I found this “beautiful certificate” in a folder filled with miscellaneous literary correspondence. World of Poetry ran many contests, and anyone who entered would get one of these mass printed forms. I’m not sure it inspired me to “new poetical heights,” but I did write a subversively sentimental poem for one of their contests.
Back in the 90’s, it seemed rather amusing to send stuff to them. Once I got an Honorary Mention Award, but haven’t found that yet. The company made money by compiling huge books filled with sentimental poetry and selling them to the Golden Poets who “contributed.” I could have ordered the “brass and walnut Golden Poet Plaque” mentioned below, but I never did that either. So I have nothing to “celebrate my greatness.”
Judging by a quick Internet search, World of Poetry no longer exists. That would seem to leave a huge vacancy for an organization to boost poetic egos while fleecing them of their money. I wonder what happened to Edde-Lou Cole and her poetry mission?
jeff bagato 
I have lost my life’s work of poetry and thought I could find two of them here. Alas, not so much.
LikeLike
My mother was a Golden Poet winner many years ago.. I think I still have several books in my storage.What are you looking for?
LikeLike
Do you have any 1987 books? I was a 1987 Golden Poet
LikeLike
I was willingly conned into this scam in 1989! It was the Literary version of “if you can draw this cute Turtle you will win an art school scholarship!” I knew it was nonsense, but only participated long enough to go to their convention in Washington, DC where Bob Hope, Donald O’Connor and Mickey Rooney performed! I am going through my pictures and video right now!
And Eddie-Lou was 80 then, if she even actually existed!
The tale of this ‘adventure’ is a little part (in Chapter 14) of a book I am writing about my time in The Biz! And I will be putting a video on YouTube soon!
LikeLike