05-14-2021, 11:08 AM
In 2007, according to Wikipedia, the Poetry Magazine had a circulation of 30,000
The Poetry Review UK has this to say:
“ With 144 pages of new poems, original essays and wide-ranging reviews and comment, The Poetry Review is indispensable reading for approximately 15,000 readers worldwide”
The Poetry Society’s website ranks 84,000 in Alexa while allpoetry.com ranks 59,000
Rupi Kaur, on the other hand, has sold 2.5 million copies of her book(s)
So, what are we trying to achieve by publishing in a journal? Validation? If so, then it ought to be only the best journals that matter, otherwise there’s no meaningful validation.
If the objective is to reach out to a wider readership, Instagram is probably the way to go
Otherwise, sharing your poems with a small group of like minded strangers like we do here on the Pen, is about as good as it gets
The Poetry Review UK has this to say:
“ With 144 pages of new poems, original essays and wide-ranging reviews and comment, The Poetry Review is indispensable reading for approximately 15,000 readers worldwide”
The Poetry Society’s website ranks 84,000 in Alexa while allpoetry.com ranks 59,000
Rupi Kaur, on the other hand, has sold 2.5 million copies of her book(s)
So, what are we trying to achieve by publishing in a journal? Validation? If so, then it ought to be only the best journals that matter, otherwise there’s no meaningful validation.
If the objective is to reach out to a wider readership, Instagram is probably the way to go
Otherwise, sharing your poems with a small group of like minded strangers like we do here on the Pen, is about as good as it gets

