I knocked this out before I hit the road south, and omitted to pay proper tribute to Isobel's compering, which, as Chris says, was brilliant. It was very nice for me to meet several Write Out Friends in the flesh for the first time, as well as catch up with others first met a few years ago. Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome.

John, I'll be putting up some words about Tuesday's The Spoken Word at York tomorrow, with a bit of luck. And get a chance to listen to your CD, too! In the meantime, here's a shot of you on guitar http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=42221

Comment is about Write Out Loud Wigan: warm, irreverent, rude, and the odd hiccup, too (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

'Sweat like a river is running down my back' Love the simile!

Comment is about Eminem Ain't Amused (blog)

Original item by Tom Doolan

very very true! very well written. Great work.

Comment is about I want more (blog)

Original item by Martin Elder

Er, you sure you go the right Tudor Greg? Must have been a quiet night: they let you in!
Southbank? The Tudor of the south.
Lovely review. Sorry my paid gig put paid to being at Greg's gig.

Comment is about Write Out Loud Wigan: warm, irreverent, rude, and the odd hiccup, too (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Sounds like a quiet one, Greg. Every venue is unique but the Tudor is an experience.
Sorry I had to shoot off at half-time from the Exhibition - regulars know my pass-out only runs until the village quiz starts.
Anyroadup, nice to see you again and hope you enjoy the CD.

Comment is about Write Out Loud Wigan: warm, irreverent, rude, and the odd hiccup, too (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

You just have to love The Tudor once again it was a typical Tudor fest and Isabel did a great job as MC she kept us all entertained with her wit and humour and Gregg certainly as captured the essence of the evening with his comments thank you everyone for another amusing funny sensitive inspiring evening with all the poets who performed you are an awesome lot!!!! ( :X

Comment is about Write Out Loud Wigan: warm, irreverent, rude, and the odd hiccup, too (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

White spotless and clean
good enough for me
I will take all
the mouse traps home
along with smelly cheese
the rodent poison keep
Mother in law's coming
digging a deep hole
after a long nap
body bag or sack
time to fill in
before reporting her on
the missing persons list!

Comment is about Dorinda MacDowell (poet profile)

Original item by Dorinda MacDowell

That is a lovely review, Greg - thank you!

It's a strange thing but I think when there are more non poets in the bar area it makes for more atmosphere, even though the noise levels increase. The landlord reckoned it was quiet cos of some football match going on today. Who knows? I'm just glad that you still enjoyed the evening. Thankfully we did have a good turnout of quality poets to make that happen :)

I love the way you've nailed the essence of the Tudor. It IS an all embracing community and it DOES inspire...

Comment is about Write Out Loud Wigan: warm, irreverent, rude, and the odd hiccup, too (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

A lovely tribute, and a sentiment I very much agree with.

Comment is about The Woman of Hoy (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Hope it goes brilliantly for you Ann!! Best of luck :)

Comment is about Poetry and song from folk opera trio at St Ives literature festival (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Aww, I wish I'd had the pennies to be there Greg.

Love what you say about the Tudor. I did my second ever performance there, and I too cut my teeth in there. I bloody love the place and the people. I've had so many fantastic nights in there, learning my craft (like how to respond to drunken hecklers, and people singing in the middle of your poems haha), and I know for sure that if it weren't for Write Out Loud AND the good folk of the Tudor, I wouldn't have written anywhere near the amount I have done, and I certainly wouldn't be doing actual gigs. It's one of the most supportive places on this earth.

Nice article Greg :)

Comment is about Write Out Loud Wigan: warm, irreverent, rude, and the odd hiccup, too (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Dearest Nigel:

I promise, determine,
My kitchen contains no vermin!
How dare you insult my name!
But I forgive you, all the same!
(and please forgive this swful verse:
Here follows one which is much worse.....)

One my Dad used to say:
"Ours is a nice house, ours is,
It's got no rats or mices,
But it's cheap, cheap, cheap,
At ten bob a week,
Ours is a nice house, ours is"

(John please do not chuck me out of Stockport WOL as a result of the above, will you!!!)

Dorinda

Comment is about Dorinda MacDowell (poet profile)

Original item by Dorinda MacDowell

I still use the BDA Email address, but I'm in Manchester now. Pacheco is a well-known Bermuda name, but I do not know the lady.

