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“I was working on a poem about my childhood experiences in Exmoor and was careless. I used Helen Mort’s poem as a model for my own but rushed and ended up submitting a draft that wasn’t entirely my own work.”

Well, this one wins a prize.

As explanations for plagiarism go, it’s a winner.

And this guy needs a prize, just having lost one for plagiarizing – virtually in its entirety – a poem that had won him a contest.

Like almost all copiers, he’s done it many times.

He’s begun examining his other poems for plagiarism. Apparently you never know where the muse will send you.

I have begun to examine my published poems to make sure there are no similar mistakes. I want to be as honest as I can with the poetry community and I know it will take some time to regain their trust. Already I have discovered a 2009 poem called The Neighbour is very similar to Tim Dooley’s After Neruda and admit that a mistake has been made. I am still digging and want a fresh start.

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UPDATE: People have begun writing limericks about Ward. Here’s one, from comments on a Telegraph article:

There was a young poet called Ward,
Whose verses appeared to be fraud,
When questioned about it,
He claimed he’s been ‘careless’,
An excuse that is seriously flawed.

Not bad. Here’s one from UD, American-accent style:


There was a young poet called Ward
Who thought of his childhood and soared
To heights of great feeling…
These turned out to be stealing
Which he thought would go largely ignored.

Margaret Soltan, January 12, 2013 5:29PM
Posted in: plagiarism

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8 Responses to ““I was working on a poem about my childhood experiences in Exmoor and was careless. I used Helen Mort’s poem as a model for my own but rushed and ended up submitting a draft that wasn’t entirely my own work.””

  1. Van L. Hayhow Says:

    Uh, if you are going to steal a poem,almost word for word, shouldn’t you use an older, more obscure poem from a poet who is dead?

  2. Margaret Soltan Says:

    Van: That’s usually how it’s done – with plagiarism of any kind. I think this guy must be a bit on the pathological side.

  3. Hanna Gray Says:

    Have a look at the article inWorld University News of Jan. 11 on the gentleman in Singapore who has been found guilty of plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, and mismanagement and who may well be the current world champion in this category.

  4. Margaret Soltan Says:

    Hanna: Ah yes. I’ve been keeping an eye on the gentleman from Singapore. Not sure why I haven’t posted about him yet – sometimes I wait awhile, to see if other articles come out…

    Thank you for the reminder.

  5. Barbara MacDonald Allport Says:

    Why don’t they award the prize to Helen Mort?

  6. Margaret Soltan Says:

    Barbara: Yes. Mr UD said they’ve already given it to her. In a way.

  7. Jeremy Bangs Says:

    His poem was about Exmort.

  8. Margaret Soltan Says:

    Jeremy: LOL.

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