Chris Tusa

More and more, I’m beginning to question the legitimacy of book contests. Are they simply taking money from poets only to award the book prize to a friend or colleague? According to Foetry.com, the answer is yes. Foetry.com claims that more and more, “judges of book contests [ARE selecting] their students, friends, and even their lovers.” Moreover, the site lists a variety of established poets who have a history of such behavior. This really concerns me because I’ve spent a great deal of money on contests over the years. For a while now, I’ve wondered if such nepotism explains why I haven’t published a book length ms at this point. Other times, I think I’m simply a disgruntled poet blaming nepotism for the fact that I haven’t landed a book deal