As spring shifts shades of gray into a mosaic of greens and pastels, poetry erupts into a national celebration here in the United States. Excitement builds in the weeks leading up to April, as readings, activities, prompts, contests and submission opportunities multiply like the awaking landscape into a succession of poetic celebrations.

Our society, too, honors poetry in celebration in April with our 69th Annual Poetry Festival! Free to members, this event will be held virtually on Zoom. Join us for a focused line-up from the comfort of your home or favorite wifi hangout as Lisa Coffman presents Midrash, Myth Making, Myth Breaking: The Collective Meets the Individual, after which we will reveal the winners of our festival contests with a special reading.

In our March member meeting, Shan Overton shared encyclopedic knowledge and an infectious appreciation of haiku, providing attendees an opportunity to pen their own and begin incorporating haiku mindset and technique into their practice. We will not hold a regular member meeting in April. In May our new program year begins under the guidance of incoming program director, Jeffrey Heath. Get ready for another year of amazing monthly programs!

Poets for Peace is now formally affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS), and we have more important news: Sunflowers Rising 2, a Peace Poem Anthology is open for submissions through May 31, 2026. Proceeds benefit a project for a Ukrainian orphanage. Get details. In addition, the 65th annual NFSPS convention will be held in Kansas in late July and is open for registration!

If you haven’t visited our bookstore recently, check out what’s new from our member authors. We love to highlight our member’s books, so if you’re not on our bookstore, let us know and we’ll help you through the process.

Want to help us grow and thrive? Would you like to help us with member communications or social media? contests or the annual festival? connect members in a region? contribute to our blog? support the mission in some other way? Contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com to learn more and get involved.

Curious about PST? Join us at a meeting or other activity. Reach out anytime. Peruse our website, monthly newsletters, social media (@poetrysocietyoftennessee on Facebook and Instagram). Ready to join? Find membership information here (online & mail options available). I hope to see you soon at an event—in person or virtual.

With anticipation and delight—
Lisa Kamolnick
President, Poetry Society of Tennessee