If I may clarify a point--my advice, such as it was, to remove light verse had nothing to do with my esteem for light verse in general or Mike's in particular--am a big fan of both! It was advice I had myself received and implemented, reluctantly, but which probably made the difference between terminal "finalism" and a book. This I would blame on the book contest culture--An Award Winner ought to be serious, it seems. (Yet Wendy Cope in the UK enjoys both popular AND critical acclaim.)
For Mike--do you have any thoughts on the whole book contest circuit/process? Has your outlook changed at all now that you have a book in the works?
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