgeorge.netpublish.net/ | ||
| Emusing
Senior Member Username: emusing Post Number: 7331 Registered: 08-2003 |
Dearest Cranky Elbow, I agree that a list of straight credits can be boring though one hopes the poems reflect otherwise. I can go with the flow and yes those poets that give you three paragraphs of their credits with every important place they’ve ever coughed, farted or sneezed is really over the top! Why don’t we start an ezine called Cranky Elbow. I’m pretty cranky lately and I’m sure I would make a good editor LOL xoxo Dear Freddie, Precisely that. Marketing seems to be most everything these days—it’s as if one must look hip at all costs. I see it in other mediums as well. I think it is interesting to know things about people and it is also very interesting not to know things about people. What if Wagner put in his bio “Jew hater”, would that have made him more popular LOL? That is just something on the extreme end of thinking. When I read some of these bios, I see that some of these them are trying to be “interesting” instead of just letting the poems do their work. What if someone was really boring? How’s this: When E isn’t writing poems, she refuses to watch tv except for Tavis Smiley and Charlie Rose. She has zero cats and some dead termites. When she gets up in the morning, she brushes her teeth and then drinks a double latte. Dear T, It doesn’t surprise me that one of the editors of Rattle found your poem and sought you out! I know fine poets who have submitted and not gotten in. You have a helluva lot of kitties. I new a lady who had 100 cats. She really did. I used to go and visit her when I was a preteen and I loved to see them all make a run for it when she got the can opener out. She had a monkey (or was it a gorilla) and a dog too. Eventually she moved to the country and gave her cats their own barn. Thanks for your good and thoughtful advice. I will see what I can conjure! (p.s. didn’t know you liked Africa – now I can see that thread in your poetry at times). Dearest Brenda, I don’t know what you said but I’m sure it was good advice. Maybe I should send them a blank and let them fill it in. Yes I will send them a form like this: Lois is from ______________ where she _________ at least five times a day. When she was younger, she had a _______ but it got crushed so she bought a ________ instead. She loves poetry as long as its ________ otherwise she uses it as kitty litter for her non-existent cats. Dear Mel, It is an interesting subject isn’t it? Surprising and amusing but brief. I think that sums it up well. Lois leads a surprising and amusing life which she hopes will be brief. LOL  Thanks for your thoughts dear. I am taking everything in though I make light of it! Dear Pack, I love that you were a champion rocker. Now that IS interesting. Maybe I will steal that from you. Of course if anyone ever challenges me to a rockoff I’m in trouble! Thanks for weighing in. Love your stories as ever. (How did your reading go by the way?) Dear Judy, I’m with you. I guess we can either resist of just have fun with it. I think I will make mine as quirky as possible. How about “she hopes another Bush will run for President.”.... Chris very wise advice. Neither extreme is good yes? If the bio is really flippant it could seem disrespectful to the editors. Plenty to think about. This could be a good challenge exercise [grins]. Thanks y’all. Love, E Word Walker Press; Moonday Poetry; Kyoto Journal | ||
| ~M~
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 33541 Registered: 11-1998 |
Dearest E -- I think your fill-in-the-blanks bio is marvelous. I have used it, along with words I selected at random from Wislawa Szymborska's book "Poems: New and Collected" (it was handy on my desk) to write a bio for myself: "M is from Decolletage where she will bear him four children at least five times a day. When she was younger, she had a metamorphosis miraculus but it got crushed so she bought a repetitive Peter Piper instead. She loves poetry as long as it's on postcards from vacations, otherwise she uses it as kitty litter for her non-existent cats. Whaddaya think? I think Cranky Elbow would take me in a heartbeat for my bio alone! *LMAO* Love, M (otherwise known as the aging opera singer, rampa pampa pam) | ||
| Emusing
Senior Member Username: emusing Post Number: 7332 Registered: 08-2003 |
Dear Mama Mia, Well I guess most of us are from decolletage at some point eh? And can you imagine that demanding man who wants her to pop our four kids at a time--some men geesh. Now that Peter Piper does a good job if you know how to use him LOL. xo E-coli Poet Word Walker Press; Moonday Poetry; Kyoto Journal | ||
| Fred Longworth
Senior Member Username: sandiegopoet Post Number: 5683 Registered: 05-2006 |
I think a fill-in-the-blanks Bio, as per the above, is simply terrific. If an editor says, "Are you trying to be funny?" the question is: Do you really want to be in THAT journal? Fred I do not wish my worms to be considered for annelid of the week. They are already so thin and emaciated. I can only pray for compost. | ||
| bob rojas
Valued Member Username: bob_rojas Post Number: 154 Registered: 06-2008 |
i state my age, geography and publications. i'm still batting 1.000. yay boring. | ||
| Judy Thompson
Advanced Member Username: judyt54 Post Number: 1429 Registered: 11-2007 |
bob, you come stand over here by me, dear; we can be boring simultaneously. Hell we might even start a club-- Afraid of the Dark | ||
| Packrat
Intermediate Member Username: harolyn_j_gourley Post Number: 368 Registered: 02-2008 |
Hoo-hoo!! "...The Boring Bios, coming soon, to a venue near you! Getcher tickets early...and bring a book (so you won't fall asleep!)..." *LOL* This could really revolutionize the entire concept of "easy listening", eh?!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!, youse guys are a hoot!! (Which is, of course, anything but boring!!) --Packrat. | ||
| Emusing
Senior Member Username: emusing Post Number: 7357 Registered: 08-2003 |
So I made one up and she loved it. It doesn't mention credits but if someone is really interested, they'll check it out anyway. Lois believes in all manner of flying and can claim skydiving and hot air ballooning as her introduction to highfalutin. When she isn’t dreaming of dirigibles, she makes herself useful as co-founder of Word Walker Press, a co-host of Moonday’s monthly poetry reading in Pacific Palisades, California and as guest host on Pacifica Radio's Poet’s Cafe. She is the Associate Poetry Editor of Kyoto Journal. Thanks for your help. I do dream of dirigibles by the way. It's on my bucket list. Smiles. e Word Walker Press; Moonday Poetry; Kyoto Journal |
