I'm with you on this Liz.
I only posted the info for those who might have missed it, not to stir up controversy.
Jo is actually very well thought of in the NE and has been a great help to a lot of
budding poets here and is also very approachable. She had a bad patch a year or so ago and
was very ill, but is now well again. During this period she had to drop a lot of
engagements and this did not help. She was unaware of the illness and so tried to work
through it, not helping matters at all. Good luck to her with the CBE (Commander of the
Order of the British Empire btw) following in the footsteps of Carol Ann Duffy last year.
Roger.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Liz Kirby" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2003 11:52 AM
Subject: Re: New Year Honours List
> "Sorry to mention these things, but they need to be said."
>
> I am not sure they do really Dave - since everything you say is conjecture
> and hearsay. I wouldnt want my work in Stoke suject to that kind of
> evaluation.
>
> Poets generally work without recognition or hope of a 'career' in my
> experience. If getting an honour like this means Jo S gets more readers or
> more attention for a while, well then good luck to her!
>
> I am with Alison on this, I do think that the great strength of poety is
> that it is an engagement with language that can happen at the margins, in
> the uncertain and contested spaces were real thinking and change can take
> place. Poets who are focussed on recognition and 'honours' will soon find
> themselves up a dead end. But I dont see any reason not to enjoy a bit of a
> party when the chance comes along!
>
> Liz
>
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