Sonnet Bake-off 2014: Call for Submissions
 

Dear Eratosphereans,

Here comes this year's Sonnet Bake-Off! It will run with a new but previously tried and popular and exciting twist -- a double-blind event with anonymous judging AND anonymous submissions.

*** TO ENTER :

1. To enter, please send one sonnet per person by email to http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/images/send2bakeoffs.gif . (Note: this is not a link, it's an email address--so, don't click on it. Type the email address as indicated into the To/Recipient field of your favorite email-client program.)
   
   1. Both previously published and unpublished sonnets are welcome.
      
   2. Please, include "Sonnet Bake-Off" in the email subject line, and the sonnet itself goes in the body of the email.
      
   3. Your sonnet must be received by by midnight (U.S. EDT) on Monday, May 5, 2014.
      
   4. *NOTES *: i) If your submission is in a file attachment, make sure that your name is not present anywhere in the submission file (for blind judging!). ii) Also, if you know how, please remove your name from the author field of the document properties; if don't know how, then never mind, and I'll have to do it for you.
2. Our anonymous Host & Distinguished Guest will select about ten finalists (more or less at the DG's discretion). The DG will post the finalist sonnets, two per day, with their comments, starting on Friday, May 9, 2014. At that point everyone is welcome to join in with comments of their own. In order to allow sufficient time for comments on all ten finalists, popular voting for readers’ first, second and third choices will begin on Friday, May 16 and end at midnight (EDT) on Monday, May 19, 2014. Results will be tabulated and a popular winner will be announced as soon as the DG can manage it, at which time all ten finalists’ identities will also be divulged. The DG will also announce their own top picks.
   
3. Only then will the names of the authors be announced ... and twist twist, the identity of the Host & DG will then be revealed! So, for this bake-off, you can have some fun guessing not only the identity of the sonneteer posted, but also guessing who the Secret Distinguished Guest & expert sonneteer is!

And it's a go ... so, go ahead -- submit now! Submit one, submit all!

Cheers,
...Alex

If one sends the thing in the body of an email, that email will have one's name on it by default - yes?

And if the rules sez it must be in the body of the email, how does the bit about file attachments fit in?

But thanks for saying about not clicking on the link-look-alike this year - I fell foul of that last time!

Thank you for your patience.

Ann, see 1d above, especially the exasperated last few words.
RM

Well, good questions all around, Ann. I'll try to keep it simple -- I prefer copying the text into the body of the email, but if you send a file attachment I'll do the copying into the body of the anonymized email I'll forward to the DG myself (i.e. you'll be making more work for me, but I don't mind :) ); and ditto with leaving your name in the body of the email--whether it's there or in the email address line, I'll anonymize as necessary.

So, just submit away, and don't worry too much about what extras you leave in as I'll be doing the gatekeeper thingie, and excise anything extraneous before forwarding to the Host & DG.

Cheers,
...Alex

Alex, thank you so much for running this, and for anonymizing the submissions. (It's procedurally a good idea, and also, I appreciate the fact that you paid attention to feedback on that point by me and others.)

I completely agree with Rachel -- thanks, Alex, both for undertaking your role, and also for keeping this event a double-blind. It makes a world of difference, in my opinion.

Do I have it right, Alex?

to: "bakeoffs @ ablemuse . com" (without the extra spaces, of course)

from: (my funny e-mail address that is NOT my name)

subject: "Sonnet Bake-Off"

(body of e-mail):

Title of sonnet (you send to the judges)

Sonnet itself (you send to the judges)

Author (like "Robert Meyer" that you'd strip off, as in "leaving your name in the body of the email")

You're welcome, Rachael, Shaun -- I'm glad you like the setup and goings-on thus far!

Robert - yes, that's it and that works.

