Something to contemplate

[keats]

I don't really set a Theme. I just rely on Poets to know what time of the year it is. I do place a notice for the next deadline. Perhaps I will add what the next magazine will be covering, eg Remembrance Day, Christmas etc. good idea, Bob. Thanks for the suggestion.

Neil

[David Campbell]

Yes, Terry, draconian rules about prior publication are still a problem with some competitions. Only a handful, fortunately, and I note that one of the main offenders had fewer than half the entries this year compared to last year, so maybe that message will finally get through.

With regard to the posting of winning poems there are a number of factors operating. As I understand it, the original intent of Brenda's archival work was that all winning poems, with the author's permission, would be posted by Manfred, presumably in the 'Poetry' section on the home page. If you check that section you'll find nothing has been added since 2011. Brenda's been doing the archiving, but the posting apparently proved too difficult/time-consuming. I did hear at one point that someone else was going to coordinate the posting, but that doesn't seem to have happened as yet. (As it's turned out, Brenda's hard work was invaluable help when I was compiling AWBV&S 2013, so that's a written record of 2012 at least.)

I only agreed to some of mine being posted as I was putting together Riders on the Wind and it would have defeated the purpose to have included the rest.

Then there are the competitions themselves. Some comps (like Toolangi, Cooma and the Bronze Swagman) publish their own books of poems, so poets may not wish to cut across that by publishing online. Others state in their guidelines that winning poems may be published in the ABPA magazine, but it's not always clear how that will happen. Or if it will happen. Sometimes they're published, sometimes not. For example, an organiser contacted me earlier this year and asked permission for a poem to be published. I said that was fine, but the poem never appeared. Maybe she forgot to submit it, maybe there wasn't space in the magazine...I have no idea. As I've said before, there's a heck of a lot of uncertainty about what happens to poems once they've been submitted to a competition...how they might be used, where they might be published etc. etc.

Cheers
David

[Terry]

Thanks David,
It seems a good time to remind fellow poets that there are no publishing restrictions whatsoever in any of our Western Australian Comps. Our aim is to encourage writers not restrict them, but of course we respect the right of others who might have a different point of view.

So come on friends there's no valid reasons for not popping an entry into both The WA Championships and The Cervantes comp, we'd love to hear from you.

Regards Terry

[Stephen Whiteside]

Terry,

My entry to the WA Bush Poets written comp is in the mail.

I've also emailed a copy of the poem to the entries compiler, John, as requested on the entry form. It wasn't clear to me, however, whether or not that should have my name on it. I decided to leave it on. Hope that is OK.

Cheers,
Stephen