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Adventures in Scifi Publishing
October 03, 2007
The Science Fiction Poetry Association
http://www.sfpoetry.com


By A.M. Dellamonica

Founded in 1978 by the well-known SF writer and linguist Suzette Haden Elgin, the Science Fiction Poetry Association is a tight-knit community of visionaries bound by an affection for poetry laced with elements of the fantastic. This organization offers advice on craft and marketing to aspiring poets, celebrates its members' numerous achievements and even delves into deeper questions about what a poem, particularly an SF poem, might actually be.
The SFPA is a publisher in its own right. It produces a quarterly journal of poetry, Star Line, whose most recent issue features work by Bruce Boston and Elizabeth Barrette, among others, poems with seductive titles like " A Mirror Past the Weight Limit," "Alternate Universe Blues" and " Ode to a Relationship Gone Cosmically Wrong." Poetry collections by members are available on the site, and the Society—which bestows the Rhysling Award for speculative poetry—also brings out an annual Rhysling Anthology. Finally, 2007 marks the second year of both the Society's poetry contest (visitors can read the three winning entries on the Web page) and its Halloween poetry reading. Even now, the SFPA is gathering audio files of horror-themed poetry readings from members, with plans for an October release to the public.

The SFPA site boasts the most extensive genre market listing for poets on the Web, along with a wide range of resources: workshop information, reading and event listings, links to member sites and author interviews. For anyone interested in learning more about SF poetry and the people who create it, this site provides an abundance of riches—a complete roadmap for exploring this oft-overlooked territory of the speculative literary canon.