Comment is about Ken Gorman (poet profile)

Original item by Ken Gorman

Hi Cynthia - thanks for your comments. I think I have entered my rap out loud phase lol.

I like your "Lunch With a Banker" - Absolutely mouth watering and delicious.

Comment is about Easter All Rapped Up (blog)

Original item by Tom Doolan

Again, many thanks for your comments; i'm delighted with the responses this poem's received; it's very encouraging, in the literal sense. Regarding the typewriter Cynthia, it belongs to my dad who won it as a schoolboy, and who wrote some of his own early poems on it.

Comment is about DIURNAL. (blog)

They said it was quieter than usual at the Tudor tonight, and maybe it was. But I saw and heard enough to conclude that this is indeed a marvellous mix of the warm-hearted, and the irreverent, if not downright rude! Good, too, to meet so many Write Out Loud friends in the flesh. Hopefully, I'll be able to write much more later today.

Comment is about Write Out Loud newsman ventures up north to investigate Wigan phenomenon (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Cynthia, many thanks for taking the trouble to comment favourably on my effort, which is encouraging. I'll try to produce more. I looked at one or two of yours, which would obviously be appreciated by many. I noted the theme of sensuality here and there.
If you are actually in Bermuda, it may interest you that a fellow student from 60 years ago, Valerie (now) Pacheco lives near Hamilton and she visits us in the UK occasionally. You might know her?
Best Wishes

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Lets Make A Deal

Chinese take-away
new shiny menu
cut price meal
free delivery service.

Alter opening hours
to suit my
Tuesday hunger needs
if not possible - - -

I will tell
that rats live
with the mice
in your kitchen.

Free fried rice
becomes very tempting
make it Tuesday
to secure deal.

Comment is about Dorinda MacDowell (poet profile)

Original item by Dorinda MacDowell

Nice one Ged. The pace, structure and language all breathe the measured patience that true philosphy brings.

Comment is about The philosopher in the antique shop (blog)

Original item by Ged Thompson

Wonderful! Just had to read it aloud to myself and now I'm going to do it again. Love it!

Comment is about The Heights (blog)

Original item by David Blake

Thanks for the kind comment, Cynthia - you are always so positive. I've followed up with another. Not writing much at the moment but seem to have Hoy on the mind.

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

re 'Philosophy made difficult #2' I did as you asked :)

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

A superb contribution that captures poignantly the essence of the period from a particular viewpoint.

Comment is about To My Unknown Soldier (blog)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Your poetry never fails to strike hard, heart or head or even 'funnybone'. I like the conversational, story approach here, ambling on but always making progress to your point, no hurry, enjoy the journey. Plus, the best days with the highest values are never what you pre-plan. For me, the secret is receptivity.

Comment is about oo i ow (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Some excellent points made here - a good rap - fast and easy - and controversial.

Comment is about Easter All Rapped Up (blog)

Original item by Tom Doolan

The more I read this, the better it gets; it is definitely not a one-off scan. I think this is well-constructed, tight, with superb imagery like 'the sea filtered breath of the older couple', 'ballerina tight' and 'swollen screen'. Also, I think the lines are carefully organized. The ending is esoteric, a conclusion that embraces the title and spreads a web of possible meanings.

I really like this poem.

Comment is about Words repeating themselves (blog)

Original item by Gray Nicholls

You have enjoyed writing this, and it has been fun to read, especially with the complex rhyme and rhythmic scheme, not easy to do.

Comment is about God invented by Man? (blog)

Original item by Ken Gorman

These are strong lines (powerful motivation). Why have you not sorted them into a form of 'poetry' as separate from 'poetic prose'? I believe they would transmit even more impact if individual thoughts stood out more clearly, including repetition. Definitely thoughts worth sharing as broadly as possible. History should never be 'whitewashed'. (I'm presuming you have a sense of humour; your smile is all-enveloping.)

Comment is about Holy Ghosts Dance (blog)

Original item by J. Otis Powell‽ (with interrobang)

I am in total sync with the comments celebrating these original images, astute diction and 'run-on' lines, especially from stanza to stanza. I will come back many times to enjoy this.

