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Here’s How to Recover Your Poetry.com Articles

Update: Are you trying to recover your poems? In April 2018, Poetry.com appeared to have stopped working.

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Nearly a year and a half later, the site is still down, but there is now a splash page in place.

Poetry.com

I’m not sure what happened to the original Poetry.com, but if you tried to visit the site in the past, you would have seen the following error:

“Error establishing a database connection”

This is actually incredibly easy to fix, and the fact that it has remained there for years leads me to believe that Poetry.com has been abandoned, taking all of the poems posted there with it.

How to Recover Your Poems

I’ve come up with an idea that I think MIGHT work. I say MIGHT because I do not have any poems posted there and this is just all speculation.

Please, if you try this method and have found it to work, leave a comment below to help pass the news along to others.

Try this: Open up Poetry.com at Archive.org

Poetry.com at Archive.org

Archive.org takes snapshots of every single page on the Internet. They have approximately 461,880 pages saved from Poetry.com over the past 21 years.

I suggest picking a date near the mid 2017 as they were the most likely to load for me and see if you can find your public profile.

How to find missing poems

You WILL NOT be able to log in to your old account. Remember, this is just a snapshot of what the website looked like at a certain point in time. It is NOT a functioning website. The search feature will NOT WORK either.

You can also try opening poetry.com/poems/ to see the full list of poems.

If you happen to have a URL bookmarked where your poems were once stored, plug that URL directly into Archive.org instead.

This will be your best chance at recovering your old content.

I’m very sorry that you may have lost your hard work. I do hope you’re able to recover it.

Please let me know how it works out in the comments section below.

The rest of the article is the original article published here in 2009.

The most successful scams are the ones that appeal to your emotions.

They assure you that you can be better off than you currently are. Success, fame and fortune is just a click away.

Odds are you will be clicking away some of your money while receiving nothing in return.

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Poetry.com is no different.

The Scam Behind Poetry.com

Poetry.com allows you to submit your own poetic material for consideration in their international poetry competition.

In order to enter the contest, you have to also include your name and address.

Within days of submitting your poem, you will receive a letter in the mail praising you and your poetic ability.

Now to an unpublished author or someone looking to get started in this line of work, receiving a response is quite an accomplishment in itself, but to receive a response not only praising you for your work but naming you one of the best authors to ever submit a poem is extremely flattering.

The letter will also inform you that you have been chosen by a select panel of judges to be published in the next volume of poems put out by Poetry.com.

This is where the upsell begins as it all goes downhill.

In order for your work to be published, you have to purchase the book.

This isn’t stated, but it is indeed true.

Naturally, if you’re an aspiring writer, you’ll want to purchase a copy of your first published work.

Hell, you might end up buying a copy for your parents, significant other, friends, etc. The only thing is, the book costs anywhere between $50 and $75 or more if you want your poem on a single page.

After some time you will be given the option to buy a CD that includes your poem in a reading and you’ll even be invited to a convention where you’ll be awarded with some cheesy trophy or plaque.

Again, this is all at your expense.

This probably doesn’t sound all that bad right?

Wrong.

It’s terrible.

Poetry On-Demand

Poetry.com only sells these books to the people who submit the poems for their inclusion.

The books aren’t sold anywhere else in the world.

Anyone could write anything at all and Poetry.com will hail them as the next Shakespeare and tell you you’ll be included among prestigious poem anthologies.

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Previously, 20/20 did a news report where they had a class full of second graders write poems for the site.

Every single poem was accepted by their judges.

Poetry.com is making between 50-60 of these books per year with about 6,000 poems in each.

Given that the book costs about $75, they are making over $22,000,000 per year on book sales alone!

They give away one annual prize of $10,000 per year or about 0.0004% of their annual book sales. These guys are disgustingly cruel.

Fun with Poetry.com

Just to prove my point, I submitted this lovely piece entitled ‘Bird.’ It is a Steve original and I fully expect to win the $10,000 contest prize.

