Complaint Review: Famous Poets Society - Talent Oregon

Don't give any money whatsoever to Famous Poets Society, I think the winners are the ones who gave them the most money, there's no way to win anything without giving them a few hundreth of your own money so why don't we all just keep our money and let them rot...makes me so angry that they would make me feel so excited about my poetry and then I have to find out it's a scam...it's not a poetry contest, it's a Who ever spents the most money contest...publishing...ha!ha!ha!

It seems to me that this company is a scam in it's own way. I mean it is not a bad credit credit card that offers 0% APR or even an "Absolutely Free Vacation." No, this company is far too high to stoop to that level. I was fifteen when my first poem "My Foe" was nominated as a semi-finalist. For starters, I spelled a couple of words wrong and I had no idea how the hell to puncuate. This company published" my poem in a book I'll never buy and offered to put it on a plaque. Why would I want to spend fifty dollars on a plaque with a poem that has misspelled words in it? I ended up writing a few more poems and AHA! They all made "the cutoff" and all were published. In disbelief, I almost bought the Anthology just to see this for myself. Thank God I did not. As far as the website goes, it's a good place for others to read your poetry. That's about as far as I would take it. Oh, Yeah, just a question.... HAS ANYONE ACTUALLY GOT THE ANTHOLOGY BOOK??? ANYONE??? Sergei Perreault, Massachusets

It seems to me that this company is a scam in it's own way. I mean it is not a bad credit credit card that offers 0% APR or even an "Absolutely Free Vacation." No, this company is far too high to stoop to that level. I was fifteen when my first poem "My Foe" was nominated as a semi-finalist. For starters, I spelled a couple of words wrong and I had no idea how the hell to puncuate. This company published" my poem in a book I'll never buy and offered to put it on a plaque. Why would I want to spend fifty dollars on a plaque with a poem that has misspelled words in it? I ended up writing a few more poems and AHA! They all made "the cutoff" and all were published. In disbelief, I almost bought the Anthology just to see this for myself. Thank God I did not. As far as the website goes, it's a good place for others to read your poetry. That's about as far as I would take it. Oh, Yeah, just a question.... HAS ANYONE ACTUALLY GOT THE ANTHOLOGY BOOK??? ANYONE??? Sergei Perreault, Massachusets

It seems to me that this company is a scam in it's own way. I mean it is not a bad credit credit card that offers 0% APR or even an "Absolutely Free Vacation." No, this company is far too high to stoop to that level. I was fifteen when my first poem "My Foe" was nominated as a semi-finalist. For starters, I spelled a couple of words wrong and I had no idea how the hell to puncuate. This company published" my poem in a book I'll never buy and offered to put it on a plaque. Why would I want to spend fifty dollars on a plaque with a poem that has misspelled words in it? I ended up writing a few more poems and AHA! They all made "the cutoff" and all were published. In disbelief, I almost bought the Anthology just to see this for myself. Thank God I did not. As far as the website goes, it's a good place for others to read your poetry. That's about as far as I would take it. Oh, Yeah, just a question.... HAS ANYONE ACTUALLY GOT THE ANTHOLOGY BOOK??? ANYONE??? Sergei Perreault, Massachusets

I am 15 and i wrote this poem that i submitted to the Famous Poets Society, when i received mail that i was one of the semifinalists, I was so excited. I thought my poem was good and expressed my feelings but it wasn't awesome. Then I went on web and I read a scam that's similar to what the letters they mailed me said. A anniversary in Reno Nevada, I wanted to go but I knew I couldn't, not even with the 100 dollar scholarship, I was like, aren't I paying for my trophy practically? And the things they said in the letters are so corny, every one of my instincts went up, it's too bad because I mailed than a $15 dollar check but it's only $15 and in their f**king face, you can't get no more of my money. I seriously wish someone would arrest them.

