I was away and without internet access for most of the bake-off. Having returned and read the other sonnets, I’m both pleased and very flattered that Rhina should have ranked mine in the second tier. They’re an extraordinary group of poems, even better overall, I think, than last year’s batch. I’m grateful for Rhina’s willingness to undertake the difficult job of judging them and for her thoughtful and generous comments on all the poems, and I’m sorry to have missed most of the discussions. Thank you too, Tim, for organizing the bake-off and making the selections, and for inviting me to participate.
I enjoyed guessing the authors of the first few sonnets posted, but I agree with those who have pointed out that anonymity is undercut somewhat by the use of published poems. It might be fun, next year, to see the recent, unpublished sonnets of fellow 'Spherians. Either way, I look forward to next year's bake-off and hope to be able to participate in it much more fully.
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