Thursday, March 11, 2010

Hell hath no fury


like a magazine mogul scorned.My (our!) funding application to Wicklow County Council has been rejected. Are we disappointed? You betcha, big time!. Are we surprised? Not a jot!The realist within me is downhearted, the remnants of the young rebel that I once was is delighted and thinks Fuck them! Who needs their money anyway? Go it alone, independent and free. Be in no one's pocket.
Either which way this magazine will go ahead, it's a good thing and won't be killed.I'm more interested in publishing The Poetry Bus and all it's poets than I am in publishing/writing my own stuff, so I won't give up.I'm more determined than ever to make it a great magazine.

Rejectees are allowed to ask for feedback so I'll be doing that.I'll also be very interested to see who did get funding.If they have a better project than our Poetry Bus ,then fair fecks to them, they deserve every cent.


The next step is to seek funding from Artslinks,I'm more optimistic about this. I was hoping to seek funding for a new camera there, but that can wait. (Cue violins)
Should this fail it's plan B, which is a totally foolproof plan.Not sure what it is yet, but it's brilliant and won't fail. (Please note, no animals and very few humans will be hurt in plan B)

As for the virtual poetry bus, lovely poems again this week and thanks to each and every one of you that took the time to create . That's the whole point of the thing, to encourage everybody and anybody to write and provide them with an outlet for it, then to get people to read it. This is the Peoples Poetry Republic! Neither The Bastards nor The Angels will grind us down.

THIS WEEKS POETRY TASK is to finish a poem starting with these genius lines wot I thought of ages ago but cannot finish(yet)

'She was wearing Stella McCartney,
I was drinking Stella Artois'

If you is a woman ( I love women) you can, if ye like, switch it to

'I was wearing Stella McCartney
he was drinking(stinking of) Stella Artois'

And just go for it, whatever comes into your head, and let's see where everybody ends up. Oh, and if you want to know the names of the people who thought our poetry enterprise was not worthy of funding they are....

Nora Hickey- Director Mermaid Arts Centre Bray

Tara Connaghan- Director Eigse Carlow Arts Festival

Carmel Moore- Executive Librarian Wicklow County Council

Live long and prosper peeps. Bus Poets of the world unite, they will not chain us, they will not change us , we are freeborn people of this planet and we will have our say!Vive la revolution ,vive le Republic, vive la Bus!!!


PS. If any of ye wish to contact Wicklow Arts Office direct to find out why we were denied funding please contact Jenny Sherwin, Arts officer, Wicklow County Council Tel. o404 20155 or easier / cheaper, simply email jsherwin@wicklowcoco.ie

35 comments:

SUSAN SONNEN said...

Dagnabit (I just love that word!), I've said I would write a couple of poetry bus poems months ago and never did. The time has come and now here is that I keep my word! Come this evening, there will be a poem. On the bus. With me.

I accept the blame. I am surely the reason for the refusal of funding. They felt that they couldn't count on a group that harbored such a wishy washy pansy as myself. Please forgive me.

Pure Fiction said...

What? They didn't give you the money??? Feck them anyway, or words to that effect.
Like you said in your post, the bus is a fantastic way of sharing poetry and prompting people to write it, regardless of whether those feckers fund it or not.
I'm really interested to hear plan B - it sounds brilliant :)

Niamh B said...

Heya - keep on trucking Mr - your blog made the blog awards short list round one!!! World domination shortly to follow... yay

Heather said...

Hard luck TFE, but as you say, not really surprising. Maybe because 'Poetry Bus' will contain pieces by non-writers like me it isn't considered to be a serious literary publication.

Colm Keegan said...

Fuck Wicklow County Council in the ear.

ArtSparker said...

Oh, sweetie, some of the angels ARE bastards.

* said...

Dear Carmel Moore- Executive Librarian Wicklow County Council:

You should be ashamed.

As a fellow Librarian (MLIS degreed, no less), I would hope you could support TFE & all his/their valiant efforts to further poetry and the written word. I see your tail, it is between your legs now, where it belongs.

PS: Keep in mind, if you were one of my four small children and still committed such a crime, I would paddle you good.

Sincerely yours,
Terresa Wellborn

Domestic Oub said...

Sigh - "A prophet is despised in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred." (Though not online, where he is appreciated.)

Batteson.Ind said...

That's a real pisser! bar stewards! We were thinking of applying for artlinks funding too, to try out for some recording funds, I presume it'll come out of a different fund and won't compete against you?... if it would we'd not bother.
The poetry bus is a worthy and honourable thing of beauty! Sorry I didn't get on board this week, my brain closed down and I retreated into blahh... floury ones. Oh and congrats on your blog awards thingy :-)

Titus said...

Pshaw! I shall send an appropriate letter.
I can send you good wishes but no money.

Stella Artois?

Bill said...

Wearing Stella McCartney? Sounds a bit Hannibal Lecter to me :)

Dominic Rivron said...

Lousy news about the funding. At the risk of sounding a wimp, and I don't know a lot about it, there's always the Lulu route. John Heyes (Robert Frost's Banjo) seems to have made good use of it, to name one.

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-days-of-wine-roses/8282313

Karen said...

I can't help much from over here, but if I had a poetry ship, I'd row my boat across the seas, track them down, and oh, I don't know. Throw a hissy fit?

Seriously, I hope you can find the funding. This is a high quality bus we're on.

Now I have to go look up Stella Artois. ;-)

Totalfeckineejit said...

Dagnabit is a great word Susan.It is all your fault, but get on the bus and all will be forgiven!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Yes PF, feck them anyway, including Uiscebot's way.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Everyone has the right to write, H.
Besides you is all writers on the bus.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks for that news Niamh, I didn't know.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Sweetie? I'm more of a stale pork pie.But Thanks ye Sparkey!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Tell'em Teressa!

Totalfeckineejit said...

D'Oub, you am de best!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Go for it UisceKateens,hope you get the money to make that CD, jus don't forget I'm yer no1 fan and ye promised mea FREE copy! (Or was it a free coffee?)Try and gets on the bus thsweek.

Totalfeckineejit said...

I'll put them in the god wish bank, Titus.Woof!

Totalfeckineejit said...

The Lulu route Dominic? WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! I must look into that. John's book is beautifully made.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Fava beans , Bill?

Bill said...

...and a nice chianti

Dr. Jeanne Iris said...

Ummm... wouldn't that be Plan C, TFE? Anyway, Onward!!!

Another synchronicity! Last week, I wrote a little flash fiction piece about a certain bug that ended up behind my CD player at work. Scared the bejeebies out of me and what was her name? Stella!!! Amazing, huh?

Later, Gator! : )

Totalfeckineejit said...

Uiscebot. Friends, Romans, Wicklow Co Council, lend me your ear.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Bill. FEHFEHFEHFE!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Jeanne, don't mention plan C, it's top secret.It will only be used if the nuclear sub turns up and plan F fails.

Argent said...

Ah, those wasters wouldn't know their arts from their elbows! The bus will ride forth I've no doubt! I'll be at the stop with me ticket have no fear.

SUSAN SONNEN said...

So, the bus leaves on Monday, right? I don't want to miss it this time!

Ann said...

There should be riots in the streets! The Poetry Bus Rules! I think I'll have a glass or maybe two of Chianti now thank you.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Yep, Monday it is Susan see ye and Argo there! Pip pip!

Argent said...

I have my ticket and I'm on! You can see it here.

Emerging Writer said...

I had an idea about the grant. Could you be from another county? Where were you born? YOu can often apply there too. Failing that, use someone else's county. There are lots of people from lots of counties in the mag. Not all have passed their deadlines. Use someone else's address. Or move in with them.