[Maryann Corbett]

Just to make sure this gets the proper attention (and because not everybody can start new threads on this board), I'm starting a new thread to announce the popular winners of this year's event. I'm hoping and assuming Jennifer will appear soon to let us know her choices.

And the tally is as follows. The three popular winners are

--Disenchantment Bay, the runaway favorite, with 25 points
--The Monster's Mother, with 19
--Ending in Cape May, with 14

I'd like to extend my thanks, once again, to all who submitted, to Sharon for her graphics, to Alex for the extra help needed to get the graphics to work this time, and above all to Jennifer for her generous willingness to comment. (It's no easy thing to comment on poems when somebody else is selecting them!)

And now, we're waiting for the judge's decision, after which I'll reveal the names of all the poets.

[Jennifer Reeser]

Well, it is with slight relief I see my choices diverge only slightly from the consensus. But these have been my honest picks from early on, and have not deviated from day to day:

1. Disenchantment Bay -- a poem which was, believe it or not, new to me, and which is so astonishingly accomplished, its very structure a frame for the action itself.

2. The Monster's Mother -- the Great seldom introduce anything new. They simply remind us of the truth we already know.

3. Drought -- what a sonnet does, in two fewer lines.

with an Honorable Mention to Ending in Cape May.

Congratulations to all, though. These poems truly were some of the finest I have ever, ever seen in the Sphere, a joy to read and consider. And I am flattered by the invitation to do so.

With the passing of Twelfth Night comes our Mardi Gras season here in Louisiana. So I will pass on some fitting encouragement from the Twelfth Night of my beloved Will,

If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it...

I wish you all a festive Carnival advent.


Jennifer

[Tim Murphy]

Who could have believed I'd win a beauty contest around here after the way I have misbehaved myself for a decade? I am amazed and very pleased at the poems posted. They are the strongest batch of poems ever to appear at Distinguished Guest. I know that we have had our difficulties in the past year, but one of the greatest poems ever posted here just appeared at TDE, Lance Leven's poem, on which I commented in the blear hours of the morning. Let's come together. I mainly hang out at Dr. Whup-Ass, which is why I didn't recognize these poems, but there is only one Sphere, only one Maryann Corbett, only one Alex Pepple. My heartfelt thanks to the aforementioned and to darlin' Jennie.

[John Beaton]

Excellent choices and congratulations to the organizers and winners.

I remember the first place poem being workshopped on TDE and am delighted to see such a fine result. The winners are truly deserving.

John

[Maryann Corbett]

And here at last is the final who's who:

"Disenchantment Bay" is by Tim Murphy.

"The Monster's Mother"--Susan McLean

"Drought"--Catherine Chandler

"Ending in Cape May"--Rick Mullin

"Anorexic"--James Wilk

"The Suicides on Christmas Day"--Marion Shore

"Death Watch"--Michael Cantor

"Dark Gardens"--Cally Conan-Davies

"Mobius"--Bill Lantry

"Moving Inland"--Philip Quinlan

I'm at work now, and I've left at home the file of information about where the poems were published, so I'll add that later.

Thanks again to all participants, and congratulations.

[Cally Conan-Davies]

I knew it was Philip!! No-one else sounds like that!

Marion Shore!!! I thought you were Gail White!! Wonderful, Marion - it made my day.

And Susan - I thought you were Janice!!! Great stuff.

Tim, if you enter the field again, it will have to become the Deck The Halls Handicap, where your poem can only be posted one minute to midnight on the twelfth day and be allowed a maximum of fifteen votes. (Your poem is a fair dinkum ripper, Tim!).

Maryann, your choices were inspiring.

And Jenn, your comments were a genuine treat - instructive, insightful and generous.

A delightful new season to all poets, bedecked and unbedecked!

Cally

[David Anthony]

Congrats to all.
I was surprised Cantor's poem didn't get higher marks: the close is brilliant.
Special congrats to Tim, a worthy winner.
Best regards,
David

[Janice D. Soderling]

And Susan - I thought you were Janice!!! Great stuff

Now that is the nicest thing anyone has said about me this whole decade.

[Rick Mullin]

I thought I was Quincy.

Congrats and thanks to all. This is a wonderful group of poems emerging from E. sphere's low swing on Fortuna's ring. A nice handout for our 2010 membership and rerecruitment drive, God willing.

RM

[Donna English]

Congrats to all!

I had my guesses on who wrote a few of these, I was wrong more than right!

cheers!
Donna