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OMF Poetry and Art Slam contest 'Hope and Heart for ME/CFS' January 2019

Discussion in 'Advocacy Projects and Campaigns' started by Trish, Jan 8, 2019.

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  1. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    I have put this in advocacy because they say the aim is to raise awareness.

    https://www.omf.ngo/poetry/

    From OMF e-mail:
    Note in the terms of use:

     
    Trish, Jan 8, 2019
    #1
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  2. Hell..hath..no..fury...

    Hell..hath..no..fury... Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    That’s me screwed, i have no hopeful poetry, only poetry that was written at 4am after days of no sleep, lying in vomit and urine, describing the exquisite torture of solitude, agony and torment.

    It would definitely raise awareness! Just not the type they’re looking for ;)
     
    Hell..hath..no..fury..., Jan 8, 2019
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  3. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    I had a similar feeling, though not in quite such graphic terms. Well put, @Hell..hath..no..fury...
    I like having a go at writing poetry and when I got the e-mail about this I thought I'd have a go, but when I read that it had to be a message of hope I gave up on the idea.

    Raising awareness is surely about reflecting reality, not dreams. A hard hitting slam poem about the realities of ME and the need for change would, in my opinion, raise awareness more effectively than a positive message of hope.
     
    Trish, Jan 8, 2019
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  4. Diluted-biscuit

    Diluted-biscuit Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    That would be far better than any inspirational nonsense in my opinion. It’s the reality of ME/CFS.
     
    Diluted-biscuit, Jan 8, 2019
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  5. Hell..hath..no..fury...

    Hell..hath..no..fury... Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I totally agree. Poetry is a fantastic medium for describing in great detail the raw, socially unacceptable details of hidden suffering.

    You can get away with sharing the sheer ugliness of reality when its contained within a poem and twisted into art.

    I couldn’t even force myself to write a fluffy poem of hope. That’s not my reality
     
    Hell..hath..no..fury..., Jan 8, 2019
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  6. Barry

    Barry Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Surely it depends what the message is @Trish. I would have thought many of us joined S4ME in the hope of changing things. I do believe that it will come - we just have to keep chipping away. I think I'm right that you and I have been aware of the state of things for around the same time - since 2016 sometime - and during that time a lot has change. Not enough for sure, but much more than ever before.
     
    Barry, Jan 8, 2019
    #6
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  7. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    You're right @Barry. There is more reason to hope. But it's not a hope that has reached my grumpy poetic soul yet, it's more of an intellectual hope. I don't think I can put that in a poem.

    I am thinking of having a go ... possibly. If it turns out to be a downbeat poem perhaps I'll post it here instead.

    In fact I'd encourage that. Here's my challenge. Write a poem that feels real and post it here if it's not a poem of hope.

    And don't let me put off anyone who can write a hopeful poem and submit it. Good luck, and I'll look forward to reading it.
     
    Trish, Jan 8, 2019
    #7
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  8. Hell..hath..no..fury...

    Hell..hath..no..fury... Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    My apologies for the shoddiness and no editing, here’s a ‘non hope’ poem written in last 10 mins. You were warned lol.


    I used to have hope, a long time ago,

    It comforted pain, and bandaged my sorrow,

    But as months turned to years, hope came at a cost,

    I clung to the future and the present was lost,

    Hope made me anxious, always just out of reach,

    Never being honest, lost my freedom of speech,

    I suppressed my emotions, sadness never allowed,

    While I forgot to appreciate the here and now,

    I no longer wait for cures, or wise men and their ways,

    I’m greatful for small blessings, my achievements made each day,

    I no longer count lost minutes even when the days drag on,

    I am happy and contented,

    now that my hope is gone.
     
    Hell..hath..no..fury..., Jan 9, 2019
    #8
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  9. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    Trish, Jan 9, 2019
    #9
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  10. Little Bluestem

    Little Bluestem Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    You could go ahead and write such a poem and submit it. The worst they could do would be to ignore it. It still might make a point to them.

    This would also make a good subject for a poem - a non-fluffy hope poem.
     
    Little Bluestem, Jan 9, 2019
    #10
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  11. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    A poem of hope for OMF

    I lie in bed, from head to toe my muscles scream with pain.
    The doctor says, I just don’t know, there’s nothing on your tests to show
    that what you feel is really real, so here’s the deal, it’s in your head.
    Get out of bed, let’s cut the talk, you need to walk...

    And so I walk... My muscles turn to liquid lead, I think perhaps
    I will collapse, I falter, stumble, hit the floor, the therapist says,
    more more more. You’re just afraid, not really ill, an act of will,
    or better still, a plan, goal will make you whole, we’re on a roll,
    your body-mind is in a bind. To set it free shout after me:
    NO NO I won’t be negative, GO, GO, GO, GO.

