Poets Pub 4th Anniversary Collection - 2019

Bill Temple ... Founder

It was April 2015.

I had just returned from deleting my accounts for a second time and I was starting all over again.

At that time, Wattpad was going through a major site upheaval and it was affecting all of us. Reads were down massively and many people were leaving Wattpad because of the ongoing technical issues.

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I had a conversation with a young Poet, via message, who was informing me that she was leaving Wattpad because of the problems and the fact that no one was reading her poems. I tried to reason with her, but it was of little use. She left Wattpad and to my knowledge, she has not returned.

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The same scenario was happening all over Wattpad and the site was losing some of the brightest young poets to frustration.

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I talked to some of my friends who had been here as long as I had and we tried to come up with a solution. Most were having their own issues and because of that felt they had no time to commit to others. Many simply did not care about the new and upcoming poets, as they were just more competition for the quickly disappearing reads and votes.

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It was a friend of mine @ElizabellaJones who suggested maybe I set up a site to help these young poets.

At the time, I still had my last site active, with some 3000 followers still registered on the site, although I had deleted all my works.

I decided to use that site and over the next few weeks, I devised a plan for the site.

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I would set up a site that would bring together poets from all over the world and have them compete in friendly competitions and special collections, that would be shared with other poets.

And by doing this, perhaps provide the inspiration for those new poets to stay here on Wattpad and continue to hone their poetic abilities.

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I was sure I could call on my old friends to help me get the site up and running.

I was sadly disappointed, as practically every one I contacted, showed little or no interest.

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I then went to the top 30 poets on Wattpad, as listed in the hot list and asked them to be a part of it.

All but a couple declined.

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I then sent out a message to all the followers that were still attached to my site.

I basically got dead air and even worse. I lost nearly 500 followers in just two weeks.

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I was beyond disappointed, but being the stubborn old man that I am, that made me even more determined to get the site up and running.

It seemed that if I was going to get this site up and running, I would have to do it myself.

Bella wanted to help, but her university studies cut into her time available.

She did, however, become the first official member of the, as then, unnamed site.

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So, I came up with a name ... Poets Pub.

I had this image of a small Pub, with a small stage, where Poets and Poetry lovers could gather, share a beverage and even more importantly, share their love of Poetry.

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Next, I went back to the messages and irritated people enough that I managed to get a handful to commit a poem to the first collection that would be posted at the Pub.

The first to respond was my dear friend and Wattpad Poetic legend, @CottonJones.

The first collection was to be called 'Closed Doors and Open Hallways.'

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It was quickly followed by a second collection; 'The Dancers.'

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Slowly, the Poets Pub started to get some new members and it seemed that it would be a success after all, despite all the critics who continued to tell me that the Pub would fail. Most believed that it would not last anymore than a couple months.

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Despite the great start, there were many issues, not only with Wattpad and their constant technical situations, but with keeping people interested in the Pub.

Most people would commit a single poem and then they would not show up in the Pub again.

It was a constant barrage of messages to everyone that I knew and many I didn't, that kept the Pub alive during that first year.

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One of the biggest supporters was a man by the name of @lyttlejoe.

A name that we all know now, as he is the resident legend at the Pub and was our first Pubber / Poet of the Year.

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Still, the problems continued. The biggest issue I had was finding someone to help me at the Pub. Even though our family of Pubbers was growing like a garden of weeds, I could not find anyone to hang on and help me with the Pub.

And in all honesty, it was getting to the point of overwhelming.

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I had even contemplated shutting the Pub down.

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Then in early 2016, I had a woman offer to help me with the Pub.

Her name was @MystresMyna.

It was as though the heavens had opened up and an angel had descended.

Myna has since become the heart and soul of the Pub and without her, I am sure the Pub would not be what it is today.

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So, as we celebrate our 4th anniversary and enter into our 5th year of existence, I would like to take a moment and thank each and every person who has ever graced the inside of the Poets Pub.

Without you there would be no Pub.

I am humbled to have been associated with each and every one of you.

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When I began the Poets Pub, four years ago, I had an image of what it would become. That image has been surpassed over and over.

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When I created the Poets Pub I created a credo, which the Pub still adheres to:

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It is a gathering place for ALL Poets. No judgement, no Egos ... just support and inspiration.

We encourage all to find the 'inner Poet' and to share that special person with us.

We are a collection of Poets from all over the world.

No borders, no color, no religion, no language barrier.

Just a shared loved of Poetry.

We are friends, but evermore so, we are family.

Happy 4th Anniversary Poets Pub.

May there be many more.