Hi.

Most of you know me as one of the overboard obsessed Prince fan, which of course you ought to blame Prince for, as he is the one that is deliberately irresistable. Anyway...

Some of you may have read my poetry that was inspired by my adoration for Prince.

I would like a poetry book published if an editor would accept my work. I feel it necessary to have Prince's permission to send query letters.

The reason is this: I do not know Prince's personal life, however what if I got the "green light," to have my poems published in a book called, "Poems for a Prince." What would a romantic friend in Prince's life feel about this? Would that be rude of me? Is that something "She," would just have to accept but never read?

If my poems are for Prince...do I need his permission to express my love for profit? This is hypothetical, because I would need the support of a publisher...and that is a challenge in itself. What do U think?~T

Tame said:

Hi Tame!

Good for you. Doing something with your dream.
About your question, this is something I've asked myself from time to time, not concerning Prince, but other public figures.
I don't think you need his permission. He's a public figure that at the same time is the muse that inspires your creativity. And he can't forbid people for brewing their inspiration on his existence. Otherwise, George Bush - or any other person that he build his documentaries around- could sue Michael Moore.
Once again, the key to it all is that Prince, George Bush are public figures.

I think this has been cleared in a case called "Hustler Magazine, Inc. et al. v. Jerry Falwell".
It concerns public figures being the inspiration for parodies, but I guess it will apply to poetry as well.

Check this on the literotica.com site were there is a section with fictionalized erotic stories about celebrities.

" The stories in the "Celebrity" section of Literotica are all fictional parodies - none are true, nor are they approved of by the celebrities named in the stories. Authors write these fictitious stories about famous people for the same reason that Larry Flynt made fun of Jerry Falwell, because they can. The Supreme Court of the United States, the country where this site is located, has ruled that parodies involving famous people are perfectly and totally legal under the United States Constitution. The specific case law on this was decided in the case of "Hustler Magazine, Inc. et al. v. Jerry Falwell" in 1988. No harm is intended toward the celebrities featured in these stories, but they are public figures and in being so, they must accept that they are fair target for parodies by the public. We believe in the first amendment, and more broadly, in the basic principle of free speech and this section may push the boundaries of that principle, but the United States Supreme Court has approved of this type of material. We believe that the Supreme Court was correct in their decision"

http://www.literotica.com...27&page=45



Hope this will help you!
[Edited 11/28/09 8:48am]
[Edited 11/28/09 8:49am]
[Edited 11/28/09 8:51am]

I don't know what type of advice to offer you but sounds like quite a dilemma you have there

Thank you 1013Nightlife...Your post is very informative. I like that you say what you have said.

You are right...The poetic words that came to me is my relationship with GOD, however, Inspiration has an immortality to it if U believe in Karma and a Spirtitual existence.

For me to know that my poems are good...is something I already know and do not need confirmation about. I would just like to share them with other poetry lovers. I would like to have more money than I have for work I have already done based on an emotion I really feel.

Do you believe that if someone doesn't love you back...that it's "black," money? or money underserved because the love doesn't go full circle?

Tame said:

I encourage you to keep writing. Writing is good to put things in perspective.
Maybe in the end you'll find that Prince - the icon, the public figure - is wonderful as a muse, some sort of empty canvas/template on which you can build your creativity, but nothing more than that.


Looking forward to your poetry.
And this

" if someone doesn't love you back...it's "black," money? or money underserved because the love doesn't go full circle? "

might be a good premise. I think it's really good. Watch out, Prince might steal that one from you!
[Edited 11/29/09 6:33am]

Have you heard of http://www.blurb.com?

You can make books by yourself using their downloadable software or upload a pdf and get them professionally printed.

Legally, I don't know if you need Prince's permission or not (you probably do, but I doubt he will disapprove - especially if you don't use photos). You could send him your first print, prior to you making the book available for public sale, with a letter outlining your intentions and ask for his permission for resale. Or, you could send your 'pilot' book to a publisher and seek their advice?

I used Blurb for my wedding photos, and received them this week. Very professional and looks fantastic. I'd recommend them to anyone who is thinking of making a book of photos or poems etc. Its a very popular site, there are other websites like this out there but I only know of Blurb.

Just a thought. Might be worth looking into...

Good luck
[Edited 12/2/09 8:30am]