...Alex

Alex,

Just out of curiosity, will you be posting the sonnet bake-off call for submissions on Facebook like you did last year? If you recall, it lead to Gail and I receiving over 330 sonnets ! :eek:

Hi Cathy,

It will be posted to Facebook but it would be as widely promoted as that - it will only be limited to the Able Muse / Eratosphere group. Last year's call went out to several more Facebook groups and other social media websites, plus it was also broadcast to the Able Muse / Able Muse Press mailing list. That's why the response was that big. This event is more limited because it calls for both published and unpublished sonnets, whereas last year's event called for only unpublished poems given that the top three for that event also won publication in Able Muse. With all that, I estimate a lower overall submission, but higher overall quality.

Cheers,
...Alex

Thank you, Alex. Now I get it.

I see that your position in this mirrors mine in an early-sixties double-blind trial of the contraceptive pill. (This, I hasten to add, was an assessment of side-effects; there were no placebos!)

Also, that you added the second instruction for those who wilfully ignore the first. :)

That strange small sound you hear is me, hunting for likely sonnets in unlikely places.

possible previous entry
 

Alex: I think I might have had rush of blood to the head last time and entered a sonnet but am not sure....anyway of checking? Obviously I did not win, or even get into a final selection (I think), so does it matter.

kind regards

doina (still alive but not writing much, back soon)

Ann - you're welcome ... and good anecdote!

Doina - It doesn't matter. There are no entry restrictions except for those mentioned in the announcement (i.e. submit before the deadline, one sonnet per person, etc.).

...Alex

Previously published sonnets
 

Hi Alex,
If we submit a previously published sonnet, how do you want the info for proper crediting?
Thanks!
Jay

Jay - credit as you wish. Note, though, that the credits will not be displayed until after the event is completed and all the votes are tallied (to preserve anonymity as much as possible).

Cheers,
...Alex

Are there any particular kinds of sonnets that will not be considered? For instance a blues sonnet or a Stefanile sonnet, or other variants without actual labels?

Martin -- There's no restriction, but the DG and the craft, etc. are the final arbiters for making the finals or not ... and it's my experience that the more non-standard you go, the higher the level of craft and originality required to gain interest/acceptance.

...Alex

Thanks, Alex. That makes sense.

This is such a great idea, Alex, but I do have one doubt about it. Couldn’t the anonymity of the authors be in some way compromised by the submission of already published poems? Published, although not necessarily meaning famous, does suggest availability, and Google search makes things so easy. If the works are anywhere on the net, even just as a title or an excerpt of a few words, mentioned by others or in a list or table of contents, something might point to the writer, and all the work for this blind/blind would be ineffectual.

Thanks for some reassurance on this point,

Hi Lois,

That's a good point, one that I'm aware of and wary of. The point of including previously published poems is to increase the overall quality of the submissions received. However, now that you've expressed this familiar concern, I think it's not unreasonable to limit the finalists to entries that cannot be Googled--which will translate to print publications and books not yet in Google's database. So, here's a little tweak to the rules: if you're a finalist and your sonnet can be googled, you'll be given a chance to send in a replacement sonnet, which may or may not make the finals, in which case another sonnet will chosen as replacement.

Cheers,
...Alex

The new restriction doesn't make sense to me. Since you mention only finalists, you aren't worried about the initial and final judges.

As for members, why might they not recognize a poem or a style from the board? And some are friends off-Sphere and read each others' work. During every bakeoff poems are recognized, and while it is too bad people give hints as to the author (one of whom identifies himself on occasion), how does that affect the blind choosing, which takes place during the pre-posting stages?

Is the change of rules at this point really necessary or even a way to increase fairness?

Best,
Marcia

Marcia is right on one point. However, I differ with her reasoning on another.

Since many members know each other, and each other’s way of writing, subject matter, etc., a certain author could sometimes be evident (or at least plausible), by the style of a poem or its wording. That is unavoidable, so it should be our responsibility not to mention names on the board and spoil the fun for everyone else.

Rather than eliminate the rule, though, if possible, it should also involve the initial phases, because judges can Google, too, and be influenced by that. (Which means that the blind judging would no longer be so). If no readily recognizable poems were admissible, they could be weeded out and exchanged at the beginning, which would also mean that no one would have to substitute a poem after arriving in the finals, when that would be harder on the poet.

