[John Whitworth]

I don't know anything about the Donner party. What is it?

[Jerome Betts]

(You may also get one sent to you with your cheque) Hmm, chance would be a fine thing, Jayne. Bill G and I are still waiting for ours for the 'Lying In Bed' comp from the January issue.

[Jayne Osborn]

Jerome,
In my experience Literary Review are fast payers, and you get a complimentary magazine, The Speccie people sometimes take ages to cough up, but The Oldie aren't too bad as a rule.

I think they all work (loosely) on the notion of settling up one month in arrears, so you and Bill ought to be getting your payments any time now, I should think.

On odd occasions I've waited so long that I've forgotten I was even due to get any money - then it's a lovely surprise when a cheque pops through the letterbox!

(Realistically though, 25 quid isn't ever going to change my life! I just like to win )

Jayne

[Martin Elster]

Originally Posted by Simon Hunt

Are these contests explicitly or by precedent for exclusively HUMOROUS poems?

In answer to your question, Simon, for the 2010 bouts rimés contest, The Oldie published one of mine which was not light or humorous.

I'll never forget how much trouble I had, however, trying to exchange the 25 pounds for dollars. My bank ended up charging me a large fee for the transaction, nearly as much as the prize! (I see Jayne has mentioned this problem in post #40.)

[Jerome Betts]

Thanks, Jayne. Perhaps the cash and the Chambers will arrive tomorrow then. I see with something of a shock that £25 is now only 28.72 Euros.

[Roger Slater]

John, from Wikepedia:

The Donner Party was a group of 87 American pioneers who in 1846 set off from Missouri in a wagon train headed west for California, only to find themselves trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada. The subsequent casualties resulting from starvation, exposure, disease, and trauma were extremely high, and many of the survivors resorted to cannibalism, but research by historical archeologists now casts doubt on this part of the story.

[Jayne Osborn]

Another small point to mention, one and all (and Martin in particular): don't bother fretting over titles for your Oldie entries - they never use them! Nor does The Speccie. This is one of the things I love about these comps because, for the most part, I'm crap at thinking up titles for my poems.

Jayne

[John Whitworth]

Thank you, Roger. Rather like the Wreck of the Nancy Brig.

[Douglas G. Brown]

John,

In the same vein, there was the 1700's wreck of a British ship on Boon Island, Maine, and the 1800's wreck of the French ship "Medusa" off the coast of Africa in the 1800s.

The first was documented in the book, "Boon Island" by Kenneth Roberts.

The second was the subject of a famous painting, Gericault's "Raft of the Medusa". I once saw a reproduction of this painting in the lobby of a Chinese restaurant. It's a great picture, but not one to inspire much confidence in the food being served.

[Jerome Betts]

Martin (44), I expected the same problem with a $10 cheque or check from the USA last year but at my local Barclays branch they said to my surprise 'We don't charge for converting such small amounts' and I got £6.20. Perhaps they'd had orders from Head Office to invest in a little goodwill after all the banking scandals.