    All gone. I have no energy, this groaning lump is really me.
    Collapsed, relapsed so savagely, can’t move, can’t prove this agony.

    The looks I get are quizzical, they say my pain ain’t physical,
    they want a rhyme that’s lyrical and full of hope but I’m no dope.
    When I can’t cope this hope-talk sounds satirical, a joke a dream,
    a cruel twist as, through the mist of brain fog, every ugly frog
    is just a frog and not a prince.

    You’ll not convince me ‘hope’ will see me through this pain.
    There is no gain from reams of dreams and wishful thinking,
    not when even blinking uses energy, my battery is flatter
    than it ought to be and blinking positivity won’t prime
    my mitochondria with pyruvate or ATP.

    So OMF, I’ve really tried, but when my friends have nearly died
    and late at night I’ve nearly cried, it’s only right I’ll fight my fight
    the grumpy way the lumpy way, the…damn it all I’m ill today
    and yesterday and every day, relentlessly.

    There’d better be a better way than 'hope' - it feels ephemeral -
    when puzzles biochemical need hard research and lots of cash,
    or we will crash and crash and crash until eternity..
    Unfetter me, our final plea, believe, reprieve and set us free.
    Research M.E.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2019
    Trish, Jan 9, 2019
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  12. Skycloud

    Skycloud Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    That's good @Trish - send it in!
     
    Skycloud, Jan 9, 2019
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  13. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    It's too long! Has to be no more than one page 12 point double spaced which only allows about 18 lines. Very short for a slam poem.
    I might make the lines longer to get around it.
     
    Trish, Jan 9, 2019
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  14. adambeyoncelowe

    adambeyoncelowe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    I would submit, but the terms are unfavourable.

    'Exclusive' rights mean you can't include said poem in your own collection or CD without permission and potentially a licence fee.

    'Irrevocable' is also a problematic term, especially in conjunction with the former.

    I would prefer an exclusive licence for a fixed term (five years, say), or a non-exclusive licence to publish in perpetuity (they can keep the poem on their site forever, but you have rights to publish it elsewhere).
     
    adambeyoncelowe, Jan 9, 2019
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  15. adambeyoncelowe

    adambeyoncelowe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    A slam poem is usually performed and under three minutes. But 18 lines is very short. It's barely a sonnet.
     
    adambeyoncelowe, Jan 9, 2019
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  16. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    Thanks, @adambeyoncelowe.

    Given that I never intend to publish anything except on my blog, I don't have a problem with them having exclusive rights if I submit a poem, but if they want high quality poetry, they need to re-think their exclusivity clause.

    Would the exclusivity clause preclude publishing the poem on a personal blog, or on here for that matter?

    I'm not bothered for myself, as I'm unlikely to submit a poem, and if I do it won't be the sort of poem they are looking for, but for others it's asking them to give up a lot.

    EDIT
    I can understand why you, @adambeyoncelowe, as a real poet rather than a dabbler like me, would be reluctant to submit. I suppose it could be seen as a form of donation to OMF to help them with their fundraising, which seems to be what it's intended for.
     
    Trish, Jan 9, 2019
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  17. polly27

    polly27 New Member

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    Hi, not sure if this will work. It is the first time I have joined/commented. I just wondered how you know about the exclusivity clause, I couldn't see it anywhere. Thanks!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 9, 2019
    polly27, Jan 9, 2019
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  18. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    Hi @polly27. Welcome to the forum. Well done for figuring out how to quote. You accidentally duplicated the quote, I'll remove one for you.

    If you scroll down to the bottom of this:

    https://www.omf.ngo/poetry/

    It's under the heading 'Terms of Use'.
     
    Trish, Jan 9, 2019
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  19. Sunshine3

    Sunshine3 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Trish, that is super...I love it, send it!!
     
    Sunshine3, Jan 9, 2019
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  20. adambeyoncelowe

    adambeyoncelowe Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Technically, a blog counts as publication if it's public. I don't think they'd forbid that (and I can't see that they'd get many submissions if they did).

    Some organisations that don't really understand creative copyright laws use 'exclusive' because they don't realise what they're asking for. But for me, it would mean my own publisher would have to get permission to reprint my own poem in future, which is off-putting on principle.

    I could see it as a donation. You're right. Though I'd prefer to donate my time in writing the poem rather than in giving the poem away forever. Maybe that's just me thinking with a poet's head, though. I suspect it wouldn't be an issue for most.

    I may just email them for clarity. I would love to write something especially, and would be happy to donate something for a fixed time period, for example, rather than forever.
     
    adambeyoncelowe, Jan 9, 2019
    #20
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