A bird sits on a windowsill.
Howl goes the wolf.
The bird flies away.
A pie replaces the bird.
The wolf steals the pie.
Pie wolf and bird meet in the woods.
Pie is had. All is good. The world is happy.

Immediately upon submitting my poem I was hit with an upsell. I could have my lovely poem engraved on a beautiful plaque for just $39 plus shipping!

What a steal.

I didn’t want to jump the gun and get this bad boy engraved right off the bat. I want to wait until it wins the $10,000 prize.

Since I chose not to purchase the plaque, the only other available option was to view “Special Offers” that were personally chosen for me.

Of course, this was all garbage as they were trying to collect my personal information to sell to companies.

Continuing past the special offers leads you back to the main page. There is no substance behind Poetry.com.

The site exists to gather as much of your personal information as possible in order to try and sell you garbage.

I’m anxiously awaiting my acceptance letter. I’ll be sure to post it as soon as I receive it.

In the meantime, see how you can actually get paid to write poems instead.

138 thoughts on “Here’s How to Recover Your Poetry.com Articles”

  1. Hi. I tried using the Way Back Machine and for me personally it was of o help at all. Some people’s hard work shows up on there but absolutely none of mine did. My name isn’t even listed if I do a search. I don’t have no idea what the URL is so maybe that is why. Apparently the URL would get me right there. I and many others are very heartbroken about this. Does anyone know of any other last ditch efforts that might not require a URL?

    Reply
  2. I just began searching for a poem that I’ve always wondered if was ever published from a contest I entered in 2001. I even included a picture of my 6 month old daughter. I got back that immediate praising response. Even being young and naive, I did consider the possibility of a scam. It was very hard to believe that the first contest I entered would be so lucky. They asked if I wanted to include a picture, I sent it. About a week later I received the letter that I had to buy the book, but I thought it said it was published regardless of buying. I was young with a baby, living at home with my parents so I didn’t even bother with trying to buy that overpriced book.

    Reply
  3. Hi Steve

    Thanks for this information. Along with everyone else, I’m trying to locate my poems submitted around 2004. Just wondering how I can find public profiles using the archived poetry.com links if I can’t use the search button? Any tips on alternate ways of finding profiles on these pages?

    Cheers :)
    Mia

    Reply
  4. I too am looking for my poems and the poem written by my son. It is really disgraceful that the work of artists is no longer available. Rectify this PLEASE!!!

    Reply
  5. Hi my name is Geneen Morris. I submitted 2 or 3 poems. Hopefully, someone can find them. I was going through a rough patch in my 20’s and 30’s writing helped me cope. I believe it was the early to mid 2000’s that they were submitted

    Reply
  6. My sister Keisha Hosler and myself Elizabeth Phillips both had poems published around that time frame as well. Taking a picture and sending it the people who wrote them would not be an issue.

    Reply
  7. My brother had poems on this site. he passed away in 2001 and i would love to access them again. I personally had one poem published in 2003, i believe. I still have the book.

    Reply
    • Do you still have the 2003 book. If so can you find either “in my dreams” or “my dreams” by Amanda Spears. I can’t seem to recover this poem. I wrote this after I fully recovered from a brain tumor that almost took my life. It has a lot of sentimental value to me. The notebook I had it written in got lost in the many times I have moved after I graduated high school. It was on the old poetry.com that we all got scammed with.

    • I have a the Book Fleeting Shadow from 2000. Not sure if he would be in there, but you can email me his name if you’d like me to check. Again, not sure given how sketchy the were if it would be in all copies if published in that edition.

      sarahfswright@gmail.com

      This goes for anyone else that might have something in that year. I was a fourth grader when I submitted and it felt very affirming for my sweet little soul which was worth it for me in hindsight.

