Well it's finally done: the 2008 NZPS anthology Before the Sirocco is now officially out of my hands. I've even submitted my expenses claim. It's been an interesting task. Certainly much easier this time around – you always forget just how much donkey-work there is. Things like checking names and addresses, entering data onto lists. Printing. Posting. …
The NZPS anthology saga continues (even more)
I spent pretty much all of Monday getting the proof copies out so that all the contributors can check their poems. It's a simple enough job, but it always takes sooooooooo much longer than I expect. Even when, like this year, I'm mostly sending out pdf proofs by email rather than posting paper copies. My …
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NZPS Anthology 2008 … the saga continues
Well we now have a title: I've gone with Before the Sirocco. It's a lovely evocative title, and I think does a good job of catching the mood of the poems. So many this year are ... well, almost despairing. Sad, angry, regretful, passionate, rueful. Appropriate poems for a planet in trouble? Nothing overtly greenie, …
Titles for the anthology
I've pretty much finished my selections for the anthology now. There are a few on the cusp, which will depend on things like how many lines I need to fill at the end of poems that require a second page. So now it's time to think about picking a title. Traditionally, the title comes from …
The difference between judging and editing
I've just about finished making the selections for the anthology. Everything has been read, re-read, and re-reread. Longlists have been compiled, and shortlists are emerging. Fingers crossed, I should be able to get notifications out by the end of next week. The mechanics of selection are pretty much the same for judging a competition and …
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