h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How about the post as a place to publish poetry?

There isn't really anywhere else in the Guide which has the same sort of access to the community as the front page or Peer Review for poems and verses.

All the best, and keep up the good work.

Ben

Oh absolutely
We have featured some great Poems in The Post from a variety of sources.

We also had a resident poet who wrote some excellent pieces for us but RL sadly caught up with him and he stopped. Try searching for 'The h2g2 Poem' and you should find a whole pile!

Last Christmas Greebs ran a poetry competition for us... see here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A493977

I really must get around to doing an archive of these... thaks for reminding me!

shazz

Well, let me offer up some of mine.

Here are a pair of companion-pieces written at the same time: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A539516 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A539525; here is a comic one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A601228 and finally here is one about the same guy as the first two: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A629282.

All the best

Ben

I will take a look

We do ask for poems in the 'Writing for The Post' guidelines I think and I also appealed for some a few weeks back. If re-introducing the feature attracts more contributors then that will be a good thing!

shazz

Oops! I see what you mean having read the guidelines through again. I will add a section about poetry asap! me!

shazz

Right! I have corrected that oversight now
Thank you for pointing it out to me.

shazz

My pleasure - your hard work!

All the best

Ben

I like the 'Carbohydrates Cure the Blues' one... I will use it in the birthday edition if that is ok with you?

The others would go better as a run of three... perhaps to kick off the New Year?

shazz

You are quite right to split them that way. They are about two separate guys - but you can tell that can't you? (Though I guess they both feature in 'Raising Ghosts' - )

Do you think poems about Lost Love is a good way to start the New Year? Mind you - leave it too late and we run into Valentines Day, I guess!

Do whatever you think works best.

Love

B

A good point... but the New Year also symbolises the loss of the old as well as the dawn of the new so I think it will work.

You might appreciate the poem we featured almost a year ago:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A513622

shazz

That is a poem and a half. Ouch.

I take your point about the turn of the year, maybe if I am *very* good Santa will bring me a nice new man in 2002. Hopefully not one who is 17 stone, elderly, with nocturnal habits, a white beard and a liking for sherry!

All the best

Ben

I think he is supposed to be married!

shazz

I am so sorry agcB
I forgot to put your poem in this week.

I will certainly feature it next week though... it won't be so buried under the celebrations then!

shazz

Hey, no worries!

Take care, and have some cheesecake.



Ben

Hi again Ben

I have just prepped your poem ready for inclusion this week and couldn't help but notice that you had changed your name!
How did you want me to 'bill' you at the end?

*Eats cheese*

Thank you!

shazz

Oh, call me 'a girl called Ben' - the name change is just temporary, and will wear off, but 'a girl called Ben' or 'agcB' is what I am known as here.

Thanks

Take care

Ben

shazz

My goodness agcB

Happy New year btw

You have been creative over the festive season!

I will put the three 'lost love' ones together in this edition if that is with you... or would you prefer the 'The drummer, the rhythm or the drum?' one, perhaps coupled with 'Treading the Earth Lightly' which seem very valid so soon after the experience for you?

shazz

Hi!

It *was* an unusual Christmas.

'The Drummer' is about the pain I felt after my marriage. 'Raising Ghosts', 'The Space between the Stars', and 'Now and Then' are also about my marriage, but more explicitly so, and form a fairly neat tryptich. 'The Drummer' is more generalised, I guess. I gave a copy to a friend who had had multiple miscarriages, and it was partly sparked by another friend who had a rough year. My preference is to have it by itself. Why not keep it for a week when the Post is fairly lightweight?

'Treading the Earth Lightly' is about the same guy as 'Carbohydrates Cure the Blues', and records a more genuine emotion. But 'Carbohydrates' has been and gone.

Do whatever seems right to you, but I would keep 'Treading the Earth' and 'The Drummer' separate because they are about very different relationships.

All the best, and a Happy New Year.

Ben

Oops... I picked the wrong title earlier.

I have just put the article up but can easily change it... take a look and see what you think:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A676497

I thought they both tied in well with your devotion to meditation and timely for appearing after the Christmas season.

shazz