Quote:
Originally Posted by Norman Ball
Tell me, how many poets do you reckon you've personally marched off this workshop? I would say over the years it has to number in the dozens.
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Personally? Name one or two. Name a single good poet I've personally chased off or discouraged. Have I been involved in a general sense of frustration when a new member is (a) clearly an amateur,
and (b) lashes back critters - yup! Have I identified a few trolls? Yup? Have I (with others) approached beginners in a few cases and suggested alternate sites where they would feel more at home - sure! And if some of use didn't do that, the Sphere would be a far less demanding and useful place to the level of poets it aims at.
In case you're interested, Norm. I think almost everybody would agree that the Sphere was at its best when Alan Sullivan - the Editor from Hell - was running the Deep End. If there was a way to restore that mind set, I would be delighted.
As far as my occasional comments on your prose are concerned - why not? Are we to only criticize overdone and overworked poetry, but ignore prose? But you write to call attention to yourself, Norm. Those sentences and constructions don't happen casually. So I paid attention. Unfortunately, I'm not crazy about your style. I think it interferes with the points you're making.