As I write this, a blaze of fall colors is about to peak in northeast Tennessee. When I enter the slice of calendar I set aside to hike into the chilled beauty of fall’s tapestry, I’ll carry the warmth (and support) of a broad and growing community. This warmth comes from interacting with our members, with other poets and with lovers of language—in Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) working meetings, critique groups, and programs; at community contests, readings, open mics, and poetry circles; and through a host of interactions with poets in friendship and for the sake of poetry. This past week, I had an opportunity to engage in all of the foregoing, and the positive energy of this creative community lingers within.

Writing is more of a solo activity, but it benefits from community. We benefit from community. And I’m incredibly excited that our PST community is growing. Each month more poets and poetry lovers join us. Because we are spread across the state and beyond, it can be challenging to forge connections, to create a closeness that perhaps comes more easily face-to-face. But with a focused effort, I believe it’s possible. Here are ways we seek (or will be) to create community for you:

• We will create opportunities for you to interact with each other in our virtual monthly meeting space (and will explore additional touch points).
• We will support members wishing to create a critique group or similar working group. We welcome members to join existing groups with space available as well.
• We will work to connect you to on-the-ground and virtual poetic activities in our regions, in bordering states and beyond. If you know of a community activity or poetry-oriented organization, please share with us: email poetrytennessee@gmail.com or share on our Facebook page.
• We want to feature our members in bios and through brief articles. If you’ve not submitted a bio, it’s not too late. Learn more.

We are open to ideas from our members, especially those focused on community. Let us know what’s working, what’s not, and what questions you have. This is our society: we were founded by poets for poets, and 70 years later, that has not changed. Let’s create something beautifully meaningful together.

Warm wishes—
Lisa Kamolnick
President, Poetry Society of Tennessee