What do readers think of a particular rule?

BlueBelle

I m not a member of anything but I have had some poems accepted and printed into an anthology about four I think

That's good.

I m not a member of anything but I have had some poems accepted and printed into an anthology about four I think

I am. What do you want to know? Anyone can join - there are no qualifications of any kind required. You get a newsletter and a quarterly booklet of poems and essays about poetry, and access to members’ bits of their website.

I am not a member of the society, but it is very well known and runs a host of poetry competitions among other things. Here is a link to their very good website poetrysociety.org.uk/

When DGS was about 9 years old a poem he wrote was selected for an anthology of children's poetry that arose from a regional competition, which, I think, involved the Poetry Society in some way.

Is anyone here a member of The Poetry Society please?

Comments about it would be welcome please.

Doodledog

A poetry biography is really more about your life in poetry, so any other competitions you have won, any books you have published and so on. It won’t be read unless you win, and definitely won’t be used to shortlist. The judges won’t even know your name until they have decided on the winner.

I don’t want to put you off at all, but the National Poetry Prize is often won by very big names in the poetry world, and many big names will be entering. There are competitions that are much more geared to amateurs and those starting out as poets.

I’m on my phone just now, but when I get home I can dig out a current list of companies and publishing opportunities if you’d like it? The National Poetry Competition is a very high bar for a beginner, although who knows? They have had unknown poets win in the past ?

I don't think they even want the biography and photograph until someone is already a winner.

That information does not put me off at all. In fact bearing in mind that most entries do not win anyway, the minute, yet non-zero, epsilon is not zero as they say, probability of winning if the big names in poetry are also having a go is an incentive to go for it. Aim for the stars stuff.

Nevertheless your kind offer to provide information on the things you mention is gratefully accepted, because I can try things at various levels in parallel as well as having a go at The National Poetry Competition.

A poetry biography is really more about your life in poetry, so any other competitions you have won, any books you have published and so on. It won’t be read unless you win, and definitely won’t be used to shortlist. The judges won’t even know your name until they have decided on the winner.

I don’t want to put you off at all, but the National Poetry Prize is often won by very big names in the poetry world, and many big names will be entering. There are competitions that are much more geared to amateurs and those starting out as poets.

I’m on my phone just now, but when I get home I can dig out a current list of companies and publishing opportunities if you’d like it? The National Poetry Competition is a very high bar for a beginner, although who knows? They have had unknown poets win in the past ?

Doodledog

Are you planning to enter, Elderly Person?

TPS is very inclusive - I don’t think they are looking for a particular ’type’ of poet. They are beefing up their online presence just now, as they realised how important it was during Covid, so probably want photos for that. A biog is a fairly standard request with poetry competitions at the best of times.

Yes, I am thinking of it.

It will cost £7 but I reckon that as the judges read every entry and there is no prefiltering so that the judges only see a selection I am thinking it is worthwhile for the experience.

I have not written anything but the idea of needing to get it written and sent in by a certain date is an incentive to do something and even if I don't win, which as apparently they get lots of entries most entrants do not win, I could get a hardcopy print and frame it.

But frankly I don't like the idea of a winner needing to provide a biography and a photograph. They take care not to bias the judging by keeping names off poems in the judging process, so why are people who read the winning entries being subjected to assessment influence by a biography and a photograph?

A photograph immediately indicates skin colour, hair colour or baldness, and possibly facial features such as age, warts, birthmarks, scars, large nose, wrinkles and so called prettiness or ugliness and so on.

I remember a big row back in the 1960s or 1970s where in a court case damages were being awarded to the widow of a man whose death was due to something blameworthy by whoever or whatever organisation.

The judge looked the widow up and down and said - I don't know the exact words, but said - that the woman was young and pretty and would soon find another husband so he would only award some fraction of the money that he would normally award.

There was a big row about it all, It was referred to as the cattle market of the judge assessing the woman's appearance.

I don't know the outcome. He might have had to resign from being a judge.

A biography is getting into things like "what is your occupation?".

So with all the talk about equal opportunities why is a winner subjected to such a requirement for a competition?

Perhaps not wanting to have to send a photograph is a different kind of inclusiveness.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wrong_type_of_snow

It strikes me as quite reasonable. It is an annual competition and the Poetry Society uses it as an opportunity to engage a wider community into the joys of poetry and naturally there is going to be a oress conference and a press release and, with luck, the poem will be published in many newspapers and people will want to know about the poet, who they are what they do.

It is not like winning the lottery, where people have won substantial sums of money that will change their lives and, sadly, but often, attract the ill will of other people, beggingvletters and those trying to defraud them.

Are you planning to enter, Elderly Person?

TPS is very inclusive - I don’t think they are looking for a particular ’type’ of poet. They are beefing up their online presence just now, as they realised how important it was during Covid, so probably want photos for that. A biog is a fairly standard request with poetry competitions at the best of times.

I'm guessing that as poetry is such a personal way of expressing oneself, the reader is interested in the background and look of the writer, and so the competition demands it.
Just like theworriedwell says.

It's their competition so I suppose they get to make the rules. No one has to enter.