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Using
the Site: Some Suggestions
1.
We aim to keep the side panel listings up to date, but
checking links on the styles and poets pages is beyond our resources.
Many links point to academic sites, and these change without warning.
Nonetheless, we will try to update information if readers bring
changes or new sites to our attention. And of course we'll promptly
correct anything we've got wrong.
2. Please link to any page on this site that interests
you: you don't have to tell us.
3. We usually respond to emails within 3 days. But do
please search the site and that of PoetryMagic
before firing off questions. You
will need to distinguish your query from the usual spam, of which
we get many thousands every week.
4. We're always delighted to add to our listings,
but do make sure that your site furthers our aims — is fully
operational, extends our coverage and gives visitors a decent
return for their browsing.
5. We try to represent
a good width of opinion — which means including sites
with whose views and practices we are not always in agreement.
Poetry enterprises are generally more labours of love than businesses,
but we do urge readers to use their common sense and do a little
homework before parting with money for conferences and winner's
anthologies, etc.— advice that applies especially to poetry.com,
about which we receive many complaints.
6. For reasons
of space, our ezine listings are very limited. The sites
we do list have their own listings, however, and it's among these
that poetry ezines should try to feature. If important, providing
something that no other ezine provides is your best chance of
getting listed.
7. We rarely list
individual poet's sites — for reasons of space, and
because it would imply that we had the time and width of reading
to select the best from thousands of worthy candidates. Again,
poets should try to feature on ezines with such listings —
e.g. those maintained
by Tim Love,
Peter
Howard, Patrick Martin,
PowWow,
A
Little Poetry, OzPoet,
Hypertexts , Poetrypages,
FindPoetry and Arms
of the Angels and Email
Submitted Poetry
8. We're increasingly asked to review poetry collections
and chapbooks, sometimes by poets whose work is already well
known. We're sorry that we don't have the staff or time to do
this, not to an acceptable standard. Please try the sites listed
under Book News.
9. With regret, we must also ask you not to send
us poems for publication / review / advice. Critiquing
is a time-consuming matter, and not what we're really qualified
to do. Please refer to the publishing
page for advice and extensive listings.
10. We've recently
conducted a survey of submissions handling by some of
the better-known poetry ezines. Results are very discouraging.
The majority did not acknowledge submissions promptly, or even
at all, did not answer email enquiries, did not detail their policies
sufficiently on the website, and/or did not adhere to those policies.
MS handling comes with the job, and we urge editors to behave
more responsibly to their future lifeblood. We also suggest that
contributors get an email OK from the editor before sending off
their work, particularly if the ezine does not permit multiple
submissions.
11. Please contact
us with comments, queries and suggestions for improvements.
The site webmaster and editor is Colin John Holcombe.
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