What's in a name?

by CD Richards

I have a little secret, and I think it should be shared;
it's news I've longed to let you know, but somehow never dared.
Now, if you find this furtiveness is hard to understand,
it might help if you had a chat with my old mate, George Sand.

Or, failing that, I think that Ellis Bell might tell you why,
in making this disclosure, I have been a little shy.
Yes, even Robert Galbraith had the same misgivings too;
so now it's time to let it go, and share this thing with you.

To hide my pseudandry, I've sometimes needed to be vague;
I think you'll be surprised to learn that I'm not really Craig.
You'll soon get used to using the real name by which I'm known;
so in the future, I'd be grateful if you'd call me Joan.

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Recognized

Today's word: pseudandry (n.) the use of a male pseudonym by a female writer.

It's not an uncommon practice, even today, for female authors to adopt a male pseudonym. This poem refers to three such examples:

George Sand: Amantine Dupin
Ellis Bell: Emily Bronte
Robert Galbraith: Joanne (JK) Rowling

My much-treasured Christmas present for 2017 is a book by Paul Anthony Jones: "The cabinet of linguistic curiosities". Each page contains a descriptive story about some obscure or archaic word. It occurred to me it would be a fun exercise to try and write, each day, a poem featuring the "word of the day" from the book.

Thanks for reading.

Image: Jo Calderone (aka Lady Gaga)

WeslleyAlb [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

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Some startling news

A chapter in the book A Potpourri of Poetic Curiosities

What's in a name?

by CD Richards

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