The old-fashioned typewriter speaks volumes too.

Comment is about DIURNAL. (blog)

In my childhood, the word 'nigger' meant no more than 'black', a verbal corruption of 'negra' or 'negro'. I had no idea of its hateful connotations. I wouldn't use it now, even as a joke among my black family and friends, although they often use it among themselves.I have held my breath when I hear 'Eenie meenie mynee mo' from child or adult, noting that 'tiger' has become a favorite substitution.

I nearly laughed my head off when a radio announcer spoke of a 'niggardly contribution' to something, and the phone lines went ballistic. As a result he was dismissed for several days, until sanity finally prevailed and the people who objected were better informed about our rich English vocabulary.

Comment is about JEREMY CLARKSON (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Shades of pure romanticism! This is really delightful, an extended metaphor with deep meaning, expertly expressing a valued truth in an easy manner.

I enquire, respectfully, if 'to buy' in Line 1, is used in a slang manner, cheek to jowl with the exact meaning of 'to purchase' in the following lines?

Comment is about The philosopher in the antique shop (blog)

Original item by Ged Thompson

You shoot poetry like arrows, targeting your imagination straight to the reader's heart. To have unusual ideas, and then the imagery to project and sustain them, is skill indeed.

Comment is about Lost Love (blog)

Original item by Twilbury Wist

Sounds a bit more like puppetry to me, predestination and all that ilk. Yet your view is obviously considered, and well-made. At what point did you decide you have a 'mind full of a cacophony of evil'? That''s a very strong pronouncement, full of inference, dropping like a bomb at the end. I actually wondered if you liked the resonance of the words over the significance of the statement.

I am not criticizing, just interested; I like your thought processes.

Comment is about The poetry of people (blog)

Original item by Twilbury Wist

Ahhh... So wish I could be there! You will have a such a great time, Greg! I've only been once, but it was crazy fun and memorable!

Comment is about Write Out Loud newsman ventures up north to investigate Wigan phenomenon (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Looking forward to seeing you Greg - we'll give you a warm Wigan welcome! :) x

Comment is about Write Out Loud newsman ventures up north to investigate Wigan phenomenon (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I think the first web definition to hand covers the situation fairly well:

Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work.

Penalties for which, leaving the law aside, generally involve exclusion. Looking over the comments below: I'd go so far as to say there will always be a chair at the table for Shakespeare.

Comment is about New anthology of imitations offers fresh perspective on poetry's 'P' word (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I love it ! I could each and every word within this poem

Comment is about Albranie Hines (poet profile)

Original item by Albranie Hines

As intellectual copyright did not exist in Elizabethan England, it was also quite common for a type of “acceptable plagiarism” in the form of revision, alternative version or imitation of any existing classical or contemporary works, although this issue mattered very little to the Elizabethan playwright. In fact imitation was to all artisans of the stage a form of flattery if not secret admiration or unconscious homage.

Ben Jonson wrote:

“The poet must convert the substance or riches of another poet to his own use. To make choice of one excellent man above the rest, and so to follow him till he grow very he, or so like him as the copy may be mistaken for the principal...Not to imitate servilely, as Horace saith, and catch at vices for virtue, but to draw forth out of the best and choicest flowers, with the bee, and turn all into honey, work it into one relish, and savour; make your imitation sweet; observe how the best writers have imitated, and follow them.”

After the death of the anonymous aristocrat who used the nomme de plume:- "Shake-speare", Ben Jonson lampooned his shadow or mask (Will Shaxpere the actor) with a tract entitled Poet Ape and in a reference “Not Without Mustard” (a reference to the motto on his newly acquired coat of arms-"Not Without Right".

Poor Poet Ape, that would be thought our chief,
Whose works are e’en the froppery of wit,
From Brokage has become so bold a thief
As we the robbed, leave rage and pity it.
At first he made low shifts, would pick and glean,
Buy the reversion of old plays, now grown
To a little wealth, and credit on the scene,
He takes up all, makes each man’s wit his own,
And told of this, he slights it. Tut, such crimes
The sluggish, gaping auditor devours;
He marks not whose t’was first, and aftertimes
May judge it to be his, as well as ours.
Fool! As if half-eyes will not know a fleece
From locks of wool, or shreds from the whole piece.