I see this mess, and all I can think is a mix of 'GRRRR!!!' and 'oh, crap'. I, too, was duped. I submitted my poems (a bunch, actually), and the first one I submitted got thrown in the contest. Fact of the matter is, I didn't even care for it. Then WOULDN'T you know, I get some letter from these folk that was basically kiss my butt with all that flattery. I thought it was fishy AFTER I sent the cash in...but in the beginning, I was too excited to think. I think I wasted $75 bucks on them (it was awhile ago, it's hard to remember). No, wait. My PARENTS wasted $75 bucks on 'em. I ain't even got the BOOK yet, and they said I'd get it back in March. To make it even WORSE, my parents were all excited, and I even showed that stupid letter to all my friends at school. They still ask me what's going on with my "publishing". Bloody friggin' Christ! Y'see, I just found out about the scam today. Ironically, I also recieved another letter from these freakheads a few hours afterwards. Needless to say, it was promptly torn, chewed up, burned, and set free to scatter upon the four winds. That was nice and all, but not completely satisfying. Sadly, however, there's nothing else left that I can reak havoc upon in order to vent my frustrations towards the pure injustice of it all...so instead, I'll do my part by warning other folks about the evil scumlords sucking up our money in the cruelest fashion...so that they might be spared the utter disappointment. It's depressing, actually...that con artists would even dare to steal cash from the pockets of people who literally LIVE for their art. It's all just downright rotten. And me? Ugh. So much for being the teenaged phenom in the family. Ahh! That's another thing. I don't know how to tell my parents about this scam...my dad (a penny-pincher in EVERY sense of the word) voiced concerns that it might be a scam...which lil' ol' innocent me was quick to reply, "Bug off! It's my chance to be known!" And thus the case was considered closed. Oh well. They don't seem to remember about Poetry.com, anyway...maybe I'll get out of this without any scratches. Hopefully, that is. I'm just lucky that I only paid for that one book ("Eternal Potraits"), and I turned down everything else - the CD recordings, the plaque, the symposium dillymobopper, the "Who's Who in Poetry" thing, all that junk. I mean, I'll be honest. It's my fault. As soon as I got that first letter...well, a few days afterwards, actually...I KNEW I smelt something rotten beneath all the figurative roses they pelted me with. Oh well. Death to them all - or at least let God judge 'em in the next plain and send 'em down south...and I don't mean Texas, although it's probably hotter here. Anyways, enough's enough. What they did was a poor, cheap, stinky thing to do. These people obviously have NO integrity whatsoever, not to mention a lack of morals AND a defective conscience. Oh, yeah, I forget - people like them had their consciences surgically removed as soon as they entered the workforce. Ugh. Get 'em outta my sight, I don't even want to SEE that site anymore. I'd burn it if I could, but this is a new comp monitor...and I don't want to make the same mistake as I made with the last one. That was messy. But for those of us who believe in this scam, we gotta try to save other folk from it. It's all I can do, seeing as how I'm 15. Ugh. And as for you nonbelievers, the fact's are running butt-naked right in front of your EYES! Denial's not gonna make the facts change themselves...and it's definately not going to get your poems out in the world any sooner if you keep going down the road with these con freaks from Satan. ...Okay, sorry ya'll had to read that - I just wanted to be heard on the subject. I'm so selfish. But I wish all the very best luck to all other aspiring poets...none of us deserved to have our dreams crushed by money-crazed butt-monkeys. Let's hope we can encounter more integrity in this civily decaying society.

