Just wondering where others think that our art is heading
Hi Neil
Thanks for the clarification of your distinction between poetry in general and the ABPA in particular - though I did read your original post in the context of the quote above, rather than specifically referring to our Association.
As to the ABPA, I've been involved in a number of associations over the years, and I can't say I've found any of them to be very different from this one. It seems that active participation is often limited to a minority of members. The ABPA has the additional factor of distance, with all of us scattered across the country rather than being able to socialise locally. It would be lovely to travel to all the poetry festivals around the country all year long - but for most of us, that is simply not possible from a logistic or financial point of view. But reduced attendance leads to less festivals - so it's a vicious cycle.
When I was younger I used to wonder why people belonged to an association at all if they did not intend to participate actively, but as I've got older I realise there are so many reasons (personal and family circumstances, natural reticence, and so on). You mention that there are few active correspondents in this Forum - but the posts are read by many more. This thread, for example, currently has 18 replies but 101 views! Hopefully those reading the Forum are gaining something, despite not being willing or able to join in. And who knows what they are doing behind the scenes to further our craft in their own neck of the woods?
For you,
Terry - the Rabindranath Tagore International Competition for written English poetry is currently accepting entries. The line limit is minimum 10, maximum 25. Yes, it is based in India - and yes, it is a worldwide open competition - but don't let that put you off. David Delaney won it a couple of years ago with a traditional bush poem, and I was placed last year with a sonnet. Best of all - it led to a publishing deal with Xpress Publications for my first book, which is now printed and on the market!
It's easy to enter and costs 5 USD for one poem. Closing date for electronic payment and submission of poem is
31 December 2015. Here's the link for anyone interested:
http://www.xpresspublications.com/
Cheers, Shelley