[N. Matheson]

I'd like to post a poem and asked to do so, but my critiques were not seen as enough.

[Roger Slater]

I've welcomed literally hundreds of people at the Sphere, but I don't welcome trolls. If you haven't picked up on what we're dealing with here, your Spidey sense may need a tune-up.

[Carl Copeland]

Don’t be bullied off the Sphere. Shit sometimes flies, but I can tell you from personal experience that it’s perfectly safe and a good opportunity to toughen your hide. Do leave if you honestly believe there’s nothing for you here. It’s not for everyone.

[N. Matheson]

Thanks. I appreciate it. I am considering leaving. I am NOT a troll, but if people think I am, I don't see much point in sticking around.

[Michael Cantor]

Originally Posted by N. Matheson

I'd like to post a poem and asked to do so, but my critiques were not seen as enough.

The reason you weren't allowed to post is that the guidelines (have you read them?) clearly state that a new member has to post 15 critiques before putting up their own poem for critique. The has been in effect for many years, and it works well - it discourages the phonies and egotists who post their own poems, but can't be bothered critiquing any. A quick count indicates you only have 12 critiques. Post three more, and as far as I can see you're ready to put up a poem. And don't complain about not being allowed to join the club when you can't be bothered to follow the club rules.

[Roger Slater]

I'm not bullying anyone, Carl. I never asked him to leave. I faulted him for showing up on a Sapphics appreciation thread to say that all the poems that people selected as their favorites, including poems that they themselves had written, weren't just bad, but that their authors had wasted their time because (as they should have known) you can't write good Sapphics in English. Again, it's like showing up at a club for rose enthusiasts to tell them roses actually smell bad and cannot be grown successfully. If you feel that way, don't join the club.

But fine. If I've been too hard on him, I will back off and watch from the sidelines as the rest of you politely engage. We'll see how that works out.

[Jayne Osborn]

Hi All,

I've been away for a few days, in circumstances that didn't allow me to check in here, and now that I'm back at home, this is the first thread I've had a chance to look at.

I can see that feelings are running a bit high, and different points of view are coming across, so I'm just stepping in to add my thoughts: Firstly, I declined posting privileges to "N", on the grounds that he hadn't made enough substantive critiques of others' poems to qualify (and still may not have done, but I've yet to check).

To N: I know your first name, and it would perhaps be more conducive to making friends here if we could all call you by your given name. (It's not compulsory... but you might like to think about that.)

I haven't had time to study all the comments to determine where this thread went a bit awry, but let's get it back on track, for starters. It's Julie's thread and at the very least we owe it to her to continue the discussion in the way she expected.

I don't believe N is a troll, and I'll PM him and try to resolve certain problems. Meanwhile, any posts that are personal or not pertaining directly to sapphics will be deleted as they will not add anything worthwhile at this stage.

I hope you're all happy with that. Please address further comments, if you have any, to me by PM. Thanks.

Jayne

[Julie Steiner]

Originally Posted by Jayne Osborn

It's Julie's thread and at the very least we owe it to her to continue the discussion in the way she expected.

Thanks, Jayne. I've added a note to the original post that might be helpful.