I see this mess, and all I can think is a mix of 'GRRRR!!!' and 'oh, crap'. I, too, was duped. I submitted my poems (a bunch, actually), and the first one I submitted got thrown in the contest. Fact of the matter is, I didn't even care for it. Then WOULDN'T you know, I get some letter from these folk that was basically kiss my butt with all that flattery. I thought it was fishy AFTER I sent the cash in...but in the beginning, I was too excited to think. I think I wasted $75 bucks on them (it was awhile ago, it's hard to remember). No, wait. My PARENTS wasted $75 bucks on 'em. I ain't even got the BOOK yet, and they said I'd get it back in March. To make it even WORSE, my parents were all excited, and I even showed that stupid letter to all my friends at school. They still ask me what's going on with my "publishing". Bloody friggin' Christ! Y'see, I just found out about the scam today. Ironically, I also recieved another letter from these freakheads a few hours afterwards. Needless to say, it was promptly torn, chewed up, burned, and set free to scatter upon the four winds. That was nice and all, but not completely satisfying. Sadly, however, there's nothing else left that I can reak havoc upon in order to vent my frustrations towards the pure injustice of it all...so instead, I'll do my part by warning other folks about the evil scumlords sucking up our money in the cruelest fashion...so that they might be spared the utter disappointment. It's depressing, actually...that con artists would even dare to steal cash from the pockets of people who literally LIVE for their art. It's all just downright rotten. And me? Ugh. So much for being the teenaged phenom in the family. Ahh! That's another thing. I don't know how to tell my parents about this scam...my dad (a penny-pincher in EVERY sense of the word) voiced concerns that it might be a scam...which lil' ol' innocent me was quick to reply, "Bug off! It's my chance to be known!" And thus the case was considered closed. Oh well. They don't seem to remember about Poetry.com, anyway...maybe I'll get out of this without any scratches. Hopefully, that is. I'm just lucky that I only paid for that one book ("Eternal Potraits"), and I turned down everything else - the CD recordings, the plaque, the symposium dillymobopper, the "Who's Who in Poetry" thing, all that junk. I mean, I'll be honest. It's my fault. As soon as I got that first letter...well, a few days afterwards, actually...I KNEW I smelt something rotten beneath all the figurative roses they pelted me with. Oh well. Death to them all - or at least let God judge 'em in the next plain and send 'em down south...and I don't mean Texas, although it's probably hotter here. Anyways, enough's enough. What they did was a poor, cheap, stinky thing to do. These people obviously have NO integrity whatsoever, not to mention a lack of morals AND a defective conscience. Oh, yeah, I forget - people like them had their consciences surgically removed as soon as they entered the workforce. Ugh. Get 'em outta my sight, I don't even want to SEE that site anymore. I'd burn it if I could, but this is a new comp monitor...and I don't want to make the same mistake as I made with the last one. That was messy. But for those of us who believe in this scam, we gotta try to save other folk from it. It's all I can do, seeing as how I'm 15. Ugh. And as for you nonbelievers, the fact's are running butt-naked right in front of your EYES! Denial's not gonna make the facts change themselves...and it's definately not going to get your poems out in the world any sooner if you keep going down the road with these con freaks from Satan. ...Okay, sorry ya'll had to read that - I just wanted to be heard on the subject. I'm so selfish. But I wish all the very best luck to all other aspiring poets...none of us deserved to have our dreams crushed by money-crazed butt-monkeys. Let's hope we can encounter more integrity in this civily decaying society.

I see this mess, and all I can think is a mix of 'GRRRR!!!' and 'oh, crap'. I, too, was duped. I submitted my poems (a bunch, actually), and the first one I submitted got thrown in the contest. Fact of the matter is, I didn't even care for it. Then WOULDN'T you know, I get some letter from these folk that was basically kiss my butt with all that flattery. I thought it was fishy AFTER I sent the cash in...but in the beginning, I was too excited to think. I think I wasted $75 bucks on them (it was awhile ago, it's hard to remember). No, wait. My PARENTS wasted $75 bucks on 'em. I ain't even got the BOOK yet, and they said I'd get it back in March. To make it even WORSE, my parents were all excited, and I even showed that stupid letter to all my friends at school. They still ask me what's going on with my "publishing". Bloody friggin' Christ! Y'see, I just found out about the scam today. Ironically, I also recieved another letter from these freakheads a few hours afterwards. Needless to say, it was promptly torn, chewed up, burned, and set free to scatter upon the four winds. That was nice and all, but not completely satisfying. Sadly, however, there's nothing else left that I can reak havoc upon in order to vent my frustrations towards the pure injustice of it all...so instead, I'll do my part by warning other folks about the evil scumlords sucking up our money in the cruelest fashion...so that they might be spared the utter disappointment. It's depressing, actually...that con artists would even dare to steal cash from the pockets of people who literally LIVE for their art. It's all just downright rotten. And me? Ugh. So much for being the teenaged phenom in the family. Ahh! That's another thing. I don't know how to tell my parents about this scam...my dad (a penny-pincher in EVERY sense of the word) voiced concerns that it might be a scam...which lil' ol' innocent me was quick to reply, "Bug off! It's my chance to be known!" And thus the case was considered closed. Oh well. They don't seem to remember about Poetry.com, anyway...maybe I'll get out of this without any scratches. Hopefully, that is. I'm just lucky that I only paid for that one book ("Eternal Potraits"), and I turned down everything else - the CD recordings, the plaque, the symposium dillymobopper, the "Who's Who in Poetry" thing, all that junk. I mean, I'll be honest. It's my fault. As soon as I got that first letter...well, a few days afterwards, actually...I KNEW I smelt something rotten beneath all the figurative roses they pelted me with. Oh well. Death to them all - or at least let God judge 'em in the next plain and send 'em down south...and I don't mean Texas, although it's probably hotter here. Anyways, enough's enough. What they did was a poor, cheap, stinky thing to do. These people obviously have NO integrity whatsoever, not to mention a lack of morals AND a defective conscience. Oh, yeah, I forget - people like them had their consciences surgically removed as soon as they entered the workforce. Ugh. Get 'em outta my sight, I don't even want to SEE that site anymore. I'd burn it if I could, but this is a new comp monitor...and I don't want to make the same mistake as I made with the last one. That was messy. But for those of us who believe in this scam, we gotta try to save other folk from it. It's all I can do, seeing as how I'm 15. Ugh. And as for you nonbelievers, the fact's are running butt-naked right in front of your EYES! Denial's not gonna make the facts change themselves...and it's definately not going to get your poems out in the world any sooner if you keep going down the road with these con freaks from Satan. ...Okay, sorry ya'll had to read that - I just wanted to be heard on the subject. I'm so selfish. But I wish all the very best luck to all other aspiring poets...none of us deserved to have our dreams crushed by money-crazed butt-monkeys. Let's hope we can encounter more integrity in this civily decaying society.

