[Newspoetry] Line Breaks

[William Gillespie]

I don’t mean to be a hard-ass, but I’m seeing a lot of sloppy poetry on
this list, and I wanted to just remind you guys about some of the
procedures instigated at the beginning of my tenure during the blizzard
of 1999. I assume you all have a copy of the Newspoetry staff handbook,
if not you need to send me a check for $25 IMMEDIATELY so I can send you
a copy. Now I’d like everyone to reread Chapter 17, and because this is
a crisis situation I’ve included some relevant passages below:

     Chapter 17 Line Breaks

     Formal integrity and haunting poetic beauty are of paramount
     importance. It is the responsibility of the Newspoet to
     maintain high standards of formal integrity. In addition to
     the Responsible Scansion guidelines, the Newspoetry Policy and
     Procedures on Formal Integrity in Poetry and Prose sets forth
     the following limitations which apply to all Newspoets. Line
     breaks are those inexplicable carriage returns, or, as is
     relevant to electronic political poetry, break tags or
     paragraph tags (stanza breaks).

     Newpoetry staff members appointed for any period of time other
     than on a twelve-month basis are allotted no line breaks
     except for specific approved poetic forms. They must write,
     therefore, only prose. Full-time Newspoetry staff members
     appointed on a twelve-month basis receive twenty-four line
     breaks per appointment year; part-time Newspoetry staff
     members appointed on a twelve-month basis receive twenty-four
     line breaks at the percentage of their appointment (based on
     an eight-hour day) per appointment year. Line breaks are
     arranged to accommodate the convenience of the Newspoet with
     the approval of the unit leader. A maximum of forty-eight line
     breaks may be accumulated and carried over into the new
     appointment year. During a partial-year appointment, line
     breaks are prorated. Line breaks used in the composition of
     poetry written in forms approved by the unit leader, are
     considered a part of the annual allowance.

Also, alliteration is expressly forbidden. Well, I just wanted to make
sure things went smoothly. Let’s get those checks in the mail!

William
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