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January 2026 Program with Kory Wells
ALWAYS AT ODDS: MINING CONTRASTS FOR EFFECTIVE POEMS
Sometimes as writers we gravitate toward our good memories, or those that we think are somehow beautiful: how sweet the honeysuckle; how brilliant the sky. At other times, we can’t tear our focus from all that feels wrong in the world, whether that’s violence, exploitation of people and the environment, snarky memes, or an untimely death.
No matter what turn a poem ultimately takes, we can create more memorable, less predictable writing by elevating our awareness of contrast and ways to incorporate it into our writing. In this session we’ll read work by a few contemporary poets and use those poems as jumping-off places for our own drafts. You’ll leave this session with a draft or two of new poetry or micro-prose.
Join Kory Wells in her upcoming workshop. This session will be suitable for all levels of writers.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Kory Wells is author of two poetry collections, most recently Sugar Fix from Terrapin Books. A former poet laureate of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, she founded and directs Poetry in the Boro, a reading and open mic series now in its tenth year. Her writing has been featured on The Slowdown from American Public Media, won Blue Earth Review’s Flash Creative Nonfiction Contest, and appears in Cutleaf, Salvation South, The Strategic Poet, and elsewhere. After her first career in software development, Kory nurtures community through storytelling, arts initiatives, and as a mentor to writers through the from-home creative writing program MTSU Write. Find her on Instagram or Facebook as @tnpoet.
Meeting Information
This program will be presented at our upcoming PST meeting, to be held January 10, 2026, from 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern / 1:00-3:00 pm Central via Zoom. Members will be provided a link a few days prior. If you are interested in learning more about PST, check out our website. If you’d like to attend our meeting as a guest, contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.
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Opportunities Abound: December Roundup
This month’s roundup includes various opportunities brought to our attention by various organizations, members, and friends others discovered organically. (Be sure to scroll down to our events section for a great fall line-up!) Grow your skills, find submissions opportunities, and more!
Submission Opportunities
Quartet is an online poetry journal featuring work by women fifty and over.
National Baseball Poetry Festival: All grades 4-12 students are invited to submit poems with a baseball and/or softball theme
National Baseball Poetry Festival: College students and all adults may submit poems “that deal with any aspect of the gamesmanship, nature, and atmosphere of Baseball and/or Softball.”
SUBMISSION OPPORTUNITIES (from Trish Hopkinson’s newsletter)
Writers Resist (opens in January) seeks “creative expressions of resistance by diverse writers and artists from around the globe.”
The Rumpus publishes original fiction, poetry, literary humor writing, comics, essays, book reviews, and interviews with authors and artists of all kinds.
New Verse News “presents politically progressive poetry on current events and topical issues. “ Note: No simultaneous submissions.
Only Poems is looking for poems “that make us go: ‘God, I wish I had written this!’”
(Generously provided by Jake Lawson)
- The Bluebird Word
- Appalachian Places
- Braided Way
- Sky Island Journal
- Amethyst Review
- Thimble Lit Mag
- Appalachian Free Press
- Pulsebeat Poetry
- Westward Quarterly
- Appalachian Lit
- Shanti Arts
- The City Key
- West Trestle Review
- Lothlorien Poetry Journal
- 2River
- Appalachia Bare
- Ecotone
- Emerson Review
- Greensboro Review
- Smoky Blue Literary & Arts Magazine
Open Through December 31
- Doubly Mad
- Toasted Cheese
- Lost Pilots
- Monterrey Poetry Review
- Spectrum Literary Journal
- Pens & Poison
- Indiana State Poetry Society US250 Persona Contest
Southern Journals
Micromance Magazine “Run by both avid romance readers and passionate romance writers, we know romance, we love romance.” Cookeville, TnThe Cumberland River Review is produced by the department of English at Trevecca Nazarene University, in Nashville, Tennessee. Open for submissions September through April.
Appalachian Review is a respected and proven journal based at Berea College.
Porchlight is a new journal out of Perry County, Tennessee, and is led by Dr. Randy Mackin.
Always Open
Hate deadlines? Here are a few randomly selected literary venues that are always (or almost always) open to submissions:
- BoomerLit Mag
- Centaur Lit (seeks hybrid work up to 400 words)
- Cornice Mag
- Door is a Jar
- January House Literary Journal
- Menace
- Paranoid Tree (prose poetry)
- Porchlight
- Rogue Agent
- Southern Poetry Review
- The Sun
- Your Impossible Voice
More Calls and Contests
- Tennessee Student Poetry Contest. Open through February 10, 2025.
- Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest from WyoPoets opens October 1, 2025
- BlackBerry Peach Spoken and Written Word Contest and 50th Annual NFSPS Poetry Contests (list coming soon) open for submission January 1 through March 15, 2026
Events
Open Mics
Take your poetry off the page at an open mic! You’ll find them across the state and in the virtual realm:
WEST
- Third Saturday of each month 3:00 pm at Coffee Central, 5627 Getwell Rd. Southaven, MS 38672: Bring original poetry or short prose (3 minutes) to share with other poets and poetry lovers. Good listeners are also welcome.To encourage young children, we would like to hear them read anything they write or just read their favorite poem. We do not censor any social, political, religious, or philosophical viewpoint. We do ask, when it comes to graphic content and profanity, remember that Coffee Central is one of our most gracious sponsors and we should not and will not offend other customers or negatively affect business.
MIDDLE
Poetry in the Boro is a monthly open mic and featured reading series hosted in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, currently held at the Dapper Owl Coffee Pub & Bakery and at many other locations when collaborating with other organizations in the community. Often meet the second or third Sunday evening of each month but dates can vary, especially when partnering with other organizations and groups. Get details.
MIDEAST
Sawmill Poetry is a poetry reading and open mic held at the The Plenty Bookstore in Cookeville, Tennessee. Get details.
SOUTHEAST
- Rhyme n Chatt Interactive Poetry Group, based in Chattanooga, hosts an Open Mic at the Edney Innovation Center at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday evening of each month. It is called Fresh Out the Shoebox. The also hold workshops and performance events with a focus on performance poetry. See the website for more information. Get details.
- 7:30 pm last Fridays (except for November and December) at Barnes & Noble at 2100 Hamilton Place Boulevard in Chattanooga.
- The Wandering Poetry Circle meets every other Tuesday Night at WanderLinger Brewing Company, https://www.wanderlinger.com/
EAST *NEW*
- Third Thursdays at The Maker’s Space, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM in Knoxville, TN. Former Knoxville Poet Laureate Rhea Carmon hosts.
NORTHEAST
- First Tuesdays 6:30 pm, PoetTEA open mic is held at The Philosophers House, 117 W. Fairview Ave in Johnson City. Cosponsors are Poetry Writers Workshop and our society. Sign-ups begin 6:15 pm. 4-minute limit.
- Johnson City Poets Collective open mic at The Down Home 300 W. Main Street in Johnson City. Check their Facebook or Instagram for dates and times.
VIRTUAL
Last Monday of the month, 7:00 pm Poetry Pie shares poetry on Zoom (max three poems). Contact the society to get on the email list.
Are we missing an open mic in Tennessee? Let us know!
Workshops
- Haiku Group led by Shan Overton will have an online workshop on December 6. The cost is $25. Please sign up using this link. https://secure.touchnet.com/C20134_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1757
- The Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative offers programs related to literature and creative writing at ETSU
- Shuly Cawood virtual generative and craft-focused writing workshops
- John Davis Jr. “Metacreativity: The Process Behind the Poetry” mail-based tips and insights
- Tennessee Mountain Writers Jumpstart XXVI is open for registration! The event will be held Saturday – Sunday, January 17-18, 2026, in Oak Ridge. Poetry and Fiction tracks available.
On Demand
- “The Emotional Truth of an Experience:” An Interview with Valencia Robin
- Three Questions & a Poem — interviews with poets
- Briar Haus Writes writer interviews on YouTube
- Oceanside Library “Near and Afar” poetry reading replays
- Master Class
- The Plug Poetry Project (from Christian Collier). Collection of video/audio available on Sound Cloud & YouTube. There is also a public group on Facebook.
Find More Opportunities
Introducing a running list of venues to find poetry opportunities. Are we missing a good one? Let us know!
always open for submissions, Books, calling all poets, calls for submission, conference, Connie Jordan Green, Contests, convention, East Tennessee State University, Events, John Davis Jr., Li-Young Lee, literature, Natalie Kimbell, NFSPS, Oceanside Library, poem, poems, poetry, poetry community, poetry contests, PoetrySocietyofTennessee, Shuly Cawood, Spoken word, Tennessee Wesleyan University, workshop, writing -
December 2025: A Celebration of Voices
A Celebration
For our December meeting, we celebrate the voices of our members. Expanding beyond the publication of our annual anthology, Tennessee Voices, 2024-2025, we will feature poems from those appearing in its pages and an expanded collection of poems from our members, showcasing the possibilities of poetry across Tennessee and beyond.
