John Anderson Biography

I was born under the star sign 'Pisces' and as the saying goes "You can't get over that". I have life-long interests in water, fish, the sea, sailing and everything wet and aquatic. I have a scientific background in the environment and fisheries. I have written extensively on many topics. I have created and manage a gaggle of websites. I have now retired and live in the 'Shark Shack' by the sea near Jervis Bay, on the South Eastern coast of Australia. I sail, fish, walk, dive and swim as much as I can with the motto: 'Diving for Pearls'. My main focus is on didactic poems. I love the poems of Dylan Thomas and my favorite movie is 'Under Milk Wood' (a radio play, made into a film). I also like Les Murray. My website is Poetry Community http://www.poetrycommunity.com.  Cheers! 

Pet Peeves in Poetry?

Blog Posted by John Anderson: 7/19/2025 11:47:00 AM

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Anderson Avatar
January 15, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Thanks for the feedback. Cheers
Volumes Avatar
January 15, 2026 at 2:34 AM
Losing my taste for Soup sure did free up my spare time. I visit to read in search of poems that make me feel good, but I still get perturbed when I read poems from Facebook and other poetry sites and find brilliant lines in poems that I recognise as appearing in poems from a poet posting on Soup. I dont want to cause trouble and will never mention a name, but if you ask what I dislike about poetry its that.
Nicole Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I'm not a fan of profanity. Belittling other poets through poems or comments. Reading long poems is time consuming, but if the subject grabs my attention, I can dive on in. Poems that are difficult to understand, because thoughts seem to go in different directions. Of course AI and plagiarism don't belong in the poetry world.
Nicole Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Makes sense why we get along so well. :) Your long poems hold my attention, so I'm good there. You're able to touch my heart with your words.
Trestrail Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I hate it when my pet peeves on my golf clubs.
Trestrail Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Hey, I know what you did last summer!
Puddifoot Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 8:06 AM
many! archaisms, predictable sing-songy end rhyme, flowery over alliteration..i'm not keen on religious or political poetry, and not a great fan of limericks or very short forms in general..ai and plagiarism goes without saying..snide poems aimed at other site members, i don't like to see that
Trestrail Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
That’s beautiful, Tommy. Just the right amount of archaism and plagiarism in short form. It would be the perfect storm if it had a little over the top alliteration but it’s a winner in any contest of Charlotte’s!
Allison Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 6:18 AM
I dislike poems that are AI and poems that are plagiarised and passed on as poets own work ! Regarding plagiarism it galls to see it justified on a blog that we may have the same thoughts - yes we can have similar thought BUT not when a poem is posted verbatim and the plagiarism isn't an isolated event 20 maybe 30 poems all posted word for word - hmmm, and it's despicable to see a dead poet's words stolen. I also dislike sponsors reading and commenting on a poem which is clearly for their contest - a generic title would help and a different title created when the contest is over
Allison Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 9:14 AM
I'm glad you are posting elsewhere too I know several other people who are not happy with things on the site. Its sad to see poets no longer posting and some actually closing their accounts here Tania:-( hugs jan x
Kitchin Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Jan, this is why I have ventured on to other sites where the admins are more responsive.
Lawless Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 5:52 AM
John, I often fish behind a prison. One guard asked me if I kept any of the fish, I replied "No, catch and release, just like you guys" I apply the same approach to reading poetry....I do favor what I call "Gotcha" lines...those that somehow slow the reader, change the tenor, and tease us to "read that one again"
Anderson Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 9:52 AM
tight lines man!
Kitchin Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 5:16 AM
John, my biggest pet peeves are when people use AI or plagiarize poems and then post them as their own work. Such a disgrace and very dishonest. Unfortunately there has been a lot of this on PS these days. I also have a pet peeve of rude comments poets leave on poems. They should be supportive and positive. As far as poetry, as long as it is that poet's own work and not AI or stolen poetry than I think anything goes as far as creativity.
Kitchin Avatar
July 21, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Keith, thank you. Friendly is always good.
Trestrail Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I agree with everything you said. Friends?
Radice Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 1:48 AM
I'm smiling at the term Ice-Skating that you have used there John..I'm wondering if AI ticks the same boxes. :) (er..I'm not insinuating those who do ice skate use AI by the way and AI is OK by me as long as the poet acknowledges its use. ..he says trying to ice skate himself out of a possible awkward situation..) I personally have an aversion to the use of the word O (followed by !) particularly if it's used at the beginning of poems. That said I've liked a majority of such poems that I've managed to stick with so someone explain that to me. I'm partial to some alliteration for effect but an over use of it is a turn off for me. I like alliteration when it serves a purpose (to describe or add clarity) rather than when it distracts by becoming the main focus of the poem. All (my) comments aside I just hope people continue to write what they like to write, how they like to write and use the forms that they themselves are happy with and not put off by what they read here. A big no no for me in poetry is a poet writing just to please others. Cheers - Gary
