Book editors hate poetry?

Shortly after I blogged about online children's magazine, Wee Ones, I (and my fellow writers) learned that the magazine will be folding after 2008.

*sigh*

For those of us who write children's poetry, it's a sad announcement indeed.

The markets for children's poetry are few and far between. And if you differentiate between funny/humorous/silly poetry and (for lack of a better word) "serious" poetry the choices for each can practically be counted on one hand. (It is rare to find a market that publishes both silly and serious poetry.)

I must confess I don't understand this lack. Children love poetry. They love the rhythm, the sounds, the joy of it. So why are there so few markets for children's poetry?

I'm reminded of a statement I read not too long ago on an author's web site. While giving advice to novice writers, she said (and I'm paraphrasing but not by much): Picture book editors hate poetry.

On the one hand, I understand what she was saying and why. Editors, whether magazine or book, see a lot of bad poetry. A lot. And I'm sure they get tired of seeing it. It clogs up the pipelines. Turns piles of slush into mountains. Steering new writers away from submitting poetry until they know what good poetry is and can actually write it, is a kindness to all.

And yet...and yet...

Picture book editors hate poetry? Even the good stuff?

What a sad commentary on the state of the market.

Sweet dreams are made of this

I received a phone call yesterday from the editor at Blooming Tree Press. They've accepted a poem of mine to be in their new fully-illustrated picture book anthology to be called Sweet Dreams.

I haven't stopped smiling yet.

Of course, the downside is it won't be coming out until 2009 (illustrations and four-color printing take time). But I can wait.

That's a lot of smiling, but I can wait. :)

Children's Poetry

The outlets in today's market for writers of children's poetry (and short stories, for that matter) are not exactly what you'd call abundant. (And I'm talking quality outlets here - those that promote good writing.) So those of us who write these things tend to cherish the outlets we "click" with. One of those, for me, is the online children's magazine, Wee Ones.

The remarkable thing about Wee Ones is that they don't have any advertising on their site. They don't make money from their e-zine (they don't charge for subscriptions), and yet they still manage to pay their writers and illustrators a fee. Because they care about attracting quality work for their readers.

If you're a writer and you aren't familiar with Wee Ones, you should check it out. And if you have young kids, let them check it out, too. People who promote children's literature because they love it, not because it's a business, are becoming a rarer breed these days. We really should celebrate those that do.

Oh, and the poetry editor at Wee Ones, Kim Hutmacher, has a new site/blog. Go visit her, too:
The Write Marbles

Celebrate Poetry for Children

April is National Poetry Month! Celebrate the joy of language and literature with your children. Not sure where to start? Try the following children's poets/books of poetry:

Jack Prelutsky's It's Raining Pigs and Noodles (Greenwillow)
Caroline Kennedy’s A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children (Hyperion)
Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing has one version; there are several)
Jane Yolen's Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children (Boyds Mills Press)
Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends (HarperCollins)
Kenn Nesbitt's When The Teacher Isn't Looking : And Other Funny School Poems (Meadowbrook)

There are many more. Ask your favorite librarian or bookseller for recommendations. Enjoy.