About the PresenterS
Various members will present their work. PST Board members Jake Lawson (Program chair), Lisa Kamolnick (President), and Kayla Nichols (Anthology Board Chair) will facilitate this program.
MEETING INFORMATION
This program will be presented during our upcoming PST member meeting, to be held December 13 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern / 1:00 – 3:00 pm Central via Zoom. Members will be provided a link a few days prior. If you are interested in learning more about PST, check out our website. If you’d like to attend our meeting as a guest, contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.
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(More) Voices Rising
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks rising before the sun to cheer Florida bayside days into view, the familiar morning song of Tennessee birds replaced with heron squawks, pelican takeoffs and splash landings, kingfisher rattles, osprey screeches, and the occasional splunk of jumping mullet. Enriched by these new sounds are the familiar calls of mockingbird and jay—and as I hear this eclectic music rising, I grow more eager for our celebration of your poetic voices during December’s member meeting and in our next edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology.
Our upcoming member program will celebrate the release of this year’s Tennessee Voices Anthology and the poetry of all our members. We recently sent members an invitation to read a poem at this event: we look forward to hearing from you!
For our next edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology, we have not only opened annual festival contests, but a call for submissions! We invite all members to participate in this opportunity to enrich our upcoming edition with your voice.
Here’s what else is happening:
Earlier this month, Julie Cummings explored digital pathways to publication with us. Members will have access not only to the replay of this meeting but another video with detailed guidance on setting up an account and using Submittable (and a guide on how to submit to the National Federation of State Poetry Society contests using this free software). Look for a link to this content in the December meeting notice. In January, we start the new year with a workshop from the wonderful Kory Wells! Stay tuned for details.
Student contests remain open through February 10, 2026. Festival contests are open through December 15, and our call for submissions is open through December 31. Sponsored by long-time member JoAn Howerton, next up for our monthly members-only contests is a sonnet that answers the question “What does Christmas mean to me?” Open for entries December 1 through 15. Get contest details here.
If you haven’t visited our bookstore recently, check out what’s new from our member authors! This year we’ve added plenty of new books from members for your reading pleasure.
We are always looking for volunteers to support our mission. Would you like to … connect members in a region? write about poetic opportunities? share the latest author to be featured on our bookstore? 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 gratitude and anticipation—
Lisa Kamolnick
President, Poetry Society of Tennessee -
New: Yesterday Echoes from Chris Wood
Yesterday Echoes (Finishing Line Press) is available for pre-order at a discounted rate through December 19, 2025.
Praise for Yesterday Echoes
Poet Chris Wood takes us on a harvest of memories that are so detail rich that they can be tasted and felt like the sweetness of honey and the rough grit of loss. Her book is a true gift of remembrance and a tribute to her family as well as Appalachian life. Wood makes us recall everything from pigtails to Zippo lighters and takes a chore like going to the dry cleaners as an adult a passageway to memory. Her chapbook, Yesterday Echoes, is a collection where the present stirs the warmth of the past like a cup of hot tea.
—Natalie Kimbell, author of On Phillips Creek
Get your copy of Yesterday Echoes here.
About the Author
Chris Wood explores the intersections of memory, language, and place. With a deep reverence for etymology and the often-overlooked stories embedded in ordinary lives, Chris weaves together personal experience, cultural observation, and historical nuance. Her poems have appeared in American First Magazine, Salvation South, Lit Shark Magazine, and numerous anthologies including Women Speak (2025) and Bayou, Blues, & Red Clay (2024). She resides in Tennessee with her husband and a lively household of fur-babies. When not writing, she serves as a Director in Operations Services for a real estate investment trust. Learn more at https://chriswoodwriter.com.
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John Mannone Explores Space
John Mannone’s latest poetry chapbook, Space Exploration: Strange New Worlds [Space Cowboy Books, Nov 2025] {$13} is now available for purchase.
About Space Exploration
In his latest collection, John poetizes literary journalism, science, science fiction, and science fantasy. The ventures into outer space are born out of mankind’s natural curiosity and perhaps also as a means of the anticipated survival of our species, but the exploration is tempered with a longing for home. At times, there is a nod to the human condition, ecological responsibility, and to the sacred beyond science. This collection strives to make literary poetry and genre poetry an inseparable fusion.
Coffee Poems: The Art of Waking, John Mannone 
Space Exploration: Strange New Worlds [Space Cowboy Books, Nov 2025] {$13} is now available for purchase.
