The International Society of Poets, The International Library of Poetry and Poetry.com are running legal (?) scamming operations via the US Postal Service and on line at their web sites and are ripping people off by the thousands worldwide. They are preying on the emotions of starving poets by promising them large cash awards and lucrative publishing contracts. I am a published author of my own books and should have known better than to get involved with them. For three years they have been after me to attend their conventions and read some of my works. Unfortunately, this year I accepted their invitation at my expense. What an unbelievable rip off and what a mistake I made. The least I can do is to try to make it right. There has got to be some courageous, crusading lawyer somewhere who will take them on and put a stop to this organized crime society and get the poor people they have been ripping off for years some of their money back or at least some satisfaction by putting and end to this charade. I am willing to do whatever I can to help pursue a case in a class action suit against them. But most of all my friends, please don't fall victim to this scam. I just returned from their 2007 convention at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and I am appalled by what I witnessed. Approximately 4000 people from all over the world paid thousands upon thousands of dollars to attend this rip off of a meeting. At an average registration fee of $550.00 they raked in at least $2,200, 000 in attendance fees and gave out (?) less than $150,000 in awards and prizes. The banquet meal was a joke. People were walking out saying "That's the worst $500.00 meal I have ever eaten." The judging system that was used during the poetry reading contests for the top prizes was ludicrous. I truly doubt that they even gave away what they promised. If they did, it must have been done through a lottery system. The bottom line is this DON'T GET TAKEN IN BY THEM.
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