It's similar to those annoying "From the creators of Titanic and Tarzan-X" taglines on movie posters and trailers, except for this case, the author isn't exactly as recognizable and most of the time these credentials that appear after pieces dont really say much.
Taken from a website I reviewed a couple of days ago:
Mr. Juan de La Cruz has won numerous literary awards in La Lupe De Francia University and has attended workshops in the Canada National U. Several of his works have also been published in the Ermita Literary Folio. He can be presently seen foraging the corporate landscape for anyone who will take a chance on employing an old chap from Fairview.
What's funny is that the website I visited are filled with guys form the same university and literary group. And they're all "winners of various awards." It's like kindergarten all over again, everybody's a winner.I really can't remember the last time an actual poet reached superstar status. Not in the last ten years, I'm sure. That should give you enough clue that people liking your poem automatically because of your credentials is about as realistic as people liking a movie because the 2nd Grip guy came from Berkley.
If a poem is shitty, a poem is shitty. We should stop letting bad work get away with it because somebody's been "'round the corner a lot longer than anyone can remember." Slap the author if he deserves it. It's for the best so he doesn't get any sense of positive reinforcement that what he's doing is right.
If a poem is really good, you don't have to place your name beside it for it to be recognized as good.
A good writer will stand beside his work and proudly claim it as his own.
An even better writer will stand behind it, and let his work do the talking.
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