Friends I have received these letters too many times to count. I figured they were a scam, so I never thought twice. All I ever wanted was some feedback on my poetry. poetry.com was just interested in getting my money it seemed, and same thing for Famous Poets. If any of you are simply looking for the same thing...please check out [DELETED] It's all free, and readers get to comment on each other's poetry. I spend most of my day there. If it's not your thing, send your poetry to magazines, maybe they'll reply. I can tell you this though, most of my friends who offered their poetry to poetry.com, received the exact same letters I did, and still do.

Ok, basically it's all a scam. No, you're not really getting published or advancing your writing careers, that's a given. No, attending the convention will not give you a chance at anything, what it will do is rob you of a couple of thousand dollars. Yes, this is all a scam. Whether the convention exists or not just depends. I've spoken to people who have been to a poetry.com convention, so maybe it exists in some places and not in others. Regardless, only an idiot would waste a good 2,000 on a stupid convention like this. Secondly, as far as winners are concerned, there are rumors that many of the winners are actually employees of these companies, so you should be weary even if you think you selected a winner in some situations. Everyone shouuld stay away from poetry.com and famous poets society. Boycott them, don't give them business, and go to legitimate places that might actually publish your work or compensate you for it. I wouldn't trust what april from waldorf, maryland says here either. She is known to make up lies about people and situations, she also lives here, so how would she know anything about anything. April from waldorf, maryland I really suggest you shut your mouth and get a life.

wondering I received a letter from lavender Aurora. I was given a letter to attend their 10th anniversary round robin convention, in Reno sept4-6 to be honored as a famous poet of 2004. My book is already published. I don't know if it's real or fake but it's worth a shot if it's legit, just do more research you can call to find about about the convention. Just call reno and where it will be held.

Just a silly question, but one worth asking..... Is there anyone out there who has submitted a poem to any of the ILP, ISP, Poetry.com, Famous Poet Society, etc. etc, that has NOT had their submitted poem accepted, thus not receiving the "publication", "conference", "you may be the next grand prize winner" etc. etc. notifications ? I would be curious to see how many of these people exsist. File your Rip-off Reprot.

Ok i entered my poem to the Famous Poets Society and they sent me the letter about my poem being published. The poetry editor is Lavender Aurora and i need to know what do you guys think i should do i dont want to get ripped off and then sit here with a book of poems So if you have any adivise please let me know

Thank you April for adding you response. And might I congradulate you on the ability to read. But if you had paid closer attention you would have noticed that I didn't say the beloved poets were morons. The part of education that I was speaking of was the new type where poeple go to Harvard and that makes them as good.personally I enjoy the older art. It actually contains feeling most of the time its deep rooted pain but its real instead of these jokers in coffie shops ryming about purple haired cats. I would never insult "the greats" I just think poetry should be more than a paycheck. After all that where the terms "suffer for their work"and "starving artist" came from.