    • Hi and hope all is well. My name is Pete Rodriguez and in 2003 I also had a poem published by poetry.com. My poem is called “A promise, Today and Always” by any chance it might be in the book 🙏🏽🙏🏽

  8. My name is Calvin Franklin. I too was scammed. However, I was fortunate enough to purchase two of their anthologies– Chorus of the Soul from 2000 and / As Seasons Change from 2001. I also purchased a smaller collection called A Celebration of Poets Showcase Edition from 1998. I would love to be able to send individuals their works. However, there are copyright restrictions. If anyone knows a way around it… I have tons of names and poems for those who may have lost them.

    Reply
    • Hi! My Name is Jeffrey S Grant. I submitted a poem and of course was told I’d be published. It was around those 2000/2001. Could you look for my name in your books of poetry?

    • Hi
      Can you check the books you have for a poem I submitted in 2000 or 2001 (I was 16/17 at the time) so my memory is a bit hazy. My name is Aimee Pears and I believe the poem was called Tigers Eyes.

    • I submitted one back in 2000 or 2001. The only thing I remember about it were the words “with your hat and coat on”
      I had written it after my grandfather committed suicide. If you can find it, I’d greatly appreciate it so much!! Thanks in advance!!

    • Calvin, I don’t get the copyright issues. I didn’t sell them, I wrote them to get seen or published. “The Heart” is one of them, sometimes it just needs a hug. Is in the ending of it.

    • Could you check the books you have to see if there is a poem called “rose of love” it is one I wrote and would love to have as I no longer have the original. The name would be Amanda Dearth, I have since gotten married.

    • I believe my poem was published in one of those two books, As seasons change rings a deeper bell but it has been nearly 25 years so memory not as sharp. If you happen to see one listed in either book by Kristyn White I would very much appreciate a head’s up. Thank you.

    • Like so many others I wrote many poems on poetry.com. trying to retrieve a few of the poems written.

    • Can u see if there are any poems by Marti Lester or Leeann lester called my private cell or my private he’ll please and thank you could also be under last name Hatfield

    • Mr. Calvin,

      I also had submitted and had a published poem around 2000. If you wouldn’t mind checking for Ryan Coleman, I would greatly appreciate it.

    • I would love to see if you have any of my poems. I remember one was called last breathe. Not sure on the years. But they would be by me Rebecca Payne. If you have any of those I would love to get them back. Thank you.

    • I believe I submitted mine called “it’s hard to understand” under the name Cory Roberts. I may have used (my real last name) Maldonado. I submitted it in 2001 give or take a year. I used to have the book but I haven’t been able to find it.

    • I submitted a few poems. One was for my boyfriend who was killed by a drunk driver. Another was called Guess I.
      Would u please search my name and send my poems. I thank you in advance. – Toni Nicklo

    • If u could look and them and see if any of my poems are in them if so could u send me a picture even if it is a screenshot of them and the front and back of the book they are in I’d greatly appreciate it loads

    • I believe that since the company no longer exists and that the poems or the books were never registered with the Library Of Congress-, of/in the copyright rules.. All is free to do as you please!!

      You can verify this by contacting the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. They do have a website-contact page.. or you can just search the tiles of the books or poems too see if the are registered…on their WEBSITE

    • You can share a particular poem if you get a request from it’s author. That is not copyright violation. So, you need to authenticate the author. Social ID, Driver’s License or Passport can be used. Also check the age and validate if he/she was of minimum age to write poetry. I do not have legal background but will further seek advice on this aspect.

