This is a Journal entry by a girl called Ben

Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 41

Mrs Zen

I rang her back last night, as she requested, and it was a *very* peculiar call.

For a start, after I had introduced myself, she appeared to be waiting for me to explain why I had rung, so I said "you asked me to ring you". There were a few moments while neither of us had much to say to each other, (I didn't have anything to say, so I said nothing), and then she seemed to warm up or remember or something.

Long and the short of it is that she has passed the stuff over to someone else, and I should wait patiently for them to get back to me. No apologies for the amount of time or for the confusion, and an emphasis that they are a hard critting group. I re-emphasised that I am looking for hard crit, and respond intelligently to it, and that was about it.

Odd. If you ask me.

The more I have to do with these guys the less impressed I am, though the more impressive I think they assume that they are being.

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 42

Gone again

Surely that kind of posturing has little to do with art? why do you pursue these nutters, Ben? smiley - huh

Pattern-chaser

"Who cares, wins"


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 43

Mrs Zen

Well, after my first call to her and sending her some poems, I heard nothing from them for months, and deciden to leave them to it.

Da nada.

Then out of the blue a message on my answering machine saying 'call me back', so I did.

Go figure.

I agree with you PC that these guys are not worth persuing. If they get back to me saying 'come along for a meet' then I'll go out of curiosity. I am wary of being too dismissive, but I confess that I would like them to realise after the event that they could have had me as a member before I got famous! smiley - winkeye

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 44

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

I hate to say this, but....'I told you so' smiley - erm


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 45

Mrs Zen

I agree, but what have I lost? Two phone calls and a stamp. Big deal.

As I said - if they do eventually get back to me I will go along out of anthropological curiosity more than anything else. smiley - biggrin

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 46

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

True.

You can have the pleasure of declining their invitation to join.


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 47

Mrs Zen

Now would I do a thing like that?

smiley - winkeye

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 48

Mrs Zen

Well I finally got along to meet them. They run occasional evenings when people bring along poems by *other* people to read and discuss, and it was a pleasantly low-key introduction.

In fact, I enjoyed the evening.

I haven't critiqued poetry in that way since A Level, and then it was so drummed into us that we were dealing with Great Literature, that we had no confidence in our, admittedly immature, responses.

All of the poems read were new to me, and we had interestingly different reactions to a lot of them. The odd woman was still odd, but of all the poems read I liked two of the three she brought along the most. It may be just that she is offensive on the basis of tough love.

No matter.

I am going to take along two treatments of the same theme, one in free verse and one in a metrical form, which are experimental and drafts, and I can find out if they dislike the same things I do in them, or if they dislike other bits.

And I am going to be performing three or four at the Live Poets Society next weekend, which will be fun.

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 49

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

Well, I'm very glad you got to meet them. And they aren't so up themselves as I thought they might be.

Let me know how you get on. And, if you ever give a reading in Nottingham, I'd like to go to it.

FM


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 50

Mrs Zen

If I ever give a reading anywhere, I'll announce it here. Nottingham isn't likely, but stranger things have happened.

Cheers, FM. I'll keep you posted.

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 51

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

I've resurrected the Nottingham meet, btw. We could do with a resident poet.


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 52

Mrs Zen

smiley - cool So long as I don't have to make up an Ode to Hootoo.

I have to say, GaGaBraiN might be a loony, but he is an affable loony. Far more entertaining than most that we've had here.

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 53

Mrs Zen

Actually a meet with party tricks would be very cool. Bassman could bring his band, Hoovooloo could juggle three flaming torches, you could nick a piano or two.

What do you think?

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 54

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

No, absolutely not. When I go to a hootoo meet I do so in the intention of discovering other facets to those I have met on line. I don't want to talk or even think hootoo. It's the starting point of getting to meet people, not the be-all and end-all of it.


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 55

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

Sorry, that was replying to your previous posting. Yeah, I could nick a piano or two! Trouble is, I don't tend to get very far with them.

Where do *you* live, btw?


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 56

Z

I'm not that far from Nottingham..

*goes back into woodwork*


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 57

Mrs Zen

On the Internet. smiley - laugh

Between Bristol and Birmingham. smiley - smiley

B


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 58

Mrs Zen

Do you have any party tricks, Z?


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 59

Z

smiley - erm

I can keep to a vegan diet and put on a stone?


Phonecall re Poetry (Capital Pee)

Post 60

Felonious Monk - h2g2s very own Bogeyman

So you're that derelict soul I see kipping on the hard shoulder of the M5?


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