Everyone seems to have got the summer grumps. PoetryEtc would of course
benefit from the name appearing on the anthology, especially as all or most
of the contributors have been members. It's a chance to mend bridges, not
kick them to bits. Why doesnt everyone just sit down and say I'm OK you're
OK.
Sally Evans
http://www.poetryscotland.co.uk
http://groups.msn.com/desktopsallye
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joseph Duemer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 1:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Fwd: Anthology stuff]
A bit of history. When Andrew Burke first broached the idea of an anthology
of Poetryetc members to the list's managers, neither of us were enthusiastic
– not because we didn't think there were plenty of good poets on the list,
but for three reasons: 1) Neither of us had time to oversee such a project;
2) Neither of us believed that Poetryetc possessed the kind of institutional
authority that could confer any kind of official status on the project –
Poetryetc is not like PEN or Amnesty International, after all*;* 3) Such a
project threatened to be divisive. Consequently, each of us declined to
participate as individuals, but at the same time made it clear (we thought)
that any group of Poetryetc members who wanted to could put together an
anthology or undertake any project they liked as individuals. The list
managers were happy to see the project mature in recent months.
The anthology became an issue when Roger Collet withdrew as a publisher for
reasons that remain obscure, though apparently related to Judy Prince's call
for Joseph Duemer's resignation from his position as a list manager and the
ensuing controversy. Andrew Burke also withdrew at this point, deciding to
leave Poetryetc. (These are the reasons the anthology went belly-up, not
lack of support from the list managers.) Robin Hamilton then offered to
publish the anthology, but no one seemed to take his offer seriously. It was
suggested that online publication might be appropriate and that is where we
now stand. Up to this point the list's managers had no personal stake in the
anthology, hoping only that it did not create a sense of division on the
list.
But because of the current plan to publish the anthology at Alison
Croggon's journal Masthead, the managers do, now, have such a stake. As many
of you know, Alison Croggon left Poetryetc some time ago after insulting the
community because some members of the list disagreed with her on a literary
matter. This is a matter of public record. Her departure was voluntary, but
controversial. Now she proposes to publish and write an introduction for an
anthology consisting of current & former Poetryetc list members. She can of
course publish anything she likes, but the current list managers strongly
object to the use of "Poetryetc" in the title of the anthology.
--
Joseph Duemer
Professor of Humanities
Clarkson University
Weblog: sharpsand.net
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