Poet rivalry turns ugly with sex slurs.

She just had to mention that girl from Nantucket! From Daily Mail:

The new Oxford University professor of poetry is facing calls to quit after it emerged she helped to spread sex slurs about her rival for the post.

Ruth Padel had claimed that she had 'nothing to do' with the smear campaign against Derek Walcott, a former winner of the Nobel prize for literature who was favourite for the job.

But it was revealed that weeks before the vote she sent emails tipping off journalists about two allegations of sexual harassment made against Walcott by female students.

Days later, Padel's close friend, writer John Walsh, wrote a highly inflammatory article referring to the lurid claims in The Independent newspaper.

Details about the allegations were later sent anonymously around the university, prompting Walcott, 79, to withdraw from last week's election, complaining of a 'low and degrading attempt at character assassination'.

It allowed a near clear path for Padel's election to the 300-year- old post, which is regarded as the most influential in UK poetry behind that of the poet laureate.