Richard Long has updated 2River’s submission guidelines. They now say:
2River considers unpublished poems only. An unpublished poem is one that has not appeared in any form of print or digital media, including personal or public blogs. A poem from a private, online workshop, however, would be considered, as long as the final version of the poem does not appear in a public space.
Thanks, Richard!
More on the blog-posted poem issue here.
Both Richard Long and Eric Melbye make one important point clear: drafts posted to blogs are not the same as final versions posted to blogs.
“…any form of print or digital media, including personal or public blogs.”
Could I handwrite it in my journal? Could I print it out on my own printer, then stick it on the icebox with a Denver Broncos fridge magnet? Could I write it longhand on a postcard and send it to my grandmother? Would your answer be different if you knew my grandmothers were dead? Or didn’t like poetry? Or both?
I think it’s great that someone would post poems to an icebox, though I’d use a Buffalo Bills magnet! And didn’t Ted Kooser compile a book of poems that he originally wrote on postcards to a friend of his? Both of those methods are kinds of publication, but I don’t think they’re meant for a widespread public audience. So yes, refrigerator and postcard poems would be considered here at 2River.