[Newspoetry] Newspoetry FAQ

[Joe Futrelle]

Noozepoets,

While the server is getting its new name, I have something to run by us 
assembled Associated Poet types.  It is the first gol-dang draft of the 
Newspoetry FAQ.  Why a FAQ?  Because yours truly gets asked some questions, 
well, frequently.

Here's what I have for the FAQ.  If anyone has any ideas about it, do chime 
in.  It's attached as HTML.  Here's the plain ol' text (note that where it 
says things like "this link" there are hyperlinks in the HTML 
version).  (It's kinda straightforward kinda until the end where it gets 
all "weird" ... woah ...)

---

Frequently Asked and Sometimes Never Actually Asked Questions

Q: What is Newspoetry?

It's a kind of poetry codified by William Gillespie. See "The History of 
Newspoetry" for details about where it came from, and a concise definition. 
Briefly, it's the daily practice of writing a poem about the news or events 
in the news. Newspoets are poets who do this -- though few of us manage to 
write a newspoem every day. We have an email list and a website 
anthologizing the email list, edited originally by William and now by Joe 
Futrelle.

Q: Who are "Associated Poets"?

A highly unprofessional disorganization of newspoets. We meet regularly never.

Q: How can I subscribe/unsubscribe from the email list?

Go to this link and follow the instructions.

Q: Where can I find the email list archives?

Follow this link and click on one of the "View by ..." links.

Q: How can I submit a Newspoem? Do I have to subscribe to the mailing list 
to do that?

No, just send it to the list address, newspoetry at lists.groogroo.com. Note 
that it will be sent to the whole list and appear in the archives.

Q: I'm having a problem with the site (e.g. it's down, slow, there's an 
error in a poem or index).

Email Joe at futrelle at shout.net. He's the site administrator.

Q: Who selects the poems and decides which days they should run?

The editor.

Q: That's not democratic!

Right.

Q: How does this so-called "editor" make those decisions?

Using the following criteria:

Is it newspoetry? In other words, is it creative writing about the news or 
events in the news?
Is it someone whose work hasn't been seen on the site recently? (e.g. try 
to avoid running a poet two days in a row)
Is it timely enough to be bumped up earlier in the queue?
Does it use newspoetry for hostile or illegal purposes (flames, threats, 
libel/slander, copyright infringement, etc.)? (if so, reject it)

Q: How can I find out when my poem is going to run?

You can see the upcoming poetry queue by going to 
http://www.newspoetry.com/test.html. This interface is the same one used to 
format poems for publication, but only the editor can actually modify the 
queue.

Q: The editor rejected my poem! Isn't that censorship?

No. The Newspoetry website does not serve as an open message board. The 
mailing list, on the other hand, is completely open and unmoderated, and 
the archives are accessible to anyone from the front page of the website, 
so go nuts.

Q: Why are so many Newspoets from Urbana, IL?

Because that's where William comes from. But Newspoetry is now an 
international phenomenon of non-epic proportions.

Here's William's description of Urbana:

Nestled among the featureless agri-business grids of east central llinois, 
Champaign-Urbana sits against the horizon like one twin small metropolis in 
a region protected from tornadoes by its subtle topography. Home to the 
nation's oldest experimental agricultural field, and some football team, 
but the third largest university library in North America, this small town 
is the home of a disproportionate number of artists, scholars and 
activists. There is art here. There are quiet safe streets. But there is 
one of the highest per capita beer consumption rates in the United States. 
When the evening fades to dusty blue stained glass, the trees throw their 
branches across the emerging stars as if frantic apparitions fending off 
time's carcinogens. On nights like these we gather quietly on porches with 
our cellos, baritone ukuleles and radical economic blueprints to tonight 
compose the songs that will make us nostalgic tomorrow, and, the following 
day, will seem weirdly quaint. This is one of the last footholds of desire 
in a country destroyed by a flood of money now diminished to a trickle. 
Urbana's clock tower and airraid sirens, its post office and donut shop, 
its cobblestone streets lit by incandescent globes all serve to provide a 
focus only vaguely akin to community. But then there's us.

Q: People keep sending off-topic messages to the email list. I just want 
poetry.

Then unsubscribe from the list and just use the website. It is technically 
feasible to set up a "daily poem" email service, but it hasn't been 
implemented yet.

Q: What kind of messages are appropriate for the email list?

That's up to the participants. But chiefly, the list functions to support 
the work of newspoets, primarily through sharing poetry but also through 
sharing resources like links to news stories, other poetry sites, etc. It 
has not primarily functioned as a discussion group. Critique and praise of 
contributed poems is discouraged unless the author of a poem specifically 
requests it, because evaluative comments tend to have a deadening effect on 
submissions as some poets begin to become self-conscious and worry about 
how their poetry is being evaluated relative to others'.

Q: Do the opinions expressed on newspoetry.com and in the email list 
necessarily reflect those of the editor and owner of newspoetry.com, or 
groogroo.com, associatedpoets.org, or any associated organizations?

I certainly hope not, for the sake of the sanity of said organizations.

Q: Please cease and desist from the use of my client's copyrighted material 
on your website, or we will be forced to take legal action.

OK, we'll take the muppet newscaster off our masthead. But fair use, baby, 
fair use. In our satirical moods, we are so exempt from copyright 
restrictions. See section 107 of the copyright law for the letter.

Q: What is a frequently-asked question?

It's a question that's asked frequently. Is that some sort of a trick question?

Q: I'm asking the questions here.

Don't get smart with me, pal.

Q: What about this question? Is is actually asked frequently, or did you 
just make it up?

Funny you should ask.

Q: OK: so if a frequently-asked question is put on the FAQ, and that 
results in fewer people asking the question, doesn't it then become an 
infrequently asked question, which should be removed from the FAQ? And then 
when you remove it, people start asking it more frequently, so you have to 
put it back on the FAQ, ad nauseum?

Ad nauseum is right.

Q: How can I find out how frequently each of the questions on the FAQ is asked?

Count how many times you ask each question, then extrapolate. This kind of 
technique is routinely used by news organizations to determine how 
important issues are, so you'll be in good company.


--
Joe Futrelle
editor-within-chief
http://www.newspoetry.com/
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