WritersCafe.orgReviews 39

I've been with WritersCafe since May 2015 and it has been a mostly positive experience. I should say until recently. There are some very thin-skinned people out there. There is a lot of teen-aged angst poetry and way too many mass shooting stories. I really hate zombies.

If you are active and read and review other members you will have a better time there. If you just write and think the world will praise your genius, well, you may be disappointed. I review more than I get reviewed, but that seems to be the norm there. Overall, I'm satisfied with the site.

I have used this site for about five to six years now and have read many poems from a variety of poets and exchanged many reviews. I have had a wonderful experience in general and enjoyed some very worthy poetry. I have found most people, like myself, wish everyone well and are courteous and helpful and supportive. Many I think of as internet friends.

Unfortunately the site allows a small number of people to send abusive reviews and when reported do nothing about it. Currently there is a guy who has multiple identities who has caused at least two good people off the site. He has also sent me abusive emails to my personal writing webpage and despite the evidence the Moderators do nothing. A similar incident took place in 2013 (could be the same person) and when I fought back through civil poetry I was given a warning. It took months before the perpetrator had his account closed down. His level of abuse is remarkable but then he denies sending them despite evidence in the email strings and the remarkable similarity to the language used in emails he can be identified in. This seems to me to break the law and yet he is allowed by the owners (who never acknowledge or reply to complaints) to carry on regardless.

What a wonderful site, I have written many stories and poems. I get very excellent feedback and they encourage me to get my stuff published. It is a great site for those who love to write stories, poems, and share their ideas. Not only that a good way to find a list of local publishers to try and get books published. You should really join this site. It is a lot safer then deviantArt, they take harassment, bullying, and stuff very seriously.

The Good: The site is great for getting a feel for young talent and for posting your poetry. I'm not putting my books there but if you need a place to store your work and get feedback from other aspiring writers and poetry lovers, it's great!

The Bad: It's extremely bad! The site itself is constantly freezing up or taking forever to load its pages... Although it's one of the better designed sites, it takes great patience to be a regular!

Mixed feelings about this site. For the beginning writer it will be helpful- but only if you are able to connect with writers willing to critique your work. Too many members there are into backslapping and ego-boosts, and lack the skills and/or knowledge to offer meaningful help. Many poor writers are being decieved there, as there are very few that will tell them their writing stinks, and that they need to work hard at improvement. For the middle or advanced writer, don't bother, unless you are willing to offer endless advice, with little chance of the effort being reciprocated. You get what you pay for, and since this free...

Drifted in and out of WC years ago from 2007 forward, now at WC and also a Maryland based creative writing page full time (WC primary, Maryland based page secondary) as a refugee from a Bossier City LA based site formerly based in the Midwest and Subseuqently Texas. Am here due to a family tragedy in the summer 2013 that I am keeping as much under wraps as I can, (It is on my profile at WC, referenced) Have had very little trouble here. Possibly because I have not been sought after to do very much. I am after all a busy individual, as much, and more so off line than on. Thank you.

I've never used the website because I disagree with the Terms of Service:

Content Submitted or Made Available For Inclusion on The Service

Aresta Enterprise does not claim ownership of Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service. However, with respect to Content you submit or make available for via the Service, you grant Aresta Enterprise a perpetual, irrevocable, world-wide, royalty free and non-exclusive license to use, distribute, reproduce, modify and publicly display such Content on the Service.

You will be responsible for, and indemnify and hold harmless Aresta Enterprise, against any claim arising from any content that you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service.

So, basically, you still technically own the copyright, but you allow them the irrevocable right to use your work forever. It sounds scary to me. Unless someone buys the rights, I'm not giving them the right to use my work forever.

Aside from being a very poorly run site full of flakey webmasters and moderators, this is a bad site to belong to for any aspiring writer. At one time, it may have been trying to be something great for new writers' exposure - like SoundCloud or Bandcamp for musicians. But it is clear now from the abundance of scam literary journal requests that this is nothing more than a slightly more sophisticated version of poetry.com. It's a shame how so many websites aimed to help new writers devolve into this pathetic scam for paid compilations. If you're new to the scam, it goes like this...

I want to publish you in a new, beautifully bound, literary journal. All you have to do is buy the book!

See what I did there? For all new writers looking for resources online, I wish I could be of more help. Writerscafe.org might help you feel better about yourself for a little while, and perhaps you'll make a friend or two, but ultimately if you want to take this seriously, this site will cause more harm to your reputation than good.

writerscafe.org is a perfect and encouraging venue for growth as a writer. It affords clients copyright of their writing as "published" and has every manifestation of writing genre available to writers who are keen to learn and progress in their art... There are many sage and professional resident writers who freely offer advice and reviews of work is invariably constructive. I would recommend writerscafe.org to any prospective writer or readers who enjoy a wide range of quality, written work.