Read my latest story, "The All-Nighter", at 52|250.

I have always been wary of gifts; the first time my sweetie and I met, I almost didn’t allow him to buy me a drink. (Fortunately, a friend of his intervened.) Even small gifts create certain expectations of reciprocation and a sense of obligation.

Poetry-publishing being a gift economy, even as it seemingly escapes pernicious market forces, subjects discussion of poetry to another set of strictures, those created by alliances and desired alliances.

• When poets are not payed, the publisher who receives poems to publish as a gift may feel more obligated to support the poet than they would if some cash had been exchanged. They will refuse to run negative reviews of other works by the same poet (not necessarily a bad thing so long as this is a policy stated upfront to contributors and readers). They may go further, too, believing it necessary to shun the work of poets who have tangled with poets they have already published or even to write and/or publish revenge reviews.
• Publishers who are themselves poets may look more kindly on the work of those who have published them (since so many small journals lose money, break even, or yield their editors less than minimum wage, publishing another person’s work is a sort of gift); alternatively, they may publish poets who are also editors, hoping for reciprocation.
• Poets may write reviews as gifts either in return for another gift (publication, other positive reviews, poems submitted) or in hopes of a gift.
• Whole alliances cemented by such gifts or by the desire for such gifts may shun those who have offended a single person. That person may not even be aware of the shunning or desire it.
• Speaking ill of a person or publishing outlet who has published you or given you work to publish is considered ill-mannered (ungrateful), whatever the merits of what you have to say.

A few of these I have personally experienced; others are more speculative. I’m not sure, however, what the solution is. Converting all of poetry-publishing to a money economy isn’t an option: too many excellent publications would be shut down if they were all expected to pay and to turn a profit. Part of the answer is awareness, as some of these actions are no doubt taken unconsciously, but this cannot be a complete answer as some people purposely manipulate the bonds of the gift economy

What else can be done? Or should we simply scribble on unconcerned with po-biz nonsense?

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