As always, tremendous fun to take part, and thanks so much to Cathy and R.S. Gwynn for all their time and effort. I was thrilled to even have a horse in the race when the field was so strong. And congratulations, of course, to the winning sonneteers!

(The funniest part for me was being pegged as a guy. Made me smile for days!)

Why CAN'T we put all 26 in a chapbook? Able Muse Press? Someone else?

But Anna, you haven't answered the question, illicit affair, or not?

I thought not. Enjoyed, either way.

Tracey

Actually, this has been thought about before. At Tim's urging, I once compiled a file of several years' winners. The plan was to look for a trade publisher. I never heard that this had any success.

Some stickiness is involved in the case of poems already published (or to be published) in books, in which case the publisher probably owns the rights. So it would take some administrative work, and it might cost some money.

But maybe something informal and privately distributed?

The sonnet is a work of fiction, as all poems are, even those based on autobiographical incidents. As I say to my students, "Try not to conflate the author of the poem with the first person narrator of the poem," and then we invariably do...

I could have a word with the press that does my chapbooks, if you'd like...

Maverick Duck Press

Congratulations to the winners!

I wish I could read the honorable mentions. (One of them a Rude Sonnet, another one titled Parting Shots--and I recently wrote one initially titled "Parting Punch," which is my rude sonnet. Naturally, I'm very curious.)

I'd buy the chapbook. :)

Yay Cally!!!!

Hooray all winners!

Rick

To my main man, Anna: I'm so glad you were amused, not mad. You're a true trooper -- you took it like a man. ;-)
Congrats to Cally, for her first-place win and delightful poem.
Congrats to Tom on taking third place with his very fine sonnet, with its unforgettable ending.
And congrats to Adam for taking second place. I was thrilled to find he wrote "Surabaya". I absolutely adore the poem.
I had a gas at the bake-off. Thanks to one and all.

I thought I would have a better chance of winning the Women's 400m Freestyle at the London Olympics, or Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, than ever winning the Sonnet Bake-off at Eratosphere.

To those who voted for my sonnet, thank you so much, and I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it! I want to comment on the poem itself, later, on its separate thread. I am travelling at the moment, so unable to spend much time at the computer.

To Sam Gwynn, who doesn't know me from a bar of soap, I am equally thrilled that you found a place for it in your top three. And to Cathy - you've been a wonderful host, and I've enjoyed your comments very much.

And finally, I want to thank all those men who made this sonnet possible. And most of all, the one in particular who was the inspiration at hand when this poem came tumbling out. He knows who he is, and he knows how dearly I love and value him. The man in the cold window has taught, and continues to teach me, so much.

Truly and "unruly",

Cally

Like Cally, I'm not well placed to say as much as I'd like, in order to thank Sam, Cathy and of course, all those who took part both as entrants and commentators. I'm extremely surprised and grateful at having notched up those points - thank you all, and I'm even more extremely sorry to have missed all the fun by being away and offline for the past two weeks! I hope it's ok for me to keep inserting my thoughts on the other poems as I currently am. A great bunch of poems showing all the Sphere's range and high quality.

Congrats on your well-deserved landslide victory, Cally!

I published "I Need Men" in Lavender's Issue 2. Click here to listen to Cally's delicious reading of her poem.