About the Author
John C. Mannone has poems in Windhover, North Dakota Quarterly, Poetry South, Baltimore Review, New England Journal of Medicine, and others. He was awarded the 2017 Jean Ritchie Fellowship and served as National Federation of State Poetry Societies 2018 celebrity judge. He has five full-length collections, five chapbooks, and his first short fiction collection, Dark Wind, Dark Water (Mind’s Eye Publishing, 2025). A retired professor of physics, he teaches mathematics and creative writing. http://jcmannone.wordpress.com
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Opportunities Abound: November Roundup
This month’s roundup includes various opportunities brought to our attention by various organizations, members, and friends others discovered organically. (Be sure to scroll down to our events section for a great fall line-up!) Grow your skills, find submissions opportunities, and more!
Submission Opportunities
(Generously provided by Jake Lawson)
- The Bluebird Word
- Appalachian Places
- Braided Way
- Sky Island Journal
- Amethyst Review
- Thimble Lit Mag
- Appalachian Free Press
- Pulsebeat Poetry
- Westward Quarterly
- Appalachian Lit
- Shanti Arts
- The City Key
- West Trestle Review
- Lothlorien Poetry Journal
- 2River
- Appalachia Bare
- Ecotone
- Emerson Review
- Greensboro Review
- Smoky Blue Literary & Arts Magazine
Closing November 28!
Open Through December 31
- Doubly Mad
- Toasted Cheese
- Lost Pilots
- Monterrey Poetry Review
- Spectrum Literary Journal
- Pens & Poison
- Indiana State Poetry Society US250 Persona Contest
Southern Journals
Micromance Magazine “Run by both avid romance readers and passionate romance writers, we know romance, we love romance.” Cookeville, TnThe Cumberland River Review is produced by the department of English at Trevecca Nazarene University, in Nashville, Tennessee. Open for submissions September through April.
Appalachian Review is a respected and proven journal based at Berea College.
Porchlight is a new journal out of Perry County, Tennessee, and is led by Dr. Randy Mackin.
Always Open
Hate deadlines? Here are a few randomly selected literary venues that are always (or almost always) open to submissions:
- BoomerLit Mag
- Centaur Lit (seeks hybrid work up to 400 words)
- Cornice Mag
- Door is a Jar
- January House Literary Journal
- Menace
- Paranoid Tree (prose poetry)
- Porchlight
- Rogue Agent
- Southern Poetry Review
- The Sun
- Your Impossible Voice
More Calls and Contests
- Poetry Society of Tennessee Festival Contest. Open through December 15, 2025.
- Tennessee Student Poetry Contest. Open through February 10, 2025.
- Eugene V. Shea National Poetry Contest from WyoPoets opens October 1, 2025
- BlackBerry Peach Spoken and Written Word Contest and 50th Annual NFSPS Poetry Contests (list coming soon) open for submission January 1 through March 15, 2026
Events
Open Mics
Take your poetry off the page at an open mic! You’ll find them across the state and in the virtual realm:
WEST
- Third Saturday of each month 3:00 pm at Coffee Central, 5627 Getwell Rd. Southaven, MS 38672: Bring original poetry or short prose (3 minutes) to share with other poets and poetry lovers. Good listeners are also welcome.To encourage young children, we would like to hear them read anything they write or just read their favorite poem. We do not censor any social, political, religious, or philosophical viewpoint. We do ask, when it comes to graphic content and profanity, remember that Coffee Central is one of our most gracious sponsors and we should not and will not offend other customers or negatively affect business.
MIDDLE
Poetry in the Boro is a monthly open mic and featured reading series hosted in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, currently held at the Dapper Owl Coffee Pub & Bakery and at many other locations when collaborating with other organizations in the community. Often meet the second or third Sunday evening of each month but dates can vary, especially when partnering with other organizations and groups. Get details.
MIDEAST
Sawmill Poetry is a poetry reading and open mic held at the The Plenty Bookstore in Cookeville, Tennessee. Get details.
SOUTHEAST
- Rhyme n Chatt Interactive Poetry Group, based in Chattanooga, hosts an Open Mic at the Edney Innovation Center at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday evening of each month. It is called Fresh Out the Shoebox. The also hold workshops and performance events with a focus on performance poetry. See the website for more information. Get details.
- 7:30 pm last Fridays (except for November and December) at Barnes & Noble at 2100 Hamilton Place Boulevard in Chattanooga.