Of course this is just an idea, and it could very well mean a great deal more work on the part of the DG and Alex. That was not my intention. I was only looking for equity among participants, as such a blind/blind contest should offer. Perhaps a simple gentle(wo)man’s agreement from the judge not to Google any poems would be sufficient and satisfy everyone!

Marcia - it's one thing for a few recognizing one of the finalists from a post at the Sphere or from a print journal or the author's book, and it's another altogether for a finalist to be readily available on Google, with the author identity instantly disclosed to all with just a simple Google query. And even with all the fine-tuning, it's still won't be a perfectly anonymous system unless we make the DG make a sworn declaration that he/she didn't recognize any of the finalists ... and even then, a statistical probability of perjury still hangs over the proceedings. And what of those who didn't make the finals? Were there some who were recognized and consequently disadvantaged? ... etc. etc. So, we can fine-tune to increase overall anonymity across the board, but it will be foolish to expect a perfect system, especially, for a contest run on the goodwill of the DG/Host/organizers as a Sphere bake-off.

...Alex

Dear Alex,

You've misunderstood me. The arguments you make against my post are the arguments I was actually making. I never suggested it was possible to have absolute fairness, rather the opposite. I wouldn't have said anything, except that this is contrary to what you said you wanted -- "The point of including previously published poems is to increase the overall quality of the submissions received" -- and that the change of the rules in the middle of the thing is unfair without there being a balancing gain.

Best,
Marcia

Hi Marcia,

OK, since we're almost in agreement then, the answer is, yes, we're still going to include previously published poems. The only slight tweak is that if that published poem is readily googleable (is that a word?) and it's a finalist, then the poet will be given the chance to send in a replacement poem (which may or may not make the final). So, if what you sent in is published and readily googleable (meaning readily googleable without prior knowledge of the author's name, in other words, you can readily find it when you Google without including your name as the author), then, just send me a replacement now, and I'll the DG ignore your previous submission and consider the replacement instead. Sorry for tweaking the rules mid-stream, but Lois just brought to the fore something I'd concerned with all along, and I think it's not too late to tweak and address it now.

Cheers,
...Alex

Alex - what about what Lois said. Would this work?

The problem with Lois's suggestion is that everybody else will google anyway - it's the only sin some of us have left - and you'll end up with hints and whispers scattered through the comments, and it will color the readings. I like the idea of not posting if it's google-able.

I guess this underscores how in the future, it might be best to just restrict it to unpublished work. I don't think we've had a problem with quality in the recent past, and personally I don't think that just because a work has been published means it's necessarily of "high quality." At least a couple of my "big" publication credits were so-so poems that just resonated with the publication's editor.

In bakeoffs, I always prefer complete anonymity. I won't be doing any Googling of posted poems, and am hopeful that folks won't pepper the threads with comments about the authors. (It's a vain hope, I know).

"'Too late', she said, almost inaudibly, her lower lip trembling as she stood in the middle of the suddenly unlevel playing field, wishing she could remember where the goalposts had been when she kicked the ball."

The sound I mentioned in Post 11 has now been replaced by another, initiated by Post 25: the repeated squeaking of my favourite chair as I rock distractedly back and forward, humming and chewing an oldfashioned clothes-peg.

I thought all published poems were potentially Googlable and, Heaven forgive me, I didn't care.

Don't change the rules mid-stream...save it for next time
 

Nevermind.

Dear Eratosphereans - this happens to be our maiden double-blind sonnet bake-off. So, I'd have been surprised if this first dry run which happens to be also a live run proved to be a home run. So, what can we do but apply a tweak again, on the run. I believe, though, that the earlier tweak is the least possible one that can be made under circumstances. And I believe it's a fair one since I did not announce it after the submission deadline, but with still plenty of time for anyone who might be already affected to send in a replacement submission, and for those who haven't yet submitted to send in something in line with it.

