John S Alty

Another great competition. Thanks so much Libby. Congratulations to all, especially Sandra. Very well deserved.

Oh heck – I never saw that coming, not among so many superb entries – thank you, Libby, for comp and comments, and thank you all for much reading awe and entertainment. I’ll aim to post September’s competition before the end of the day. [but isn’t it odd how often a last minute, popped into one’s head,  final sentence seems to make what seems  a d…[Read more]

An enjoyable  monthly challenge thank you, Libby.

Congratulations Sandra, I’m looking forward to where your monthly inspiration will lead us for  September.

Well  done Ath and Sea too.

It helps me to dip my toe into  writing in genres outside my comfort zone  when I see how diverse our  entries are

There’s a fabulous selection of entries in the August comp, and again it’s hard to pick one winner!

@Seagreen: This very enjoyable story reveals the rich history of a relationship, shown with a clever use of Elizabeth English and rhythm. There’s a satisfyingly wide range of emotion, including the delicious LOL comedy of “Thine exuberance I shall…[Read more]

A terrific set of comp entries. I’ll be along tomorrow morning to reveal the winner.

Hi Sandra, I was thinking that too!!

Don’t envy your task of choosing a winner, Libby!

Shall I compare thee to a summer day?  

The sons of Scathios are not many, but we exist, hiding in plain sight, yet cautious as stealthy shadows flickering through time.

The oracle of Ages states ‘everything is subject to the passing of time, even that which is immortal’ and yes things around me did transform and I perceived them in their tran…[Read more]

I had been thinking of writing a piece about the regular assembly of early morning imbibers near the local pier. My idea was to call it The Breakfast Club, but in deference to the competition it is as requested. Note that the language at these events is often rough. I have tamed it a bit but there may be a trace…

Shall I compare thee to a…[Read more]

Reminder! The monthly competition closes at midnight on Saturday, 31st August.

Anyone can enter.

Here’s the task:

Our summer weather so far has been an ever-changing experience, almost one extreme to another. For the August comp please write a story about changeability titled ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ Thee can refer to a perso…[Read more]

Probably a bit aslant of what you were hoping for Libby, but is the idea that stuck

‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’

I guess you had to’ve been there, because even now,  months later, just thinking about it makes me smile. It was the usual semi-dormant Friday afternoon meeting, Anton, our boss, wanting us to brain-storm some sort of…[Read more]

Thanks, Richard! This becomes quite compulsive doesn’t it, a new thread of literature (new to me anyway) to follow and think about.

I’m off now for a few days and will read your post fully when I return.

I’m glad you copied this, Libby, because you saved me the trouble. Your comments should definitely be an integral part of this thread. And I’m glad, too, that the poem seems to have had much the same effect on you as it had on me.

There’s more, much more, than ‘yet another translation.’ There’s a page with over forty, ranging from Catullus’ Latin…[Read more]

I replied in a comments box earlier where it may get lost – so I’ve copied my comment here.

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Definitely good going, Richard. Thank you for this post.

Of these various translations I prefer the ones with shorter lines. They feel more immediate, less worked. That seems to be the magic of Sappho’s lines – the way they leap almost three mil…[Read more]

Rather annoyingly, shortly after posting this I came upon another translation. Annoyingly, because its publication on a page headed ‘The Center for Hellenic Studies,’ its juxtaposition with the Greek, and most of all the clumsiness of its English suggest to me that it is the closest to a word-for-word rendition of Sappho’s original that I’ve yet…[Read more]

I’m looking forward to reading this, Richard. I became more aware of Sappho when I read Selby Wynn Schwartz’s novel After Sappho, which I enjoyed a lot. Before that I’d hardly known who Sappho was.

Great blog, Richard. Sadly I have very little internet right now. Will get back asap. Also, yikes! One of the updates has broken my menus (at least in mobile mode).