- The Wandering Poetry Circle meets every other Tuesday Night at WanderLinger Brewing Company, https://www.wanderlinger.com/
EAST *NEW*
- Third Thursdays at The Maker’s Space, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM in Knoxville, TN. Former Knoxville Poet Laureate Rhea Carmon hosts.
NORTHEAST
- First Tuesdays 6:30 pm, PoetTEA open mic is held at The Philosophers House, 117 W. Fairview Ave in Johnson City. Cosponsors are Poetry Writers Workshop and our society. Sign-ups begin 6:15 pm. 4-minute limit.
- Johnson City Poets Collective open mic at The Down Home 300 W. Main Street in Johnson City. Check their Facebook or Instagram for dates and times.
VIRTUAL
Last Monday of the month, 7:00 pm Poetry Pie shares poetry on Zoom (max three poems). Contact the society to get on the email list.
Are we missing an open mic in Tennessee? Let us know!
Workshops
- Haiku Group led by Shan Overton will have an online workshop on December 6. The cost is $25. Please sign up using this link. https://secure.touchnet.com/C20134_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1757
- The Bert C. Bach Written Word Initiative offers programs related to literature and creative writing at ETSU
- Shuly Cawood virtual generative and craft-focused writing workshops
- John Davis Jr. “Metacreativity: The Process Behind the Poetry” mail-based tips and insights
- Tennessee Mountain Writers Jumpstart XXVI is open for registration! The event will be held Saturday – Sunday, January 17-18, 2026, in Oak Ridge. Poetry and Fiction tracks available.
On Demand
- “The Emotional Truth of an Experience:” An Interview with Valencia Robin
- Three Questions & a Poem — interviews with poets
- Briar Haus Writes writer interviews on YouTube
- Oceanside Library “Near and Afar” poetry reading replays
- Master Class
- The Plug Poetry Project (from Christian Collier). Collection of video/audio available on Sound Cloud & YouTube. There is also a public group on Facebook.
Find More Opportunities
Introducing a running list of venues to find poetry opportunities. Are we missing a good one? Let us know!
always open for submissions, Books, calling all poets, calls for submission, conference, Connie Jordan Green, Contests, convention, East Tennessee State University, Events, John Davis Jr., Li-Young Lee, literature, Natalie Kimbell, NFSPS, Oceanside Library, poem, poems, poetry, poetry community, poetry contests, PoetrySocietyofTennessee, Shuly Cawood, Spoken word, Tennessee Wesleyan University, workshop, writing -
More Poetry from John Mannone
John Mannone’s latest poetry chapbook, COFFEE POEMS: The Art of Waking, is now available for purchase.
About Coffee Poems
In his latest collection, John explores coffee: its origin, traditions, obsessions, rituals, associations; its science and mixology; and coffee as metaphor. With a variety of forms matching the various approaches to coffee, the reader is sure to enjoy each taste.
Praise for Coffee Poems
“Whether you like your coffee swirled with a bit of cream or black and bitter, you will relish the offerings in this latest book brewed by John C. Mannone. From the stoops of the Columbian mountains, where the original Juan Valdez grew his coffee beans, to the monks of Ethiopia who, having been informed of the antics of goats that ate the coffee berry, then imbibed a liquid from those same berries and hence were able to remain awake through the long evening prayers, and on through history to the author’s own cup steaming before him, the face of his long dead father looking back upon him from the “fluid folds of the dark pool,” there is much to savor and to learn in this small collection. The poems are testaments to the magic and mysticism of the drink from a poet with his “fingers wrapping the … cup / as something holy.” Mannone brings a lifetime of refining his palette and honing his use of language to produce a delightful collection of 16 poems, an apt bit of reading while you drink your first morning cup—or your final afternoon cup—of the “essential elixir.”
—Connie Jordan Green, author of Nameless as the Minnows
Coffee Poems: The Art of Waking (Island of Wak-Wak Press), is now available for purchase.
