As I write, the vernal equinox invites spring into our lives. This time of renewal promises the lift of color into our landscape as flowers, shrubs and trees come back to life. Early blooming daffodils give way to redbuds and dogwoods, iris and trillium. Sonnets of birdsong, squirrel chatter, and peepers wake the season. It is somehow odd, yet fitting, that just as Tennessee comes back into bloom, our society bursts into the last blooms of its season.

In April we will celebrate our society and poetry at our 67th Annual Poetry Festival! In William G. Wright’s workshop we will explore ways to enhance our poetry and approach revision. Festival contest entries this year were fierce, and we can’t wait to share the winning poems. A giant THANK YOU to our sponsors and judges, with special recognition to guest judges Matthew Wimberley, Tom Holmes, Susan Chamberlain, Aime Whittemore and Crystal Robbins. Many thanks also to Deborah Adams, for her tireless effort as contest coordinator.

Results are also starting to come in for our student contests. THANK YOU to student contest chair Seth Grindstaff and judges Scott Honeycutt (High School) and Jeff Price (Middle School). Elementary contest judging will be underway soon.

We are already planning programs for the coming year, and our critique groups continue. We continue to make inroads into communities across the state to help you find opportunities in yours. Soon, we will elect next year’s leaders and begin our own cycle of renewal. (I will be sharing our proposed Board for vote in the next few weeks, along with a listing of our extended leadership team.)

Reflecting on the past 10 and a half months, we’ve seen exponential membership growth, and we want to find ways to better connect members to each other in the coming year. (To that end, we invite interested members to consider working on member-connecting projects with our Regional Connections Committee or Membership Chair.) We’ve undertaken new ways of doing business, like accepting online payments, applications and contest entries. We will apply learnings to the coming year. As we look ahead, we seek to solidify and expand upon ideas and programs for members that nurture and promote poets and poetry across our state.

I invite all of our members to reflect on the past year and let us know about your experience. Share the highlights and lowlights with us. Tell us what you’d like to see happen for members. As a society for poets, by poets, we want to be sure we are meeting your needs. We need to understand where we are getting things right and where we can improve. Your message matters. Email us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.

I also invite you to renew your membership in the coming month. Same low fee, continuing focus on poets and poetry. Since 1953, we’ve worked to create a community for poets to grow, flourish, and gain recognition. Let’s do this again next year. Even better.

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