Shouldn't need much of a script. But here's a rough outline that I think would work:

"Title simply 'North American Visual Poetry, a Survey.' A voice might state it, too.

"A few credits.

"Meanwhile, from before the title and continuing for five minutes at least, a succession of visio-textual works. At some point that seems right, voice-over says, "When dealing with visual poetry, a question quickly arises because of the wide variety of works involved." After five or six works pass to illustrate the point: "Some are emphatically both verbal and visual." four or five examples. "Some not so verbal" Examples. "Some considered "asemic.'" Examples. "Are all of these examples of visual poetry?" Wide variety of examples (and the main point of this introduction is to give an excuse for showing a lot of works, and how different from one another they are). "The point has been and continues to be vigorously argued by many involved with the art." More samples while quotations of vispo definitions from various references are read. "No definition has gained universal adherence. As a step toward possibly agreeing on one, this conference staged a panel on the question. Cut to panel. Standard documentary of those involved, then cut-aways to people not on the panel.

"Then, "however people define it, few here would disagree that visual poetry in North America is a wonderfully valuable for of art . . . seriously under-valued by most of those in the poetry establishment. Take, for instance, the work of K.S. Ernst, which is mostly at the verbal end of the vispo spectrum." Show some specimens, then standard interview of Kathy (or whoever goes first--I picked her because she's one of the more accessible visual poets around--I do think the documentary should work up to the asemic people, not start with them)--background, high points in career, influences . . . Then simple transitions like, "Joe Blow's works are in a similar vein--or extremely different though as verbal," or whatever. I would hope most of the works in the beginning section are returned to and commented on.

"Later (or interspersed) interviews of non-visual poets including people with little knowledge of it. Make sure to get the Sackners (who have a lot of knowledge of it!).

"End with another series of visio-textual works. Voice-over of some kind of summary.

"This is a rough draft to work from, get things going. I don't care much what the script finally is--but think it essential that we say something about what visual poetry is.