From June 21 – June 25, the National Federation of State Poetry Societies delivered a schedule chock full with poetry, from a poetry slam to contest award announcements and presentations, to workshops, performances, keynotes and open mic events. Several Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) members were in attendance. The following are attendees’ top highlights.

Russell Strauss

I believe the highlight of the convention was having the slam competition as part of the convention. Bill Hill participated in the competition and was by far the oldest competitor. I thought it took bravery for him to compete and also believe he did very well.

Due to an unfortunate series of events, the scheduled keynote speaker, Thomas Sayers Ellis, had to cancel. One of NFSPS’ other presenters, Ed Mabrey, agreed not only to do the keynote address but also a workshop that Mr. Sayers would have done. He turned out to be wonderful on both occasions.

Bill Hill

I had the honor of representing The Mississippi Poetry Society in the Blackberry Peach (BBP) Slam and the Poetry Society of Tennessee in the plenary session.

I finished well in the first round of the BBP Slam, but the talent of those young people overwhelmed me in the latter rounds. One mistake I made was leading with my best work. I probably will not be doing that again, but I am now able to give advice to a rookie who might want to try.

I did get a lot of positive responses to my work from a lot of people. One judge even told me later that the poem I read was really the best one of that round. However, scoring in slams is based on a lot of different things. I concluded after several kind people were complimentary that I had evidently impressed everyone but the judges.

I managed to pull a real blooper in the plenary session. The combination of my weak hearing and the strong echo in the room led me to announce the names of the Tennessee delegation when I was supposed to announce the names of those who had passed away. So, if you have heard that JoAn, Russell, or myself have gone on to the big open mic in the sky it is not true.

The most gratifying thing for me was the fellowship and encouragement I felt in the BBP. Those mostly young and ethnically diverse poets embraced me as one of them. I went into this thing ignorant of not only what was going to be required of me but also of the talent, education level and knowledge of the other slammers. These folks know their history, theology, and above all their poetry.

Friends, make every effort to attend the NFSPS Convention. The unity I found among a 22-year-old college student from Nebraska, a Native American from Arizona, a couple from Minnesota who were headed to Nevada after the convention to attend their granddaughter’s wedding, teachers, ministers, accountants, councilors and many others each with a story to tell and each wanting to hear my story is an example of the way our country should be.

These are only a few of the highlights of my week. I could fill a book of stories. The conversations I had with so many people from so many places with so many ways of thinking, the new friends I made and the networking I was able to do made me a better poet and a better person.

Lisa Kamolnick

As a virtual attendee, I was unsure what is would be like to attend multiple, long days online in a hybrid format convention. In short, you CAN live and breathe poetry for three and a half days on Zoom.

I found the President’s meeting valuable, and I look forward to the cross-state sharing that will continue to take place. Combining brain power and experience to address issues and grasp opportunities is always a good idea. I was grateful for Bill Hill to take on the plenary session, which enabled me to attend a writing workshop. (I’m even more glad to hear that all our delegates are alive and well!)

I particularly enjoyed the workshops. Under Diane Glancy’s guidance, we explored a method to keep digging into an idea. Caleb Rainey broke performing a poem down into some very specific steps. Every bit of information Ed Mabrey shared, through multiple talks and workshops, was insightful and actionable. His philosophy on poets and poetry was energizing. The information the workshop presenters shared not only hit upon areas of interest but, I believe, will substantially change my approach to poetry and daily practice.

Preliminary BBP Slam rounds were not available to virtual attendees, and I hate that I missed Bill Hill’s performances. I did catch the slam finals, however. This energized, dramatic experience, combined with a workshop on how to run a slam, gave me confidence that PST could hold a slam in the future. It would be wonderful to have a representative at a future NFSPS BBP Slam as well.

NFSPS held a highly entertaining haiku slam prior to the Blackberry Peach finals. Did you know that there are infinite variants possible in slam? Sonnet slam, anyone? Ghazal? Villanelle? Works of either ancient or contemporary poets? Only children’s poetry? Suffice to say, if there is any member curiosity or interest, we will surely explore slam options for PST.

One final highlight: I’m pleased to note that several of our members placed or received honorable mentions for NFSPS Annual contests. Get details.