SENSITIZE ©

Posted: **Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:00 pm**

Concerning John Irvine aka icarusweeping...

Recently, one of the members of Sensitize (my community) a specimen calling himself John Irvine aka icarusweeping booted me off of his forum situated here:

http://anomalousappetite.proboards105.com/index.cgi

I know in the past I have been rather outspoken and upset a few of you. This time however, I did absolutely nothing to offend or antagonise anyone. I was genuinely working with what I believed to be a group of dedicated artists and writers of merit and standing to bring together a new publication.

There had been an altercation between John and myself last year on an MSN series of workshops facilitated by Mike Daniels, due to John making overly familiar comments, not just about my writing, but about me personally. I hardly knew the bloke yet he seemed to think it appropriate to slight both my character and my work as a writer.

I don't think any of us join these arts and writers communities and forums to be psychoanalyzed by anyone and all of us would appear to be conscientious and hard working artists working with various artforms. For instance, I've been very busy lately networking with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to get grant assistance to buy new high end HD filmaking equipment so I can produce further, future-ready video-poetry for one. This has involved compiling and sharing samples of my work with various staff members up at the Arts Council who have been visiting and reviewing much of my work on Sensitize as well as reading through all I submitted to them, including a screenplay adaptation of a poem originally by Catherine Edmunds.

John, for whatever warped reason, ingratiated himself back into my company. I believe this was as a result of reading the extensive interview I carried out with Catherine, an artist and writer I have a lot of time for and a decent, honourable person as well. I think John must have thought he too would end up with an interview that he could use to promote his own writing. I asked him if he wished for an interview and he said he thought it a splendid idea. So, I began composing the interview. I then contacted him via messenger and private message on Sensitize with the completed list of questions which were designed to be read by visitors to Sensitize and promote him and his work in a way that embraced collaborative artistry.

His response was to allow me onto his community already mentioned above. I swear I said and did nothing to offend anyone on there and worked hard to acknowledge all those I interacted with by saying positive stuff about their work and giving little nuggets of insight I have gained over the years to those who asked because that is perhaps one of the most beneficial things one artist can do for another. I am almost certain Catherine can vouch for the fact that I did and said nothing out-of-hand or offensive to anyone on there. I will let Catherine decide whether she wishes to back me up here...

Then I began getting emails from John stating that I had upset the artists working on his forum. None of them ever told me they were upset and try as I might, I'm damned if I know how I offended anyone. Rather than John just saying; 'Lugh mate, this isn't working.' Or simply playing fair, John decided instead to ask me about my online banking details with PayPal. I didn't realise at the time that he was phishing (which is a crime when doing so to gather banking information), but as soon as I had given him these details + submitted 5 of my poems for his anthology / publication he responded by saying the poems were not suitable.

So, I had worked via my own website to promote this person (John Irvine aka icarusweeping) with my friend and colleague Diarmuid McGowan. I had also joined and interacted with his forum / community and spent quite a lot of time and effort putting together posts for there. Only to have it all slung back in my face because despite the two of us 'apparently' making up over the horrible situation he created last year on Mike Daniels' workshops, he was actually harbouring a grudge and hellbent on costing me time and if I hadn't been careful, money.

Folks. Like I said earlier. Some of you have had 'situations' with me in the past due to a major mix up and certain criminal accusations made by a lunatic called Sarah Holmes, and I accept I may not be 'flavour of the month' with you. But, I do care about all of our work as artists and would hate it if any of you suffered or your work became affected negatively at the hands of people like John Irvine. So, if any of you own or are the administrators of other arts websites and domains. Check your member's IP addresses carefully. If one of your members is on there with the IP address:

203.184.32.165

Or they are using the email address:

docskinns@hotmail.com

then it's John Irivine aka icarusweeping and I can assure you he is up to no good. Possibly working to wreck your websites out of spite or some warped notion only he's allowed to work online as an artist and most probably seeking to either plagerise or wipe out your creative endeavours and those of your artistic friends / colleagues...

Sincere best wishes to you all...