Puddifoot Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 8:08 AM
i would hope when people enter my contests they write first and foremost to please themselves, rather than me
Etgen-Baker Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 11:02 PM
thanks for sharing....I dislike 'flowery' poems that go on and on....seems like overkill...but that's just me
Rodrigues Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 6:41 PM
A humorous way to blog your pet peeves. I can’t disagree with you. I like smaller poems but occasionally longer ones are worth a read. I don’t get into the overly intellectual or over the top wordiness. Some poets find just the right beat and are honest. I hate political poems, but not all (some are good, but most are not). I see forced rhyming win contests (?!) I guess I am a bit picky ~ though not perfect. Great topic!
Anderson Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Thanks very much; I agree with you. Cheers
Carmack Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Homophone errors, unless used for effect.
Nicole Avatar
July 21, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Thanks for the welcome, Rob. It's more like, ' scissors have cut out so many little messages to place upon my heart, those cute moments in life. ' :)
Carmack Avatar
July 21, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Tom - the club is open to all. If this takes off, maybe PS can do a Anthology of mic drops down the road? Welcome Brandy. I am thinking you could incorporate 'scribble'. Something like; "those times when life takes the knife and carves a little scribble into your heart" mic drop
Nicole Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Testing, one, two three. Yes, it's working. I'll be careful, Rob.
Trestrail Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
JR, it’s on and open but don’t drop it. That’s Rob’s thing.
Nicole Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Hello, is this thing on ? ( Tapping the mic )
Carmack Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Your first mic drop? At least the first I remember seeing. Welcome to the club.
Carmack Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Tom, good thing you're a theist, otherwise, you would be 100% Homo Sapien. Keith - have to use the mic drops sparingly, don't want to dilute the effect.
Trestrail Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I’m 100% Delta Zulu Tango!
Trestrail Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 5:21 PM
What, no mic drop?
Trestrail Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I hate dishonest poetry. Emotionally, intellectually, factually, politically, culturally, contextually dishonest poems.
Rodrigues Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
And I like your comment!
Trestrail Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Or character assassination hit job poems. Fuhgettaboudit!
Dietrich Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
My pet peeves are poems with horrible punctuation and grammar mistakes (though grammar is not so bad now, probably with people getting help from AI). Also I can't focus attention on super long poems. Basically I mostly enjoy short poems, limericks, haiku (I find the shaped ones ok as long as I can make sense of them) and I love any poem that has clarity for me while using great imagery and/or makes me feel something.
Dietrich Avatar
July 21, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Also it's no surprise to me Charlotte would win in your contest, Tommy, or in anyone else's . Her imagery is superb.
Dietrich Avatar
July 21, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Happily there are always exceptions to the rule. I always feel amazing to win a contest sponsored by someone very different from me in style. By the way, to say I am a top winner in someones contests all the time is a bit misleading. My name often lands at the top alphabetically in contests with multiple wins at first place. I have not garnered a "true" first place trophy in probably a year or so and rightfully so, since those are the contests most often sponsored by free verse types. One person's contests I don't even enter because that sponsor has had me blocked for some unknown reason for ages and obviously likes commenting to everyone except me.
Dietrich Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Maybe I deserve good placements in the contests that really inspire me. There is no one judge who has ALWAYS given me top spot. Maybe "almost always" there are a few. But I work hard for the contests I really like. By the same token, I can rarely get a win or a high placement from poets who write in free verse. As poets, we are always going to prefer the poems of those whose own poetry is more closely aligned with our own style and preference.
Dietrich Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Tommy, haven't you figured out that I mostly don't enter your contests for the fact that you seem to prefer longer forms and for the fact that your themes are not too clear for me? I really liked a recent contest that you sponsored. That one I entered, and I was very happy to get a win. I'm just being choosier these days, I guess. I have no idea what to do with themes like worm holes and some of the other things people are coming up with here! (not just you!)
Dietrich Avatar
July 20, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Thanks, Kim.
Rodrigues Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM
You are a great poet here, Andrea, and I always appreciate your critiques. I know you like for the poem to make clear sense. You know I like the ku too!!
Dietrich Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Oh I love those too. All the Asian forms just as long as they are written like they should be.
Anderson Avatar
July 19, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Thanks I tend to prefer shorter poems as well mostly tanka

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