Blood Fjord ’89 Manifesto

1. All poems must be initially typed on a typewriter.
2. Titles must have a space between them and the poem.
3. All poems must be completed in one sitting.
4. If the writer leaves the desk during the sitting, that poem’s draft is considered finished.
5. There is never a final draft, but there is a minimum of three drafts.
6. Drafts must have a twenty four hour break between them.
7. Using colours as a descriptive technique is frowned upon.
8. Notes on drafts must be written in pen on the draft, different days require different pens.
9. Source your own pens n the moment, do not prepare them in advance.
10. Notes and ideas must be handwritten in journals, not on computers.
11. Mistakes are beautiful.
12. Only instrumental music may be listened to. Non-diegetic music is ok.
13. All stanzas must be in multiples of 2 with a 4 line minimum.
14. Poems must be self-referential to each other, and any other poems written by the author.
15. Poems must form a series of at least three.
16. Originals must never be given away, only photocopies.
17. All originals must be kept in plastic wallets, in a folder, each poem has one wallet with the most recent draft at the front.
18. Poems in the series must be numbered.
19. This manifesto is free to distribute in any form.
20. Folders must have a cover page with the author’s name, address, folder start date, folder number and a copy of the manifesto in the second wallet.
21. Break a rule if necessary.

Aaron Kent
illustration: Claire Palmer