Like Greene, Ben Jonson is aggrieved that Shakespeare, by now an actor/writer and probably director/manager in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men was buying the copyright of old plays and revising them, thereby accruing great wealth, status and distinction - which is certainly true of the actor from Stratford. Yet therein lies a dilemma if not an unacknowledged subtle distinction. William Shakespeare is often portrayed by a number of academics as innovative and original yet many of his plays are in actual fact plagiarised if not derived from other fellow playwrights of the time. A typical example is the anthology The Passionate Pilgrim (1599), printed by William Jaggard in which five poems are erroneously attributed to William Shakespeare, although some are from his play Love’s Labour’s Lost. Christopher Marlowe’s contribution entitled The Passionate Shepherd to His Love was countered by Sir Walter Raleigh with his own The Nymph’s Reply. It was quite common practice for a poet or playwright to make a comment or response to another poet or playwright within the confines of a literary device, in some cases the more topical the better. Therefore we might misconstrue their ironical reasons or mocking motivations today and mistakenly perceive them as plagiarism, eclecticism or imitation. In 1612 the playwright Thomas Heywood (Apology For Actors) states that the author Shakespeare “is much offended with W. Jaggard that [altogether unknown to him] presumed to make so bold with his name”. Although no copyright law existed at the time it was still considered an audacious trick to use an authors name as a ploy to sell an anthology of poetry. Nevertheless, despite the apparent offence that this presumption might have been caused, Jaggard’s son Isaac was still entrusted with the task of printing Shakespeare’s First Folio in 1623?

Comment is about New anthology of imitations offers fresh perspective on poetry's 'P' word (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

The acceptance of plagerism only serves to devalue the art.If you really want to "sincerely flatter" an artist then buy their work. Admittedly we are all influenced by others but we all have different styles. The likelihood of the world producing two artists with identical styles is almost impossible. It is not just other artist that influence our work it is our culture,our upbringing,education,class and many other factors. As an artist we often need, sometimes crave sincere flattery but we can all live without some moron stealing our work and passing it off as their own.

Comment is about New anthology of imitations offers fresh perspective on poetry's 'P' word (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I also entered contests from Emma Press and Frogmore Press...
Dorinda

Comment is about Erbacce (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

I submitted a poem to Erbacce....
Dorinda

Comment is about Erbacce (blog)

Original item by Stockport WoL

Awww this is cute! I can see my prom night while reading this.

Comment is about Prom night has began... (blog)

Original item by Starr Steele

wow that was amazing!!!!

Comment is about love and other drugs (blog)

Original item by Albranie Hines

crazy relationships make for . . .crazy poems -Thanks Solar

Comment is about My Life (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Hello Merlynda



Welcome to Write Out Loud. 


We're really looking forward to reading some of your work. I know that you will be warmly welcomed by fellow WOL-ers on the site. 
If you haven’t already added a picture to your profile please try and do so. It’s good to see what our fellow poets look like. 

Have a good browse around the site, there’s lots going on and if you have the time make some comments about the work of other poets please feel free. It’s the best way to get some constructive feedback about your own work too.


Any problems, please ask. There’s always someone who’ll get back to you. It’s a friendly place, so welcome once again.



Graham Sherwood

Comment is about MERLYNDA ROBINSON - MERLYNDA JELLY-JAWS! (poet profile)

Original item by MERLYNDA ROBINSON - MERLYNDA JELLY-JAWS!

Thanks so much x

Comment is about La Ronde (blog)

Original item by Alanna Rice

Harry,
Good to see you remain every inch a gentleman.

Comment is about Cyclist's Cock (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Ian,

Well done (and - as a blues number - well rhymed)

Comment is about Digital Clock Blues (blog)

Original item by Ian Whiteley

Thanks for the timely warning!

As for that exercise bike I bought (but have never
used)...no chance now!

Think of the loss that might have been to the women of the world!

Thanks, John, thanks!

Comment is about Cyclist's Cock (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Yea sure I genuinely find wind turbines a thing of beauty

Comment is about Wind and Tide (blog)

Original item by Richard Alfred