I have to come in on this one. To the last rebuttal; You obviously DO NOT know you Poets, as if you did, you would not have rebuttaled as you did. Let's face it our four biggest named Poets were; Poe, Whitman, Shakespeare and Frost, which you failed to mention. It's funny when you only mention certain people, like you looked up Poets online or something. Statistically, most published Poets are quite educated, and some not even in journalism. However, the only thing most Poets have in common; their personal lifestyles give them something to write about. It's always intriguing to write about something you feel strongly about. Now, for what's wrong with your rebuttal: Edgar Allen Poe attended the University of VA. He left school because his drinking and gambling became so intense that his foster father refused to pay off his debts anymore. Therefore leaving him no choice but to work and pay his own dues. We all know he never got better because he eventually drank himself to death. His greatest poem written was the Raven. And if you actually read it, you would see that his personal life style of drinking lead him to write this master piece. A sober man could not have written something so dramatically deceptive to the human brain. William Shakespeare completed Grammar School. He later went on to school families before he became an actor. Now people believe he wasn't shooting straight, so to speak, and it lead him to write such elegant work as one who would deceive logically therapies of life and love. Walt Whitman had a scholar education, he taught at schools nationwide, he edited a newspaper, and he worked as a printer and journalist. People believe that his life was very trying and hard as his father was extremely hard on him growing up. Most critics of his work, then and now, believe that he boarded on schizophrenic behavior and this showed in his work. Robert Frost, as he is most noted poet with younger children and young adults. He attended Dartmouth College and then to Harvard. After he received his degree, he also taught school. His writing are more about nature and the love for all things living and this was how he lived his life, to the fullest. Didn't ever learn anything in school? I could discuss every published poet in the world with you, but when you don't even have the first bit of knowledge about any, that makes this a very uneducated and boring conversation. Think next time or check what you're about to state before you do.

john first of all let me say sorry you were not able to make it to the convention. although I love disney world i'm sure if my wife and i had not been with the convention the hotel would have thrown us out. believe it or not your choice but if you want to know the winners go to the website. the winner wrote about coffie. No i do not think you won the big cash. I don't think her poem should of won first place because i am a fan of poe and some of the darker poems were more to my taste. but all of the money winners are on the website, they are real and the big money winner is one of those awful cheery people. All i can say is use your brain. one person wrote about a bunch of nuts at the convention that got ripped of but that person was there. So what does that make them. another spoke of their degrees in poetry. I feel poetry is a gift not something you're taught.Poe, Shakespeare, Walt whitman, most of your real artist have no degree.

Hi, it is Texino. What a horrible comparison I make! I have said this before. I will say it again because it proves a point. Write a bad piece of verse like this one: Coconuts have milk, they don't have worms. Worms don't get paid. Coconuts don't drive cars; Vote for the party of Tennessee. Then send it to poetry.com. The chances are high that they will offer to publish it. Now is that a scam? I guess not if you want to get some nutty words published and pay someone to do it. If you are looking for an honest opinion of your ability as a writer you won't receive it from this company. The thing is, what they do is not illegal, it just isn't very nice. Bottom line would be, send your poem to The New Yorker Magazine New York, New York, if they send you 500 bucks then you probably have something going for you. Good Luck

After looking at Picture.com and reading some of the info and viewing their award cup image i can tell you that they are INDEED the same company. I have also stopped submitting poems and stuff to them.. I woudl advise others do the same as i was told by my lawyer that this company is indeed a rip off especially if they are making US pay for our poems to be published, we should be getting payed to have our poems published. I would advise everyone who has recently become loyal to Poetry.com to carefully view this page then to view Poetry.com AND picture.com and you will notice the same thing and come to the same conclusion i have, I am just glad sites like this exist to reveal the actual fraudlent sites out their. I personally regret sending them money or buying the books or allowing them to publish any of my poems. Its a shame that people take advantage of others in such manner.

I have received numerous e-mails inviting me to submit my poem to win $50,000. In a way, I was intrigued, but decided to search the web for info, coming across this site, among others. Several months ago, I submitted a picture to picture.com. I received a message stating that I was a semi-finalist. Then came the offer to buy a book with my picture, add some words for a nominal amount, etc etc. I submitted a second picture. Again, I became a semi-finalist. Then came the invitations to the very expensive 3 day conventions. The offers from picture.com sound identical to what I read here, which makes me wonder if the companies are related - and if all pictures/poems turn into semi-finalists - and if all of these kinds of offers end in very expensive invitations, without which one cannot win...???

