Shaun thanks,

My apologies for making that assumption. I can appreciate that it may not be politic to discuss the precise details of what went on in Holly's case. In retrospect, I should probably have made this point in entirely general terms. It would have been far more appropriate.

I also apologise if my previous post came across as accusatory. That wasn't my intention when I sat down to write it. I am, and remain, rather confused about how this site is policed, especially the whole public confrontation thing which seem to go against the site guidelines. I'm now possibly more confused, since if the mods are dealing with infringements, then what purpose does public confrontation by members serve?

Anyway, perhaps I could simplify my question and state it in general terms and hopefully open it up for discussion: Is it a good thing that members publicly confront/accuse others of infringements (not critting sufficiently, not being a good enough poet, bumping old threads) or would that be better left to the mods?

Personally I think that leaving this to the mods would lead to a more harmonious site, and that this would be a good thing for participation (which is why I raised it in this thread). I also think mods are far better placed to resolve member infractions effectively than a public confrontation from other members is. I think people's egos are better able to cope with the former than the latter. I accept of course, that there may be something that I'm missing here. I'm genuinely interested in some constructive discussion.

All the best,

Matt

I remember seeing him say recently that he only wrote for pleasure. (This despite the fact that his name is almost certainly a pseudonym taken from Greene's The Third Man),

-Matt

I have recently been disciplined by Alex. Why not? It's his job. And without him there would be no Sphere. Let's hear it for Alex. On the other hand, other people taking it upon themselves... (non-mods) fill me with... er, annoyance.

Some people, such as myself, are very enthusiastic to participate, especially posting poems and crits, but have absolutely nowhere near the time to do it properly at the moment. Many have said this relates to the academic, seasonal and work schedules. It may also relate to some extent on reading periods and contest schedules (not counting the UK comps which are continuous and with whom the sphere has a symbiotic relationship). Work comes in waves, and so will participation. And I don't see where making TDE password-protected could cause any harm. It is a world unto itself in some ways, and for those who find this somehow off-putting, the metrical board is open and more popular to begin with.

Matt, I asked him once. You can remove the 'almost' before certainly.

Odd, isn't it, that the character was originally called 'Rollo', but Joseph Cotten insisted on changing it to 'Holly', which might be considered a rather more effeminate name.

Damn. This is becoming my stock response to everything here.
 

Not enough, obviously.

-o-

"Death is just Nature's way to tell us it is time to stop writing.
Unfortunately, she never arranged a similar signal to tell some
people they should never start...."

- Maz (Eratosphere, "Is Mark Allinson Dying?", 2006-11-25)

And this weeks episode of easy witticism is brought to you by Jaded hand soap and the Old Boy's Club..

There have been a lot of threads on aspects of this stuff over the years. A few things, over the years, seem fair to note:

1. The Sphere is Very Big
2. The Sphere is (by internet standards) Very Old and has thus developed a lot of rules (spoken and otherwise) and traditions.
3. What a poet "needs" from a workshop varies not only from poet to poet but from one time to another.

Under such circumstances, that some poets would find the place more amenable than others is unsurprising. Likewise, that some would find the place more useful at certain points than others, or that their demands of it can evolve, is understandable. If there are peaks and troughs, it's probably not a cause for great concern. It's happened before. This place is still here after sixteen years.

Holly has told us several times of his real identity. http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showth...david+phillips

From Angle Issue 4, where one his poems appears: Holly Martins’ first collection of verse, Man in the Long Grass, was published by Iron Press in 2000. A Poetry Review prize-winning poem was featured on the London Underground. He is the author of two radio plays, which have been broadcast on RTE and BBC Radio.

http://www.ironpress.co.uk/books/manIntheLongGrass.html

Or, if you must, www.amazon.co.uk Buy Man in the Long Grass by David Phillips (ISBN: 9780906228821) from Amazon's Book Store. Free UK delivery on eligible orders.

Thank you, Ann.

Best,

Ed