As fall ushers in Tennessee’s technicolor show and a bountiful harvest, it’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through our program year. Perhaps harder to believe is how much we have already accomplished:

• welcomed members old and new (We welcome all poets: join us!)
• celebrated our 70th year as a society
• modernized operations with digital offerings like online payment
• gratefully accepted volunteers and contest sponsors
• launched member and student contests (and soon, festival contests)
• enjoyed poetry contest entries and winning poems
• represented our society and state at the national convention
• published Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2022-2023
• improved our craft in critique groups
• joined community open mics and other poetry-related events
• welcomed speakers who inspired and educated us on diverse topics
• shared our poetry
• celebrated our member poets’ achievements
• supported each other, through both the ease and travails of life
• and more

With poet members from beginner to published pro … a colorful array of publications emerged this year: first-time published among the many individual poems published … and a steady stream of book releases! Arch Jones and Jeff Price released inaugural collections. KB Ballentine and Abby Lewis have multiple offerings beyond their current releases. And more member books are coming: at this writing, we know of two. Shuly Cawood and Natalie Kimbell, we’re looking forward to your releases! For a great collection featuring our members (and others), check out our latest edition of Tennessee Voices.

Beneath the colorful leaves of our published works, our educational programs root us, branching into topics that help us improve in the art and craft of poetry. Thus far, we have explored how to find themes in our poetry for chapbooks, how to craft stellar poems through unexpected word choice, and how to decipher the intricacies of meter. We also dove into several specific forms, including the Dorsimbra, an invention of Poetry Society of Tennessee members! Stay tuned for more interesting programs, like our upcoming ekphrastic poetry program in October, led by prolific poet and past presenter John Mannone. (Denton Loving will join us in November!) Finally, if you miss a program, you’ll find links to member-exclusive videos in your meeting invite and meeting link emails each month.

If contests are your thing, meander over to our members-only contests. (Be sure to check out our updated guidelines.) If you know a young poet or a K-12 educator, let them know about our student contest! Thanks to our generous sponsors, festival contests will open for submission soon. Whether you enter or not, be part of our 67th annual festival! (Speaking of festival, we could use some help bringing it to life. If interested, email us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.)

As the season shifts, we have much to look forward to, from more engaging educational programs to crafting, sharing and celebrating our poetry, including PST’s poetry festival in the spring. For now, let’s enjoy the brisk air of our efforts and take in the beauty of fall’s bounty.

With gratitude and enthusiasm—
Lisa Kamolnick
President, Poetry Society of Tennessee