Deep in the darkest of the realms of the Famous Poets Society lurks the question... is this for real? I too have submitted a poem and received the invitation to Florida, but was unable to attend due to medical circumstances at the time. I can understand the suspicion of this "Famous Poets" organization. There are some things that they do not do that would seem to be common sense. For instance, I missed the meeting and have recently tried to find out who won the contest that I entered. After much searching and investigative work, I have found no way to find out who was on the "list of winners" or the names of those who were selected for the compilation (let alone a copy of the compilation). A phone call to Famous Poets was disturbing, because they have no record of who submitted, who was selected or who was published. In fact they said they had no additional books or a way to acquire a copy for my purchase or review. Hmmmm... I think that a group such as this could avoid the mystical trap of critique and conspiracy if they would organize thier work a little better. Without organization and a way to track entrants and submittals, it leaves too much to conspicous appearances. As far as Famous Poets being legitimate? For me the jury is still out. However,it sure would be nice to know if my poem made it to the prestine (and possibly virtual) halls of the Famous Poets Society.

First of all, I would like to say that before someone makes a negative statement please get all your facts straight first, because you know what happens when you assume!!! My daughter also went to the convention in Orlando with her grandmother who is an Educator. My daughter is a very intelligent and talented young lady. She learned alot at the covention about different styles of poetry and forms of expressions and best of all power in words that really touch and make people think and search themselves or maybe even think about things they never thought of before. There were prizes such as a shakespere trophy of excellence, and medals given. It did not cost $500 for a seat! Sure there were some cost: airlines, discounted hotel charge, food expenses and discounted registration fees. Your registation fees paid for all the activities at the convention.In the entertainment world, do you think they didn't have to shell out a pretty penny to become who they are?? they have expenses and had to pay out to, to be promoted either upfront or after at some point. It was a good experience for my daughter. While she was there she met writers who have publications out all ready, musically inclined people who write music or even have a cd or who want to produce! a very good experience. Of course its a good Idea to check things out first, before you start shelling out money and at the same time remember nothing is free in this world, on the flip side, just becuse you have to shell out some money does not mean its a bad investment either!

I was Looking around to read about poets when i came across this site. I Must say that i am appauled by some of the comments. I attended one of these conventions with my mother. The Company even gave us a discont on the air fair as my mother was disabled. I met many people there and still keep in contact with some of them. Some was teachers and others had other jobs (the poets competing in the competition) i even met some of the guest speakers they had. Even got a Few Autographs from some of them. Sure some of the cost are a little high and all that. but these days nothing is free, everything comes at a price. Just cause your not willing to trust or anything no reason to slander something you never even tried or given a change.

I was persent during their current convention in Orlando Fl. The people I met and talked with were, how can I say, CRAZY. Not to mention clueless, uneducated, and morons. How do these people live from day to day. Only God knows. It seem to me that it is a scam to sucker less educated people for any money that they can get from them. I don't mean to talk bad about people, but that is how they appeared to me. I pity them for being taken advantage of in such a way. And shame on those who are scaming them.

Hello to everyone on both sides of this discussion. I, too, received one of these invites to attend a Convention in Orlando, Florida on the weekend of Labor Day(30th - 1st)and I received this only yesterday (5/14/03) in the mail. My first reaction(typical for me)was, 'what kind of scam is this?' Like another writer mentioned here, I also submitted a poem which was selected for publication, but there was no way in hell I was going to pay others to put my poem on a beautiful plaque and pay more money to submit other poems(I can do that for myself). The whole thing immediately reeked of scam. Then when I get this invitation a few months later, now I'm thinking, '...still a scam, but....' It was ironic that I received this mailing, but being cynical I decided to research this and immediately came across this site and the remarks about this Society(Famous Poets). I want to go to Florida, anyway, on personal business (although I can't stand the state or its inhabitants), so participating at this "Convention" might not be too risky a deal (if it's legit). I will keep visiting this site(I'll add it to my favorites)to keep posted on whether this scam is for real or a fantasy of lame, inept, jealous, writers. My overall vote, however, is(mostly because I'm misanthropic)it's a scam. If anyone can "enlighten" me(a published poet/writer with a bachelor and master of arts degree), you're welcome to give it a go. I'll invite "real" writers/artists/musicians to participate at www.feelingandform.com, it they want to see their work up on the web and elsewhere. I'm one of the featured poets in the Literature section. I'm D. Alexander Holiday. I truly hope that if this is a scam that at least the scammers are not members of Al-Qaeda, Hamas, or other terrorists organizations and are simply ex-WorldComers, or ex-Enroners just trying to make an shady buck. Good luck to everyone.

