ARTICLE I – Duties of Officers
Section 1. The President shall preside at meetings of the Society and the Executive Committee, and perform such duties as ordinarily pertain to the office.
The appointment of councilors, honorary members, and assistants to the officers shall be made by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.
All deeds and documents shall be signed in the name of the Society by the President and attested by the Treasurer.
Section 2. The Vice President shall preside at meetings of the Society and fulfill other duties of the President during the absence of the President.
Section 3. The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the general correspondence of the Society.
Section 4. The Recording Secretary shall keep and read the minutes of all regular meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee.
Section 5. The Treasurer shall have charge of all business records; act as Chairman of the Finance Committee; collect dues, prize monies, and contributions for special causes; deposit all funds in the name of the Poetry Society of Texas in a bank or savings institution in Dallas County; withdraw funds for expenditures in the normal course of business; provided that, in the temporary absence of the Treasurer, the Assistant Treasurer or President shall have authority to sign checks so approved.
ARTICLE II – Standing Committees
Section 1. FINANCE COMMITTEE – The Finance Committee shall prepare a budget for the year and submit it to the Executive Committee for approval.
The Committee shall provide for an audit of the books of the Society immediately preceding the election of officers each year and shall report to the Annual Meeting. This audit shall be made by a qualified person selected by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. PROGRAM COMMITTEE – The Program Committee shall prepare and arrange all programs for all regular and special meetings, subject to the approval of the President.
Section 3. EDITORIAL COMMITTEE – The Editorial Committee shall be responsible for all compilations and publications of the Society, and shall, upon approval of the Executive Committee, appoint editors for special projects.
Section 4. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE – The Membership Committee shall, within the definitions and rules approved by the Executive Committee, work with the Treasurer in the classification of membership lists; keep lists current and edit lists for Yearbooks, monthly news bulletins and other publications containing a list of members, and securing new ones.
Section 5. MONTHLY CONTEST COMMITTEE – The Monthly Contest Committee, shall in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws and special rules approved by the Executive Committee, contact donors of prizes; approve all monthly prizes; supply the Editorial Committee with proper listing of contests and contest rules; select the Critic Judge for each monthly contest; transmit all submitted contest poems to the Critic Judge and the monthly Readers; and supervise all other matters relating to monthly contests. All monthly prizes shall be subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 6. ANNUAL CONTEST COMMITTEE – It shall be the responsibility of the Annual Contest Committee under the general direction of the Executive Committee to contact persons interested in awarding annual prizes, to select judges for annual contests, to transmit poems to the judges, to tabulate returns from the judges, to supply the Editorial Committee with the proper listing of Annual Contest announcements, contest winners, and copies of winning poems, and to supervise all other matters relating to Annual Contests.
Section 7. EXTENSION COMMITTEE – The Extension Committee, under the direction of the Executive Committee and the President, shall appoint area councilors and councilors-at-large, issue instructions pertaining to their work and establish procedures in accordance therewith, supervise councilor activities, preside over meetings, organize and sustain Chapters of the Poetry Society, issue charters, and perform such other duties in this connection as pertain to the furtherance of poetry.
ARTICLE III – Councilors
Councilors shall be appointed by the President upon approval of the Executive Committee and shall serve in an advisory capacity. They shall be members identified with the primary purpose of the Society in fostering and promoting an interest in the study and composition of poetry, particularly in their respective localities. The Councilors shall make reports for publications of the Society and assist the Officers of the Society in keeping up with members in their communities. They shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee, shall receive information for local distribution, and be invited to meet with the Executive Committee once a year.
ARTICLE IV – Membership Dues
Membership dues, except as elsewhere provided in the Constitution and By-Laws, shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) a year, or five hundred dollars ($500.00) for life, but it shall be within the power of the Executive Committee to make changes in dues as it may deem advisable. All members of the Executive Committee and Chairmen of active Standing Committees shall be exempt from payment of dues by reason of services rendered to the Society.
ARTICLE V – Discontinuance of Membership
Any member may be automatically dropped from the rolls of the Society, for failing to pay dues by November 30th.
ARTICLE VI – Chapters
With the approval of the Executive Committee, a Chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas may be formed in any Texas community or group of communities where ten or more members of the Society reside.
ARTICLE VII – Contests
Section 1. Only active dues-paying members and life members shall be eligible to compete in the regular contests held by the Society and to receive prizes.
Section 2. Special contests open to national competition may be conducted upon approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. MONTHLY CONTESTS, A Critic Judge shall be selected by the Monthly Contest Committee for each of the monthly contests. This judge, who may secure two other judges to assist him, shall receive all the poems submitted; shall select the winners of the Critic’s Award, 2nd place, 3rd place, and ten additional poems to be read for the popular vote in the regular meeting.
Section 4. ANNUAL CONTESTS, Each annual contest shall be judged by one or three competent judges. If any poems submitted fail to comply with the rules of the contest, the poems shall be eliminated by the Annual Contest Committee.
All poems entered in the annual contest shall be mailed to the Annual Contests Chairman, who shall hold all clues to the identity of the authors in confidence and shall transmit all entries to the Annual Contest Committee.
ARTICLE VIII – Publications
Section 1. As soon as possible after the December meeting of each year, the Society shall publish A Book of the Year, the contents of which shall be approved by the Editorial Committee and the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The Society may also issue monthly news bulletins, books, anthologies and other publications approved by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX – Library
A permanent collection of books of or on poetry by members and former members of the Society shall be maintained in the 7th Floor Dallas History & Archives Division, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas.
ARTICLE X – Parliamentary Procedure
The Poetry Society of Texas shall follow the revised Robert’s Rules of Order on points not covered by the Constitution and By-Laws.