      Title of two of my poems – Steel Syndrome, Daily Wages Worker I and II
      Author (my name) – Amitava Pathak
      Home – India

  9. Hello everyone I have poems that I’ve been trying to get off of poetry.com because my children want me to have them available to them so they can keep them and remember them forever and treasure them because most of them were written about them and my doctor gave me 3 months to live last month. So I don’t have a lot of time left to find them. My children love my writing and we’re always a part of it not the writing but the little things they shared with me that they wanted me to write about them and these poems are absolutely precious to me and would love to read them again I had my eight stroke this year and I can’t remember them I have always remembered all my poems by heart my whole life until this last stroke and my memory was almost destroyed I can’t write poetry anymore because I can’t remember my words and that really hurts my heart because words were my life. So if someone could figure out a way to go on and find my poetry I would even pay them for it. But I don’t have much time. The names of my poems that I want are called-a face in the crowd (about homelessness and how homeless people become invisible when people walk by. The second poem is called-my daughter’s hands (I was holding my daughter’s hands one day and as I looked at them I realized how familiar they seemed because they look just like my hands) and a poem called-the Old homestead about the house that my father’s father built with his own hands-and the last one is called-just breathe. It’s about how sometimes we can get caught up in our busy schedules and run around and run around and sometimes we just need to realize just take time to breathe because sometimes it’s almost like we even forget to breathe we get so busy if someone could find me for those I would pay them I would be willing to pay them. I don’t have much time left so if you are willing to do that I hope you hurry it would mean the world to me if anyone could find them they are peace of my heart that is missing and I don’t think I will feel whole until I find them God bless you all have a blessed day – Betty Acosta

    Reply
    • Good luck , really touched by your comment and god be with you and yours sorry to hear you bad news and I pray god holds your children close and comforts them. Sincerely Marti Hatfield

  10. Also I tried every suggestion of how to find our old poems and none of them worked I was so disappointed maybe you have to be smarter than me on the internet because I’m not very good with the internet cuz I’m 65 years old so maybe you guys could have more luck go to archive.org/ poetry.com and see if you can get them that way or go to the way back machine which is another archive side good luck guys God bless us all and God bless America

    Reply
  11. I would really like to know how I get my poems from an app that was removed without warning in mid 2018 poemgasm I have no succses in getting any answer to this ? When I type it into Google but I am completly destroyed and heart broken over this as i had posted over 100 1st draft as and eddits to old hand writen poems someone please help

    Reply
    • Not sure if the new company kept the archived poems from Poetry.com site, but I know poetry.com was purchased by another company and renamed Lulu poetry. It would be nice to find out if they kept the original site submissions. If anyone knows please update here and let us know how to find our submissions.
      I have hard copies of some of mine that were sent to me in the various correspondence between poetry.com and myself. They always included a nice printed copy on slick heavy paper. Lol

    • Lorena,

      Whom did you communicate with? Current poerty.com or earlier. I would do the same, if I know.

  12. Yes I would love to recover all my poems I wrote on poetry.com I have over 300 poems I put on there and were published so if possible I would be greatly appericate if tou could help me recover my poems thank you

    Reply
  13. So If I did buy a book. which I did. and it has a lot of others work in the book. does that make us only kinda sorta published!?. Well that poem anyway. Because I am planning on taking my work much further. And I am only guessing I do not have to mention the said poem as prepublished.?.

    Reply
    • Could you tell me if there is anything published in the book by Jay Stineman. I purchased a book with my stuff in it many, many years ago and lost it in a fire. I would really appreciate it, thank you.

    • I wrote a poem and submitted it to poetry.com titled Yes we can! written by Betty Gilbert. They said that it would be published on a plate and in a ook with other poets! They sent a fake copywritten copy through the email and stated i would receive a final copy, which ithey never did and they closed down the site. I f you purchased their book, can you please look to see if my poem is in it.

    • Can I ask around about the years your book from them is from? I can’t remember when I submitted them exactly, or possibly my one cousin submitted it for me, I can’t recall. Would have been by a ‘Carl E Roberts III’ or maybe a shorter variation of that. The two poems I’m wanting back specifically are “A Deeper Torment” and “My Best Friend”, both are pretty dark. I’m so terribly sorry for pestering a poor soul who doesn’t know me about this sort of thing, but the physical copies went up in a housefire, we lost everything, and of course poetry.com screwed ALL of us so hard by not keeping those works available to the authors :( Thank you so much in advance if you even consider helping. If not I understand. Good luck with everything in life!

