Hurrah! I heard officially today that the funding has been agreed for my series of Poetry Workshops called 'Best and Verse'.

These will address key issues such as inequality, gender identity, lack of State support for humour, and dwarfism in contemporary TV comedy.

There is already a worshop website www.mustdestroy.com/bestandverse
which will feature an ethnically and gender-balanced selection of poetry from the workshops.

Visit the website to register and download a FREE 450-page PDF outlining submissions policy for poems on the website.

The workshops will take place in the Art Suite of the Bar Why Not in Platt Bridge, Wigan.

Please make a difference and sign up for this exciting project!

Well, that's the last time I'll will attempt to satirise thick, liberal-lefty poetry tarts! DALEK-style voice now ....'Please note, the word "tart" above is intended to be gender-neutral.'

And which of your own issues would you address at a workshop Steve?

Platt Bridge, Wigan - an excellent venue for a workshop - social or otherwise. Your roots never really leave you do they?

x

Huh? If you're gonna have a go at someone Steve, spit it out. You have got balls I take it?

I'm not having a go at anyone personally, Laura, I NEVER trade personal insults in chatrooms. I'm happy to leave that sort of thing to YOU (and you've just proved yourself very capable of doing that).

I am just saying what I think of workshops and publicly-funded arts projects.

Steve

a) this is not a 'chatroom', it is a discussion board - chatrooms operate using the IRC protocol, and are synchronous. Discussion boards are asynchronous.

b) could you kindly point out the 'insult', as I am struggling to see it myself?

c) you clearly ARE having a go as you yourself state in your second comment

d) your comments on here are not 'just saying what you think' - unless you normally operate in a self-contradictory fashion?

Laura,

Dream on if you think I'm going to answer your provincial-style numbered points.

I will say this though: you ask whether I have balls - that is sexist and personally insulting. I wouldn't dream of replying in kind.

Steve

You are the gift that keeps giving. They're not numbered, they're lettered, ho ho. Asking a man if he has balls isn't sexist by any stretch of the imagination. Strange that you find it insulting. Different worlds, eh?

Ha ha. Well spotted Laura. My eyesight is shot to pieces! Wee letters in brackets look just like wee numbers to me!

Come on though, you writing "You have got balls I take it?" is a tad rude and mildly sexist, especially if you are directing that at a man you have never met.

But - have we met? I can't remember.
Any road, no hard feelings. I'll buy you a pint if we do meet in person. Hopefully the pub meeting will "synchronous" -m otherwise the handing over of the pint might be a bit difficult.

Why don't you prove whether or not you have balls by coming to the Wigan Tudor Christmas party?

We are raffling off a Naked Muse Calendar - just in case you hadn't heard.

We are looking for a brave poet like Ernesto Sarezale. You could strip off for us Steve - all in a good cause!

Then you could buy Laura and me that pint that you're promising

Me festive colanders and calenders are filling up fast. But I might make it to the Tudor Christmas bash. WHEN IS IT? Tell me, save me looking it up with my crap eyes.

I am not posing naked, not with my massive beer gut and infeasibly BIG BALLS.

That reminds me, when I was a hip young gunsliger living in Wigan, my nickname was 'OAP' - OVER ACTIVE PENIS!

Thursday 8th December. Elvis Togher will be making an appearance too...

Oh - you DO have balls then? So not sexist to ask :)

Well, if you're going to the BOMP book launch, I'll see you there

'rayy - Elv Togher! Ace - can't wait :)

So Las Vegas-style sophistication in Wiggin on the 8th. And before that BOMP-tasia in Madchester on the 1st. Cool.

Whenever anyone talks about political correctness, I think somebody's been reading too much Daily Mail. It's bad for you y'know; clogs the brain like tobacco does the lungs, and before long you're fulminating about 'Winterval' or straight bananas or something...

Stevie Waling you are a caution!

Daily Mail - urgh, the very idea!