[Tim Murphy]

Susan, Lighten up! This was about as cutthroat a competition as a best ball competition at the local golf club. For one thing, many of us are close friends. Among those who have taken the sonnet courses at West Chester from either Dick or Sam, are Rhina, Mike, Catherine, Deborah, Lisa(?), Alicia, Tim, Alan, Len K., etc. And the Wilbur affair is no competition. Richard will merely critique poems and help us raise some funds for Alex.

I glanced through several of the Nemerov issues of the Formalist yesterday, each of which features a winner and eleven finalists. Out of 3200 annual entries!!! And guess what, folks, Bill Baer hath not anything to show more fair than this little family affair.

[A. E. Stallings]

I am very tickled to be in the excellent company of Rhina & Catherine! And ALL the excellent poems discussed. I'm glad there is no one "winner"--I too am not very keen on the idea of a competition when all the entries are so worthwhile & successful.

Thank you, Dick, for all your time here & your valuable comments. I hope you'll drop in from time to time. & Tim, thanks for organizing the bake-off!

[Catherine Tufariello]

I'd like to second Alicia's comments. I can't imagine a greater pleasure than sharing "first place" with two of the contemporary poets I most admire. But the quality of the finalists was so high that I didn't at all envy Dick his task of judging.

Thank you Dick, for making such helpful and perceptive comments and for performing so ably as Lariat despite your badly twisted arm; Tim, for organizing the bake-off and for your own unenviable job of selection; and everyone who participated for a very enjoyable two weeks.

[Jim Hayes]

Competition? There was a competition? Heck, if Rhina can say that this was her experience of the decade, think what it meant to me.

Thanks Tim, extraordinary, that's my word for it.
And thanks also to Professor Davis and to all who participated in the threads and who made so many enlightening comments.

Jim

[Tim Murphy]

Actually, I have loudly and publicly decried contests in the past, particularly book contests, so many of which have been won by Spherians. It has been my great good fortune never to have entered one, and I can think of nothing more frustrating than Mike's experience of being a finalist year after year. Mr. Hecht and I have a friend in DC, a worthy poet, who estimates that he has spent $3000 on photocopying, postage and submission fees in book contests. What a racket! Nonetheless, I'm confident that any "contest" conducted here will be carried out with perfect collegiality and good humor.

For me the greatest delight of this exercise was re-familiarizing myself with many sonnets I'd already seen in print and studying the many I'd never seen. The second delight was all the marvelous commentary, led of course, by our esteemed Guest Lariat. A hearty Dakota thank you to everyone who participated.

[Deborah Warren]

Late as usual, I send thanks to Dick for selecting my own 3 top bake-off choices, thanks to the 3 patissieres, and thanks to Tim for a contest notably free of pomp and circumstance (and entry fees) and where we all got to weigh in, all along, like happy magpies.

[RCrawford]

You read these sonnets, and then you read The American Poetry Review and despair. Thanks Tim and Dick for having us over for the friendly game, and the truly excellent company!