[Mary Meriam]

I'm just interested in reading children's poems, no matter who wrote them. Trying to think now if I've written any, and looking forward to the event, Roger.

[Ed Shacklee]

I have no strong feelings about it, but I rather like the idea of being 'invaded' by 'outsiders' who write children's poetry -- I wonder if it would be like inviting Thing 1 and Thing 2 into the house.

In the alternative, it strikes me that the Musing on Mastery forum would be a good place to give more attention to non-Spherians who excel at children's poetry and/or nonsense verse. They deserve a closer look.

Ed

[Roger Slater]

I wasn't expecting this to turn into a controversy, frankly. I'm not sure people are understanding the very limited measure I was suggesting. I do not intend to post a call for submissions on Facebook, nor am I opening our borders to waves of downtrodden immigrants who will usurp our limited bakeoff resources. I only contemplated inviting at most a handful of people to submit poems that may or may not make it past my screening and end up in the hands of our Distinguished Guest. My purpose was to ensure a lively event with lots and lots of poems for us all to sink our teeth into, not to edge out members who participate.

Frankly, if it were up to me, I might very well wish to post an open invitation on Facebook and otherwise reach out to as wide a swath of children's writers as possible. I have enough confidence in our members to think that Sphericals would still dominate, but I see no reason to let matters of birthright or citizenship interfere with matters of poetry. But that is not how it's going to be. There will still be at least the usual 10-12 poems from members, unless I don't receive that many submissions, and so, if I add two or three poems by non-members, it will not be at the expense of members. Since there isn't a fixed number of slots to fill, it's not a zero-sum game.

John, I'd say that twelve is probably a good age to think of as a cut-off. Defining what a children's poem is seems to be one of those "I know it when I see it" judgments. It's not enough that a given child can enjoy it and understand it. I suspect that some of our members here were reading Swinburne when they were nine years old, but that doesn't mean Swinburne was a children's poet. There's a difference between an adult poem children can enjoy and a children's poem adults can enjoy, and it's the latter than we're going for here (while paradoxically disapproving of the very idea that there's such a thing as a "children's poem" or an "adult poem").

I completely agree with what you said that many of our members may have poems that they do not think of as children's poems, but which are in fact children's poems. I suspect this is particularly true for our members who have written light verse. A lot of what you find in Light Quarterly would be perfectly suitable for children. Back to the Auden quote. The main defining quality of children's verse is that it ought not to presuppose adult experience in its readers. It's sort of like cooking for children. Just cook for adults, but leave out the wine and the cayenne pepper.

[Steve Mangan]

Originally Posted by Roger Slater

CHILDREN'S BAKEOFF/WORKSHOP

If there's poop in your poem, it better be there for a good reason and not just because the word is guaranteed to make a child giggle.

Nah... that would be because it makes me giggle : I am just immature I know

It's sort of like cooking for children. Just cook for adults, but leave out the wine and the cayenne pepper.

...and sprouts, if it is to associate such with something scatological, like wind...

Looking forward to this event Roger, maybe just as an appreciative audience - because all I have to offer is poop! And I am humanimous in that : having forgotten to take the anti-wind medication for my contro-verse-ailments.

Pfffrrrummmp.

s'cuse me

For breakfast I eat up my vowels
my a e i o u
To which I add from consonants
a fricative or two
After which I move my bowels
and write as poets do
And frequently I'm quite surprised
to feel a trill come through.

SteveM

[Cyn Neely]

LOL - very funny Steve
I think that's good - now hmmm, am I childish to like it, or just a coarse adult?

I also want to say - I don't feel it is loaded with controversy, just wanted Petra to know someone understood the comment. I look forward to the event, regardless.

[Roger Slater]

Okay, I take it back. Maybe I should have said, "Only poems mentioning poop will be accepted."

WC

The alphabet scowls
when I move my vowels.

[John Whitworth]

True Romance
for lollipop lickers -
Ants in your pants,
Vicars in your knickers!

[Roger Slater]

Please don't everyone wait to the last minute to submit. I've gotten several submissions so far, but not from everyone I'm guessing will want to participate.

The deadline is March 5, as Alex previously announced.

[Roger Slater]

Just a reminder: I'll start posting the children's poems on Friday. Be sure to look in and offer your comments.

[Roger Slater]

I just wanted to add a postscript to let people know that our Distinguished Guest, J. Patrick Lewis, has has just been appointed the third Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation! Way to go, Pat!