Carol Ann Duffy gets the British Poet Laureateship

[Christine Murray]

Carol Ann Duffy: Profile of the new Poet Laureate - Telegraph

O well, it only took 341 one years since my poetic heroine EBB was jokingly forwarded for the role after the
death of her correspondent and hero, Mr Wordsworth (of the Daffydils):

Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I predicted this on the Poethead bloggie, or to be more reasonable, I wondered out loud if Ms Duffy would get
it and she did, well done.

Another hero is Tony Harrison, he of V and the Blasphemer's Banquet, who slagged the role and
told everyone who even mentioned his name for the role to eff off.

The Laureate role is pin money and poetic honour , wherein the poet chronicles the royals.
Hughes did it : Raincharm for the Duchy; and he was quite the apocalyptic poet and editor .
Last Laureate , Andrew Motion.

Earth | Moon - Ted Hughes : Rain-charm for the Duchy : Contents

[Christine Murray]

Carol Ann Duffy is the New British Poet Laureate | Pen Me A Poem

Gosh, it's great to have a wee Scottish wimmin doing the do for women writers, thats the thing about modelling,
women need see women achieving cos otherwise the lie (given by the naughty Guardian that Poetry is gender neutral)
will be believed.

That was to cover the embarassment that in their Great Poets of the Twentieth Century series, they had only one woman poet
(Ms Plath), I mean where were the Nagy's, the Piera's, the Ursu's , the Gallaghers, the Medb Mc Guckians, and where the
eff where the Guardian editors hiding ms Nelly Sachs???

Beeb:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8027767.stm

[cavok]

your second post is sexist in the extreme.

[Christine Murray]

your second post is sexist in the extreme.

I do try my best . One of our best lies is that we are gender neutral and women just lost our set of bollix to convenience
governments and policy-making : Like we can all see how successful that is in relation to discussing issues such as maternity rights
and in delicate subjects like abortion.

EDIT http://poethead.wordpress.com/2008/1...rol-ann-duffy/

[Christine Murray]

What is really interesting about profiles available in the Times and Telegraph today is that mostly they are talking about Carol Ann
Duffy being a lesbian poet and that she had been named before but Blair (of the Easter message which attacked the current Pope's
stance on Homosexuality) put the kibosch on it:
http://www.politics.ie/foreign-affai...ty-debate.html

Yep! As Prime Minister of the UK , Mr Tony Blair decided that Middle England did not really require a woman poet
(who is gay) writing so close to the throne, since then he has got God and well, evangelism (the pink pound)....
he also opposed the sex worker's union idea and work with the cops for fear of ruffling feathers round
about the time of the Ipswich murders- but hey , he'll talk Malaria and cholera till the cows come home.

Carol Ann Duffy: Profile of the new Poet Laureate - Telegraph

[Christine Murray]

and Ruth Padel has been named Oxford Professor of Poetry (bit messy though, o dear)

Ruth Padel elected first female Oxford professor of poetry | Books | guardian.co.uk

[Gabha Óir]

and Ruth Padel has been named Oxford Professor of Poetry (bit messy though, o dear)

Ruth Padel elected first female Oxford professor of poetry | Books | guardian.co.uk

great show on BBC 4 last night about the history of the laureates. Ian Hislop ran through the lot of them including great intrigue around the appointment of John Masefield with W.B. Yeats and Kipling in the running. Keep an eye out for the listings as it shoould be repeated soon. Is Duffy going to do for ten years only like Motion?

[Christine Murray]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/pe...9-1721869.html

Carol has come in 9th (first time) on the Independent on Sunday Pink List, with Mandy heading it up at number 1.

[Christine Murray]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/c...mas-carol.html