Foetry: American Poetry Watchdog

Exposing the fraudulent "contests."

Tracking the sycophants.

Naming names.

Zoo Press

• Zoo Press Paris Review Prize in Poetry guidelines state, "The recurring judge is The Paris Review's poetry editor, Richard Howard." Entry fee is $25.
• selected Jennifer A. Gosetti-Ferencei, who received her MFA at Columbia University in 2000, where Howard teaches, as 2002 winner of Zoo Press' Paris Review Prize in Poetry.
• chose Internal West by Priscilla Becker in 2000. Foetry Forum member Insider says, "Priscilla Becker was not only Richard Howard's student but also worked at the Paris Review."
• The latest winner is Patricia Ferrell, according to the Zoo Press website. Ferrell does live in New York and has published in the Paris Review. Foetry has not confirmed whether or not Ferrell studied at Columbia with Howard, however, a father of a Patricia Ferrell did study at Columbia and a Patricia Ferrell did work at Columbia's library.
• Foetry's recommendation: don't waste your money.

Other Paris Review Prize in Poetry at Zoo Press winner:

• Krypton Nights by Bryan D. Dietrich, 2001
• Foetry would like to know if Dietrich has a connection to Howard, aside from publishing in the Paris Review in 2000. Please visit the Foetry Forums.

Although Foetry's mission is primarily connected to poetry, kind reader 'hunchless' has pointed us to this editorial at the Missouri Review. "But to abandon the First Annual Zoo Press Short Fiction Contest after accepting entry fees and manuscripts and then announcing that those fees will not be refunded is, quite frankly, unethical."