[John Whitworth]

No. 2592: Mixed Messages
You are invited to submit a poem entitled ‘The Name’ (16 lines maximum) in which each line is an anagram of the name of a well-known (and specified) poet. Entries to ‘Competition 2592’ by 16 April or email: lucy@spectator.co.uk.

I don't find this quite clear. Does it mean sixteen differnt anagrams of the same poet or sixteen different poets supplying sixteen lines. Or a
Mixture of the two. I have asked for clarification and will pass on what I get to Sphereans. Whichever way it is, it's .... quite hard.

[Marion Shore]

Yeah, I was confused too. Either way, I don't think it's the sort of thing I want to waste so much of my life on, only to be beat out by that Greenwell feller, not to mention all the other usual suspects.

[John Whitworth]

There are anagram generators on the net that do some of the spadework. What you need are nice long names like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow or Algernon Charles Swinburne or even Ella Wheeler Wilcox. I'm working on a little poem based on a Greek myth, but to enter this competition you have to be a subscriber to The Literary Review. I have subscribed for two years; total outlay £60 and won £10 twice. So I am in the hole for £40. But this could change. The top prize is £300 and yes, people like Greenwell win it. Actually Greenwell seems a nice guy, fat with a beard and a hat. Pity I can't persuade him to become a Spherean. He could tell us how he does it. Lefty poltics but, hey, you can't have everything.

[Roger Slater]

Yes, you can't have everything. Surely it's enough that he is fat and has a beard. The hat is just gravy.

[Terese Coe]

They must want the kind of anagram that's a message.

You're right John, the longer the name the easier it may be. I'd say they want a different poet on each line. Argh!

[Julie Steiner]

Okay, everyone, what are your middle names?

Just kidding! You lose points for using poets Lucy doesn't recognize.

So what I really need to know is Bill Greenwell's middle name.

[Bill Greenwell]

"So what I really need to know is Bill Greenwell's middle name."

Although I am, I agree, on the paunchy side, and have some stubble, Bill is my middle name, or rather a shorter version of it. The full moniker is Thomas William Greenwell.

I've done my entry, but if you guys are going to pile in, I had better do another. (Besides, getting the entry to make sense is a bit hard, and I think I have so far submitted some serious nonsense.)

Nice to have my name taken in vain around these parts!

Bill

Will give you my trade secrets if I win

[John Whitworth]

When you win, Bill, when you win. I said fat. I take it back. I should have said about as fat as me but obviously taller. And you DO have a hat.

[Janet Kenny]

Good heavens above! The climate here (Queensland) is calming a little and as my brain returns I had hoped to relaunch into this Speccie business It's bad enough having John Whitworth to compete against but we've got the famous Gold medallist Bill Greenwell!!
Welcome Mr Greenwell.
Janet
John wrote:
but to enter this competition you have to be a subscriber to The Literary Review. I have subscribed for two years; total outlay £60

Alas. Our dollar has turned into fairy money. I'm out of here.

[Terese Coe]

Originally Posted by John Whitworth

No. 2592: Mixed Messages
You are invited to submit a poem entitled ‘The Name’ (16 lines maximum) in which each line is an anagram of the name of a well-known (and specified) poet. Entries to ‘Competition 2592’ by 16 April or email: lucy@spectator.co.uk.

Here's my educated guess, this time in detail: Speccie/Lucy (or any good writer) would not phrase the challenge as written above if each line needed to be the same poet's name. The challenge would have said something like "in which each line is another anagram of the same well-known poet's name."

Betcha!