Poets, Follies Of

Londoner John Stammers' first book Panoramic Lounge-Bar contains a poem called 'Breakages'. His second book, Stolen Love Behaviour, contains one called 'Bricolage', a French translation of 'Breakages' sent to the poet, complete with English prose rendering (also reproduced), by someone called 'Solange Devagine', which I hope for her sake is a made-up name.

Good idea/bad idea?

Although the above photograph doesn't come from there, John Stammers features on Clive James' website, where you'll find the following stingily diminutive picture of young poet Olivia Cole in shampoo commerical mode:









Good idea/bad idea?

And in a third unrelated item, 'J.C.' reports in the NB column of today's TLS (far too many abbrevations in this sentence already) on the world of poetry prizes:

The allegation that the world of poetry prizes is too narrow has been denied by John Burnside, one of the judges of the Northern Rock Foundation Award (winner: Sean O'Brien). He was backed up John Burnside, a judge of the year's National Poetry Competition, and has also drawn the support of John Burnside, who helped judge last year's Forward Poetry Prize, and of John Burnside who is to judge the 2007 Griffin Poetry Prize.

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Good jumper/bad jumper? You decide!