I do not doubt that there really is a convention- I was invited as well, and my poem for this time around as well as last time around were submitted and accepted. My problem with it is; it seems to me that unless you are going to the convention, you have no chance to win the poetry contest- or at least from what I understand, and what they expect from you for writing something from your heart is absolutley ridiculous. Just to have a seat costs nearly 500.00, and I'm sorry- but it's not a promise your work would even be recognized!! And the judges... I thought that a few of them passed away? I'm just looking at the offer and feeling sad that in order to get anywhere in life, you seem to already have to be somewhere in life. It's horrible that these companies expect people who want to give their artistic sides a chance to see where it will take them, just to find out that it will cost them an arm and a leg- and probably a lot of hurt emotions. To me; this way is just not the right way of going about it.

I am responding to the rather distasteful comments regarding the Famous Poet Society. To the parties that for some reason think the society is a fraud, I have to inform you because there is nothing I despise more than ignorance, famous poets do exist. There truly is a society and there truly was a convention in Orlando, Florida. The niece is not a liar. I attended the convention and had a WONDERFUL time. It was very tasteful and very informative. The credibility of these people attacking the famous poet society and accusing others of working for them make me wonder if they are just disgruntled ex employees or maybe jealous ex friends that are upset about the success of the company. I wish famous poet continued success. They are truly a beautiful organization.

Dear John: i agree with April in that you are nothing but a dirty, stinking shill! Here's a poem for you: Roses are red, violets are blue, I've got some FRAUD HAMMERTIME just for you! POW! Take that John! Do you know the moon is there, John? You do? Well I'll bet you've never been there. The same goes for April: SHE KNOWS THIS IS A SCAM!!! Those "winners" were the con artists kids who won! Are you really that stupid? Hey Jason, I'll say it if April won't: YOUR NIECE IS A LIAR AND WORKS FOR THEM!

April I think you are confused. John is referring to a convention put on by Famous Poets that they held in Orlando, Florida. My niece went to it and had a great time, didn't win but had a great time and learned a lot. If you went to a convention in DC then it wasn't put on by Famous Poets. My niece was also a member of Poetry.com and they have their conventions in DC. She has never gone to one because they charge too much and don't offer enough for the price. I have visited the famous poets webpage and viewed the pics and poems. I seriously doubt that John works for them as his sole reason for writing since I know someone personally who also has attended and had confirms what he also wrote. Your assumptions (he works for them) and ignorance (that there isn't a convention) really have to make me wonder what your agenda is. I know for a fact (unless you want to say my little niece lies and/or works for them) that there was a convention in Orlando and that 20 people got a check for their winning poems (she and her mom saw them present them). I'm writing this only because it's unchecked ignorance and malice like this that will be the doom of this society (American society not the poetry society, though maybe it too).

April I think you are confused. John is referring to a convention put on by Famous Poets that they held in Orlando, Florida. My niece went to it and had a great time, didn't win but had a great time and learned a lot. If you went to a convention in DC then it wasn't put on by Famous Poets. My niece was also a member of Poetry.com and they have their conventions in DC. She has never gone to one because they charge too much and don't offer enough for the price. I have visited the famous poets webpage and viewed the pics and poems. I seriously doubt that John works for them as his sole reason for writing since I know someone personally who also has attended and had confirms what he also wrote. Your assumptions (he works for them) and ignorance (that there isn't a convention) really have to make me wonder what your agenda is. I know for a fact (unless you want to say my little niece lies and/or works for them) that there was a convention in Orlando and that 20 people got a check for their winning poems (she and her mom saw them present them). I'm writing this only because it's unchecked ignorance and malice like this that will be the doom of this society (American society not the poetry society, though maybe it too).

