Short-lived win

The controversy about the election process for the Oxford Professor of Poetry has not been quelled, on the contrary, Ruth Padel felt compelled to resign from the position yesterday, when the news broke at the Hay festival.

Ruth Padel, who had denied leaking any information about Walcott,  admitted this weekend that she had informed the press of information that was already available in the public domaine.

A.C. Grayling, who nominated Ruth Padel for the Oxford position said he felt that Padel should step down.  

Links:

Patrick Foster, "Oxford poetry professor Ruth Padel quits after smear campaign against Derek Walcott," Times (May 26, 2009).

Charlotte Higgins, "Oxford professor of poetry Ruth Padel resigns after smear allegations," Guardian (May 25, 2009).

Haycast #3 from the Guardian (May 25, 2009).

Urmee Khan and Richard Eden, "Ruth Padel under pressure to resign Oxford post over emails about rival poet Derek Walcott," Telegraph (May 25, 2009).

Sarah Crown, James Sturcke, Charlotte Higgins, "Ruth Padel fights to keep Oxford post over tip-offs about her rival," Gardian (May 24, 2009).

Sarah Crown, Charlotte Higgins, "Poetry Professor Ruth Padel defends herself over smear campaign claims," Guardian (May 24, 2009).

Ruth Padel is the winner

Ruth Padel was elected as Oxford Professor of Poetry yesterday with 69% of the vote, making her the first woman to hold the position.  (That makes two women elected to previously all male poetry positions in two weeks).  

Links:

David Harrison, "Ruth Padel's win 'poisoned' by smear campaign," Telegraph (May 17, 2009).

Sarah Crown, "A Life in Poetry: Ruth Padel," Guardian (May 16, 2009).

BBC, "Padel named Oxford poet professor," (May 16, 2009).

AP, "Ruth Padel voted Oxford's Professor of Poetry," Real Clear World (May 16, 2009).

News release from University of Oxford (May 16, 2009).

Who will be the next Oxford Professor of Poetry?

Who will replace Christopher Ricks as Oxford Professor of Poetry, said to be second in prestige to poet laureate?  Elections will be held on May 16, in spite of protests from those who are still reeling from the shock of Derek Walcott's withdrawal, due to a smear campaign.  Peter McDonald feels that the remaining choice, between Ruth Padel and Arvind Mehrotra is too limited for the vote.

James Fenton, "The hounding of a Nobel poet has shamed Oxford," London Evening Standard (May 15, 2009).

Alison Flood, "Oxford refuses calls to postpone poetry professor election," Guardian (May 13, 2009).

Mary Fitzgerald, "Should Derek Walcott have been Oxford poetry professor?" Guardian (May 12, 2009).

Olivia Cole, "Nobel winner quits Oxford poetry race over sex claims," London Evening Standard (May 12, 2009).

Alison Flood, "Derek Walcott joins race to become Oxford professor of poetry," Guardian (March 16, 2009).

Nicholas Wroe, "Bringing it all back home" (about Christopher Ricks) Guardian (January 29, 2005).

The Guardian's articles on the topic "Oxford Professor of Poetry" (2009).

Darwin would have loved you

To celebrate the U.S. publication of Darwin: A Life in Poems by Knopf, Ruth Padel made a trip to New York, where she was photographed with some apes at the American Museum of Natural History.  

Links:

Charles McGrath, "Darwin's Descendant, on Origin of Poetry," New York Times (April 17, 2009).

Richard Holmes, "Giving to a blind man eyes," Guardian (March 14, 2009).

Ruth Padel, "My Other Life," Guardian/The Observer (February 22, 2009).

Ruth Padel's website (www.ruthpadel.com).

'Nuffsiad, "Fifty-Two Ways to Leave Your Lover," The Poem (21 June 2003).

Ruth Padel at South Bank Center February 18th

Ruth Padel will be reading from Darwin: A Life in Poems (2009) on Wednesday February 18, 2009 at 7:45 p.m.

Tickets from South Bank Centre (www.southbankcentre.co.uk).

Meanwhile, there is a Facebook group "Can we find 200,000 by Feb 12 to wish Darwin a happy 200th birthday?" and Peter McDonald is involved in a debate at Oxford:  "Poetry is beautiful, but science is what really matters," (Hilary 2009).