Dear, Professor Beckerlegge
Thank-you for your telephone call.
I can, eventually, produce a careful, formalised, chronological report on the serial plagiarism by Dr Joan Benford but in the interim I will forward emails etc so that the data is before you, and the proof of these thefts is clear.
May I suggest, in the first instance (effectively immediately) you visit Amazon and search for Joanne Benson, take a note of the books STILL being sold (half the original amount, as many have been withdrawn.)
I say this because Dr Benford has been systematically removing evidence over the weekend and the Amazon exposure may also disappear.
Point 1.
At the Open University there is a document, available to the public
http://www.open.ac.uk/uk/north-west/artsteachingandscholarshipnetwork/p5.shtml
This lists Dr Benford's publications.
ACADEMIC
Sing of the City Electric (Plagiarised)
Through the Screen Wildly (excerpt from her PhD, highly suspect)
Living Doll: The Seduction of the Cyborg (Plagiarised)
PostModern Aesthetics and Poetics (not yet checked)
The Organised Writer's Yearbook
Fiction/Poetry
The Music of the Spheres (Plagiarised)
Silence & Tears (not yet checked)
Down By the Water (Plagiarised)
The Ring of Elements (Plagiarised)
Cafe Ultima (Plagiarised)
Coming Up for Air (Plagiarised)
Fanning the Flames (Not yet checked)
Scorched Earth (Plagiarised)
What follows is a quick "review" of her publications page
PUBLICATIONS
Dr Joanne Benford
a selection from the Open University site
I also regularly write features and articles for magazines such as Woman’s Own, People’s Friend and Best.
People's Friend Annual 2003. Postcards From BalloonLand is actually by Alex Keegan
Café Ultima ‘A romp through the lives of various members of cafe society... violent moments, but strangely poetic in tone.’ amazon.co.uk
Published 2000 Moog Enterprises New edition, reprinted July 2008.
Was 100% ripped off. I have the name of the (male) author and his editor
The Music of the Spheres That star upon the serpent’s head Is called the soul of man…’ A collection of poetry with original illustrations inspired by the planets and the mythology and magic connected with them. Published 1996 by Moog Enterprises
New edition, reprinted July 2008. ISBN 1 900701 09X / 978 1 900701 099
Unfortunately the poetry within is by Aleister Crowley
The Ring of Elements Special edition artist’s book, comprising the full set of four elements. Created in a limited edition, each will be unique, featuring hand finished detail. New edition, reprinted July 2008. ISBN 1 900701 189 / 978 1 900701 181
Contains a short-story actually written by Alex Keegan, a work by William F Strine and also by W D Beresford and Cicely Barker, many, many others, and poet John Burnside!
Down By The Water
This is the first in a series of four books, together comprising the ‘Ring of Elements’ set, and is composed of lyrical stories, poems and artwork, linked by the sea, the river and those that inhabit them. ‘A fantastic read, crammed full of beautiful language, similar to Dylan Thomas, perhaps, or GM Hopkins. Also beautiful illustrations by the author herself.’ amazon.co.uk
‘An avant-garde novel, comprising story chapters interspersed with some poems. These poems form the inner monologues of the main characters, including the heroine, drowned by her lover, and haunting his descendants.’ amazon.co.uk (her own review, I believe)
New edition, reprinted July 2008. ISBN 1 900701 111 / 978 1 900701 112
Contains work by Barker, and John Burnside
Scorched Earth ‘I want to hear this soft damp night breathing. ’‘We only know the sudden shadow-cold… black with coal, and the long tunnels of the afternoons pelting into the future like stones lobbed by bullies at our faces.’ ‘Wow… making a huge mythology if you immerse yourself in them all. Thanks for the dreaming!’ amazon.co.uk
New edition, reprinted July 2008. ISBN 1 900701 146 / 978 1 900701 143
Contains work (A Farmer of the Night) by James A Collins
Sing of the City Electric (Academic)
New edition, reprinted July 2008. ISBN 1 900701 162 / 978 1 900701 167
An academic work. I haven't personally read but another academic wrote to me saying it contains huge chunks of Peter Wollen's "Delirious Projections."
Living Doll: The Seduction of the Cyborg
Published by Moog Enterprises 2008 ISBN 978-1-9007-0121-1
Whole sections are from Of Aids, Cyborgs, and Other Indiscretions: Resurfacing The Body in the Postmodern by Allison Fraiberg (Postmodern Culture v.1.n3 (May 1991) where Joanne Benford appears to have edited out all the parts relating to AIDS.
Feminist Film Theory and Female Spectatorship
is copied from 'Building the feminine: feminist film theory and female spectatorship' by Gillian Swanson
2 comments:
Removing references to AIDS, especially from a paper written as early as 1990 was particularly evil since the original author was right at the front of the pack on behalf of people who were dying and spreading the word. I was teaching in southern Africa then and participating in mass education of teachers inthe Ministry od Education and through drama in community theatre. You blog is not'emotional' but responsible and professional.
Thank-you Sheila.
Since I did the dossier, even more plagiarism has turned up.
We even found one title reprinted where she ADDED a plagiarised poem, from Leonard Cohen, no less.
alex
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