April I think you are confused. John is referring to a convention put on by Famous Poets that they held in Orlando, Florida. My niece went to it and had a great time, didn't win but had a great time and learned a lot. If you went to a convention in DC then it wasn't put on by Famous Poets. My niece was also a member of Poetry.com and they have their conventions in DC. She has never gone to one because they charge too much and don't offer enough for the price. I have visited the famous poets webpage and viewed the pics and poems. I seriously doubt that John works for them as his sole reason for writing since I know someone personally who also has attended and had confirms what he also wrote. Your assumptions (he works for them) and ignorance (that there isn't a convention) really have to make me wonder what your agenda is. I know for a fact (unless you want to say my little niece lies and/or works for them) that there was a convention in Orlando and that 20 people got a check for their winning poems (she and her mom saw them present them). I'm writing this only because it's unchecked ignorance and malice like this that will be the doom of this society (American society not the poetry society, though maybe it too).

April I think you are confused. John is referring to a convention put on by Famous Poets that they held in Orlando, Florida. My niece went to it and had a great time, didn't win but had a great time and learned a lot. If you went to a convention in DC then it wasn't put on by Famous Poets. My niece was also a member of Poetry.com and they have their conventions in DC. She has never gone to one because they charge too much and don't offer enough for the price. I have visited the famous poets webpage and viewed the pics and poems. I seriously doubt that John works for them as his sole reason for writing since I know someone personally who also has attended and had confirms what he also wrote. Your assumptions (he works for them) and ignorance (that there isn't a convention) really have to make me wonder what your agenda is. I know for a fact (unless you want to say my little niece lies and/or works for them) that there was a convention in Orlando and that 20 people got a check for their winning poems (she and her mom saw them present them). I'm writing this only because it's unchecked ignorance and malice like this that will be the doom of this society (American society not the poetry society, though maybe it too).

You must think we're stupid. First off I'm sure everyone would agree that you work for this fraudulent company. Secondly, I live near DC, so after reading and receiving numerous e-mails and letters from your people about the convention, I did go. There was NO convention. Never has been, never will be. This is just another way for your people to extort money from talented individuals that just want a break on their work. It is people like you that make America land of the scams.

You must think we're stupid. First off I'm sure everyone would agree that you work for this fraudulent company. Secondly, I live near DC, so after reading and receiving numerous e-mails and letters from your people about the convention, I did go. There was NO convention. Never has been, never will be. This is just another way for your people to extort money from talented individuals that just want a break on their work. It is people like you that make America land of the scams.

You must think we're stupid. First off I'm sure everyone would agree that you work for this fraudulent company. Secondly, I live near DC, so after reading and receiving numerous e-mails and letters from your people about the convention, I did go. There was NO convention. Never has been, never will be. This is just another way for your people to extort money from talented individuals that just want a break on their work. It is people like you that make America land of the scams.

You must think we're stupid. First off I'm sure everyone would agree that you work for this fraudulent company. Secondly, I live near DC, so after reading and receiving numerous e-mails and letters from your people about the convention, I did go. There was NO convention. Never has been, never will be. This is just another way for your people to extort money from talented individuals that just want a break on their work. It is people like you that make America land of the scams.

I'm a writer who attended the 2002 convention of the Famous Poets Society. I read alot of these rip off reports and just had to write a rebuttal. I read that noone wins & that the convention was a scam where no prizes where given out. I was there. I saw the winners. I heard their poems. I know that it is real. Anyone who needs proof need only go to the website famouspoets.com and click on winners. I met some of these people at the convention. I shared in the voting to choose the winners. The website is real. The people are real. The poems are real. Check it out for yourself at the website famouspoets.com and you'll see for yourself. I also noticed that most of the people who were saying that the convention was a fraud DID NOT GO!! How do these people know what was there if they were not?

A few years ago, I also sent my poem to Famous Poet Society. I am not good at writing poems, but I thought it would be fun to submit a poem I wrote for my mom. It was short and simple. When I heard from them again, my poem was published and being sold back to me. I did not feel that it was worth anything to me, so I did not bother. However, a few months later, I received an invitation to attend an Awards Night in Las Vegas and I will have the chance to recite my poem in front of many, that my poem was chosen. I could not believe this! My poem was hardly a good material. The registration fee was rediculous! Anyway, that did it for me. These people are there to make money and I am not about to conribute another penny to their riches.