    • Hi, if the books or poems are not registered with the Library Of Congress under the copyright laws. I believe all is free to do with as you please,. SInce also the fact that the company no longer exists!!

      You can double check this on their Website, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS or their Conract Page.. you can even search the titles on their website.

  14. I would love to recover my poems as well. I can not find my hard copies and i can not remember the name. I know it was talking about brown eyes. Is there a way to get a copy of my poem.

    Reply
  15. Hello, i was able to go to Archive.org and input poetry.com, when you pick a date on the calender, hover over it, it will show some numbers, click on that, i was able to see the poems on that day, unfornately i do not remember what different dates i put my poems on. so i got that far , good luck on your hunt, i kept a hard copy of at least two of my poems. Forgot what article i was reading, but it sounds like the books were only sold to the people that paid for them that submitted the poem. never to the public, i will keep hunting.

    Reply
    • The dates are when the backup was taken. So, anything before that date should be included. I have tried for 3 different dates but so far is hasn’t worked for me.

    • I did the same. I’m trying to retrieve mine as well. I have found that at least one of them they published anyway without my consent, and as to cover their tracks since I wasn’t buying the book they put author unknown. I didn’t find that out until 11 years later because I saw where someone took a picture of the page with my poem caled “Miss me but let me go” and posted it to facebook. I wrote it in memory of my uncle just after he passed away. They will still publish your writing, but they won’t give you the credit for it.

    • I have over 200 poems on this site, they ment a lot to me , from different times in my life! As I am sure so do all the rest of you….We need to band together and get a Lawsuit running, they probably dumped everything in the trash! It was such a great idea. The least they could do is give us our work back what is it to them, unless they intend to steal all of our work…probably too busy working on their next scam ! This is not over yet, I will do whatever it takes to retrieve my and everyone elses !!!!!! Watch Amazon people for new poetry books

    • I’m trying to retrieve mine as well. I have found that at least one of them they published anyway without my consent, and as to cover their tracks since I wasn’t buying the book they put author unknown. I didn’t find that out until 11 years later because I saw where someone took a picture of the page with my poem called “Miss me but let me go” and posted it to facebook. I wrote it in memory of my uncle just after he passed away. They will still publish your writing, but they won’t give you the credit for it.

  16. I have several pieces I have placed on poetry.com and I can not find them I know two were in the archive and at least three that I posted around 2016 I can’t seem to find them help me. Please Tamara Jean Greenhalgh is the name they are listed under

    Reply
  17. Ahhhh, I always felt weird about getting those accolades for the poems I submitted in highschool. Never paid for anything. Too bad the website has gone down, even if it was a scam.

    Reply
    • Do you have any of the letters or amy kind of remedy I wrote a poem it was published in the national anthropologie s of high school.students year 2002. Poem entitled In the time of my demise. By Jessica Williams Roland Hign School class of 2002. Since i didnt order itaybe they put author unknown. But surely someone has to have a copy of that book from poetry.com. Name of book National Anthropology of high school students. Please help. Or point me in right direction. Thanks

  18. I entered a poem in 2005 and of course received the letter, bought the book, etc… I was 17 and went to their competition in Las Vegas! It might have been a scam, but I had a great time and really enjoy the memories (turned my trio into an entire vacation)

    Reply
    • Hi. Can that book still be purchased today? I have a couple poems in it. I regret not buying it when I had the opportunity.

    • Do you still have the book from the 2005 Vegas comp? Maybe you could upload it to google docs? I would like to purchase a copy.

    • Yes so did I had a great time in Vegas , but I was lucky that I made copies of mine. . I think only 2 I didn’t make copies of. But I got 4 editors choice awards. But yes I kind of felt it was scam. But hopefully oneda everyone will there poems. How sad there’s scammers.

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