With that said, and continuing in the spirit of 'tweakery' to appease some who are yet to be appeased due to the earlier tweak, how about we define a little better what 'googleable' means in the context of this bake-off and thus make things a little more deterministic--

A sonnet will be deemed googleable and thus disqualified as a finalist (while still giving the author the opportunity to submit a replacement sonnet -- although the replacement might fail to achieve finalist status) if:

1) The sonnet appears on the first or second page only of Google search results with "TITLE" as the search string (where "TITLE" is the full string for the sonnet's title, enclosed in quotes),

AND/OR

2) The sonnet appears on the first or second page only of Google search results with "FIRST LINE" as the search string (where "FIRST LINE" is the full string for the sonnet's first line, enclosed in quotes).

Note that the above excludes the inclusion of the author's name in any of the above search strings or separately (since we're making the assumption that specific author names will be unknown to the DG, and to the bake-off participants).

I hope this makes matters a bit simpler/easier and more deterministic for those who might be having problems with the recent 'non-googleable' tweak.

Cheers,
...Alex

Damn, I guess that means I'll have to withdraw my entry, "Blurm Glaff Pir Gloyso"...

I think some of us don't understand what the point of the rule change is. Since it doesn't kick in until after the judging, it doesn't affect the double-blindness -- that of the two choosing levels -- so it isn't clear what is at stake All I can figure is that you are aiming at members who Google, then unfairly praise or blame based on authorship. Is this so distorting to the event that it is the authors who have to suffer, rather than those who aren't good sports? For some, the main draw of the event is to have the chance of being read by the guest and hear what he or she has to say.

I don't see why people should submit just any sonnet they have, rather than the one they think best. Marybeth gave a very good reason for her choice; others may not think they have more than one sonnet that is worthy.

The new wrinkle is strange because.

• Google adapts its results to each user
• the number of results per page is settable, so not everyone's first page will have the same number
• titles and first lines vary in how common they are in the language -- the more common, the less likely the poem will be high in the results.

I've tried, but don't understand what problem you are trying to solve and I hope by my tedium that I've argued for keeping things simple, as the original rules were.

Your labors are difficult enough, Alex, without having to imagine every possible flaw. Countries have to keep working to improve election fairness. Your original rules seem fair enough to me; the new ones seem unfair for no good reason.

Best,
Marcia

I don't understand what you don't understand about it, Marcia. 1) Yes, you can still submit googleable sonnets, but they will be disqualified (ahead of the finalists posting by the Host/DG) if they're chosen as one of the DG's finalists, although you'll be given a chance to send a replacement sonnet, which might not qualify as finalist--so, it would be advisable to submit only non-googleable sonnets to avoid the aforementioned iteration. And, 2) What's the sense or effectiveness of double-anonymity if anyone can google a posted finalist and instantly know who the author is?

...Alex

But wouldn't it just be easier to just say "unpublished work only" as it has been in many previous bakeoffs?

I'm fine with published or unpublished sonnets...but it seems odd to strike a middle ground between two fairly objective poles.

Always appreciate what you do, Alex -- just a touch confused by what Ann called the "shifting goalposts."

It would be easier, Shaun, but it will be also limiting because there are many fine sonnets published in print journals, poetry collections and anthologies that are 'non-googleable' by my definition of the term above. So, more people should be able to submit who might not have, were we to limit things to unpublished work only.

Cheers,
...Alex

I'm sorry, Alex. I was thrown off by the finalist clause; I see now I was wrong to think that you share my confidence that none of the judges will stoop to Googling.

Best,
Marcia

Great Marcia ... I'm glad I've filled in all the blanks I inadvertently left out in my earlier take on the matter. So, yes, before posting of the finalists begins, I'll verify the finalists to make sure the DG didn't include anything googleable. If I'll go into the iteration of contacting the author for a replacement sonnet, which might fail to make it as one of the finalists that get posted.

Cheers,
...Alex

I feel a villanelle coming on...

I'm so depressed, I can't find my published sonnets on Google. I feel like a failure. So maybe I'll send one in ;-)