FAQ

Do you have the usual “one-time rights” publishing policy

In general, although we do not have a “one time use” policy due to the nature of our site, we consider the author of any original work to be the “rights” holder and will always defer to their expressed wishes.

If you submit work to another website or a print publisher, we only ask that you credit shortpoem.org as having published the work previously. Some commercial and non-commercial publishers will not allow work to be published concurrently. If that is the case, notify shortpoem.org and we will remove your work from our site or its archives.

Why does “© shortpoem.org” appear on each post?

We added this to our post when we added the “Share This” option to each post. Our purpose was not to deprive the author of their rights, but to preserve their rights under our copyright.

What is “Miss Nina’s Prize?”

There are two flavors of “Miss Nina’s Prize.”

• The Challenge Prize: Specific guidelines and a deadline are set. The best entry is chosen and published.
• The Recognition Prize: From time to time, we like to recognize writers whose submissions reflect their commitment to the art and craft of writing. What does this mean? It means they take their work seriously - and so do we.

We have elected to not publicize “Miss Nina’s Prize,” because we don’t feel that it is in the same category as the large writing awards offered online or in print. In the case of the former, it’s “just for fun.” In the case of the later, it’s a very small token of our appreciation for those who write well and seriously.

But what is the prize?

What the “prize” is, is dependent on donations (see below) not all of which are cash.

Why “Miss Nina?” That’s sort of a silly name.

Because Nina Peach is the heart and soul of “Getting Something Read.” And, it reflects Miss Nina’s philosophy that you should never take yourself too seriously.

Do you pay?

No. This site is supported entirely by donations and run by volunteers. While we believe that writers should be compensated for their work, at present, we cannot afford to do this. If you would like to help change this, please consider donating or shopping in our Amazon Store.

What do you publish?

We publish short short works of fiction, non-fiction, commentary, essays or poetry; or short excepts of fiction or non-fiction works-in-progress or serials.

Do you accept work that is longer than 12 lines of poetry or 750 words?

Yes, we will consider longer work.

Do you publish illustrated or “comic” book style stories?

No. We recommend that you send illustrated stories to Zuda Comics. Some of their illustrated stories are stunningly beautiful. Our favorite? “Bayou” by Jeremy Love and Patrick Morgan.

Can I send you some of my photos for your rotating header image?

Yes. If you have a photo that you would like to see included in our “random header photos,” send them to: webmaster@shortpoem.org. Header photos should be 865 pixels X 180 pixels and between 45 and 70 kb. (Large image files take to long too load. If you have a photo of the correct dimensions, but don’t know how to reduce it’s file size, we can do that for you.) A watermark with your name will be added to your image.

Do you publish plays?

Yes. We will publish short one-act plays or monologues. Send to: editor@shortpoem.org

Why do you “recycle” posts?

Well, this ain’t current events! Recycling allows us to brings previously published works back to the “home” page. It’s a simple means of featuring works we especially like. We are experimenting (on a dummy site) with different ways of doing this without breaking your bookmarks, but haven’t, yet, found a satisfactory solution.

Why do you have depressing videos and posts about AIDs and poverty on your site?

Because we who are privileged need to remember those who are not. Because we who are safe, well and comfortable need to remember those who are suffering from violence, disease and want.