About the Author
John C. Mannone has poems in Windhover, North Dakota Quarterly, Poetry South, Baltimore Review, New England Journal of Medicine, and others. He was awarded the 2017 Jean Ritchie Fellowship and served as National Federation of State Poetry Societies 2018 celebrity judge. He has five full-length collections, five chapbooks, and his first short fiction collection, Dark Wind, Dark Water (Mind’s Eye Publishing, 2025). A retired professor of physics, he teaches mathematics and creative writing. http://jcmannone.wordpress.com
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November 2025 Program with Julie Cummings
YOUR POEMS DESERVE TO BE READ: A GUIDE TO SUBMITTING ONLINE
Join Julie Cummings in her upcoming workshop as she unpacks the online submission and publication process. She I’ll take the stress out of submitting by walking you through the user-friendly submission manager, Submittable. You’ll learn how to set up your account and search for the perfect homes for your work. This workshop will focus on practical real-world skills to turn your submission process from an anxious chore into an organized routine. We’ll also cover other digital resources and online literary communities. The goal of this workshop is to build your confidence and expand your tool belt when it comes to submitting your work for publication.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Julie Cummings (she/her) resides in Colorado. She currently serves as the President of Columbine Poets, Inc., and has previously held the position of President of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Julie regularly conducts poetry writing workshops and hosts a monthly poetry open mic. Her book of poetry, Ride of My Life, is available through her website, juliecummingspoetry.com.
Meeting Information
This program will be presented at our upcoming PST meeting, to be held November 8, 2025, from 2:00-4:00 pm Eastern / 1:00-3:00 pm Central via Zoom. Members will be provided a link a few days prior. If you are interested in learning more about PST, check out our website. If you’d like to attend our meeting as a guest, contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com.
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Leaning In
As I write, fall flourishes—hillside shimmering with frost-melt dew, even the giant oak that resists the season’s change shifting color. (My sun-loving dog, Ollie, has traded morning deckside leisure for curling up in bed indoors.)
Our society’s fall pace seems an endless stream of leaves. Student, Collegiate and Festival contests have launched. Our new edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology is available! Monthly programs and monthly contests continue. Popular programs like these (designed to achieve our mission) are made possible by volunteers, sponsors, and participants. THANK YOU.
As a society created by poets for poets, the Board is listening and leaning in. That is why we issued our summer survey, continue to peruse results, and discuss them in our meetings. We were humbled and honored that all who took time to respond were likely or highly likely to recommend our society to others and overall offered high ratings of satisfaction with our various programs. We agree with you: the society is running well AND we can improve.
Last month I shared a list of improvement-focused actions. This month, I’m pleased to share a few more:
- You’re right: our full membership should be represented in our anthology. We will give all members an opportunity to be published in Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2025-2026! Our festival contest chair (Deborah-Z Adams) and incoming editorial board (Chair KB Ballentine, Howard Carman, Pat Hope, and more to be named) have agreed to take on the extra effort required. (Thanks a million!) Look for a call for submissions soon.
- We asked you why you joined: you selected every program and reason we listed, and added a few. Collectively, the top three are educational programming, networking, and supporting Tennessee poets and poetry (our mission!). We are thrilled that you not only come for educational programming but are happy with the programs and presenters. (We think the programs are awesome, too. Thanks, Jake Lawson!) It’s heartwarming to know you value the society’s mission and join to support it. We also heard you: you are looking to network AND develop deeper relationships. (“Friends!” Yes, please.)
- You like our meetings, but there is room for improvement. We will continue to offer educational programming but balance that with monthly meetings more focused on sharing poetry, opportunities, ideas, and celebration. Stay tuned for more information on this.
On behalf of the Board, we thank you for your engagement, and we will continue to work through survey results and your ongoing feedback. Here’s what’s happening now:
Earlier this month, Valencia Robin led a fascinating exploration of lyrical and narrative forms. On November 8, Julie Cummins—poet, tech guru, and President of Columbine Poets, Inc.— will explore digital pathways to publication. If you’ve been hesitating to try submission managers (e.g., Submittable), want ideas for digital resources, or have technology questions, join this program.
Next up for our monthly members-only contests is an ekphrastic, sponsored by Janet Qually. Send us a poem in response to her art work (below). Entries accepted November 1 through 15. Get contest details here.
We are always looking for volunteers to support our mission. (We promise, inquiries are not expectations for commitment.) Current needs include regional connections committee reps and members, a 70th Annual Festival chair and members, and communications committee members. Contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com to learn more.
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 appreciation and enthusiasm—
Lisa Kamolnick
President, Poetry Society of TennesseeAasritha Butti, community, Detour Slam, GYEXP, John Davis, Keeping it P, LADY 380, Linda Parsons, Nathan Wallace, new open mic, news, NFSPS, poem, poems, poet, poetry, poetry is alive, Poetry Society of Tennessee, poetrycommunity, Rich Ink, Silent Knight, Slam winners, Southern Fried Poetry Slam, Spellbound, Verbal Slap, volunteer, writing
PST News
Poetry Society of Tennessee 