I'm actually eating a bunch of grapes as I type this and they're not particularly sweet, so beware.The shortlist for the 2010 Bridport Poetry Competition has been announced. It appears that there are about 180 names on the shortlist. I am not there and neither is anyone I've heard of (usual apologies apply) I was actually quite happy with the poem I sent in but obviously it was not worthy of inclusion in the top 180.
Judge Michael Laskey comments "So what if you have no great success? You pay your match fee and make a valid contribution to the game. Why should you give it up if you enjoy it?
Not, in fairness, that I had to read all the submitted poems. Far from it. But I did receive a dauntingly large box through the post, a substantial pile of entries expertly filtered by Candy Neubert and her team of experienced readers."
Hmm. Yes, I enjoy writing the poetry but why should I pay my match fee if my entry is just going to be binned by some 'team' before even getting to the judge? How does Mr Laskey know that the entries were 'expertly filtered?'
Look, I really don't have a problem with filtering. It's the false attempts at consoling that irk. You wrote a poem that wasn't good enough. Go back and work on it. No crap about making a valid contribution to the game.
Told you those grapes were sour...
Interesting. There's always that "keep paying" factor - even if you're beating your head against a brick wall, just keep forking over the dough and we'll be happy to tell you that you didn't make the cut over and over again!
ReplyDeleteKat
P.S. (YOU!)
I can neither afford, nor see the real point (or maybe I see it all too well) of poetry competitions.
ReplyDeleteAh, look closely Mr Goulding, and you will see that Hugh McMillan, Scotland, is inscribed on said shortlist.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I notice, Tom Daley. How much does that boy want? He's got the medals, the press attention, the Speedo sponsorship and now he wants to be a bloody poet as well!?!
Titus, you're right, my apologies - I was being somewhat provincial in only searching for the Irish addresses, probably on the grounds that I'd be unlikely to know any of the English entrants!
ReplyDeleteI do hope you're not including said McMillan under English entrants. He is mired in Scottish martyrs' blood, actually displays an SNP poster come election time and hates my English guts because they are, erm, English.
ReplyDelete