How to Write an Article for Poets & Writers

In the latest issue of Poets & Writers (not yet online) there is an article by Thomas Hopkins about Zoo Press’ decision to cancel both its 2003 and 2004 short-story collection contests without giving refunds or providing a satisfactory explanation to the writers who entered the competitions. But I think the article missed two important points. One is that literary bloggers didn’t simply “air complaints about the Zoo Press contest”, as Hopkins suggests, but in fact were central in bringing this story to light in the first place. In reading the piece, one gets the impression that the story simply appeared in the community’s consciousness when in fact blogs were pivotal in bringing attention to it. The other point is that the blog that actually brought this story into the open and that provided Hopkins with several of his sources didn’t get mentioned. And that leads me to wonder if, despite the number of readers they draw, blogs are not yet part of the discourse, part of the conversation with other media.