Poetry Society of Tennessee

EST. 1953

PST News

  • 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)

    Closing November 28!

    Fresh Words

    Open Through December 31

    Southern Journals


    Micromance Magazine “Run by both avid romance readers and passionate romance writers, we know romance, we love romance.” Cookeville, Tn

    The 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:

    More Calls and Contests

    Events

    Get details at All Events

    Register here

    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

    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

    On Demand

    Find More Opportunities

    Introducing a running list of venues to find poetry opportunities. Are we missing a good one? Let us know!

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  • 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 Tennessee

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  • 69th Annual Poetry Festival Contests Open

    69th Annual Poetry Festival Contests Open

    Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) is excited to announce the line-up of our 69th Annual Poetry Festival Contests. We offer 17 contests, more than $1,400 in prizes, publication opportunities and a Best of Fest Award. The contests are made possible by PST and a host of sponsors to whom we are most grateful. Contests explore a variety of themes and forms, such as Apples, Howl, haiku, and the home-grown Dorsimbra form developed by Poetry Society of Tennessee members.

    Prizes & Publication

    More than $1,400 will be awarded in total. Individual prize amounts vary by contest. First place poems will be eligible for the “Best of Fest” award for the top poem of the festival. An outside judge will select the winning poem. The prize is $250.

    First place poems will be published in Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2024-2025. Other winning poems may be published at the discretion of the society. Poets whose poems are published will receive a complimentary copy of the anthology, as will sponsors and judges.

    Contest winners will be announced at the society’s 69th Annual Poetry Festival to be held April 18, 2026.

    Entry Fees and Submission Period

    Submissions opened October 15, 2024. Entries may be submitted by email or mail and must be submitted or postmarked by December 15, 2025.

    For this year’s competition series, Tennessee-based poets and members may enter Board-sponsored Tennessee Voices contest for a $2 entry. Play it Again Sam contest is open to members for a fee of $2 per entry. The Legacy Award contest is open to all members at NO FEE. All poets regardless of membership status may enter any or all of the remaining 14 sponsored contests for a single entry fee: $10 for members or $15 for non-members.

    Get More Information

    Get more contest details here. Download a printer-friendly contest packet here.

    About Tennessee Voices Anthology

    Tennessee Voices Anthology is a publication of Poetry Society of Tennessee. It features winning poems from a year’s worth of contests and more. Get more information, including how to purchase anthology editions, here.

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  • Tennessee Voices 2024-2025 Now Available

    Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2024-2025, Poetry Society of Tennessee’s anthology of winning and selected poems from the past program year, is now available for purchase.

    Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2024-2025: An anthology of winning and other selected poems features Poetry Society of Tennessee members and other poets from across Tennessee and beyond.

    About Tennessee Voices

    PST publishes an anthology annually. This edition features results and winning poems for the 2024-2025 membership year: monthly members-only contests, PST’s annual poetry festival contests, student, and collegiate competitions with other selected poems.

    About our Poets

    Tennessee Voices Anthology includes first-time published poets and award-winning authors. The collection features a variety of subjects and poetic forms. Within the 105 page anthology you will discover the poetry of writers ranging from elementary school age to octogenarian, many of them members of the society.

    About our Cover Art

    The work of Dorothy Chen, a student at Vanderbilt University and winner of the inaugural Tennessee Visions Cover Art Contest, appears on this year’s front cover. Her work reflects the cohesiveness of Tennessee, from city to nature and from home to public space. The work of Cynthia Storrs, second place contest winner, appears on the back cover.

    Other Publications

    Earlier editions of Tennessee Voices are also available. Learn more. You can also find the work of individual member poets at our bookstore, a directory of member poets’ selected works.

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  • Opportunities Abound: October 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!


    OPEN THROUGH NOVEMBER 30

    Southern Journals

    Susurrus is “a literary arts magazine of the American South,” and currently open for submissions through November 30, 2025.

    The Cumberland River Review is produced by the department of English at Trevecca Nazarene University, in Nashville, Tennessee.

    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:

    More Calls and Contests

    Events

    • Open Mic – October 23, 2025, 6-8 p.m., Turntable Coffee Counter, 300 E Main Street, Jackson TN. RSVP (731) 298-0109. Sponsored by Indivisible Jackson.
    • Writing Rural America: a public conversation with Appalachian authors David Joy, Maurice Manning, Crystal Wilkinson & Karen Spears Zacharias will be held Oct 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Blount County Public Library on 508 N. Cusick Street in Maryville, Tennessee. 

    Take your poetry off the page at an open mic! You’ll find them across the state and in the virtual realm:

    WEST
    • Monday nights 7:00 pm at the Hu Hotel rooftop with Keeping it P (and the P is for poetry). Follow them on instagram.
    • 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.
    • Writing Rural America: a public conversation with Appalachian authors David Joy, Maurice Manning, Crystal Wilkinson & Karen Spears Zacharias. Oct 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Blount County Public Library 508 N. Cusick Street in Maryville, Tennessee. 
    • Curated Poetry Night: Nov. 7, 7:00 p.m. at Southland Book’s The Bird and the Book, 1509 E Broadway Ave, Maryville, TN 37804
    NORTHEAST
    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

    Červená Barva Press Literary Summit October 17th, 18th and 19th, 2025 — Register today! $82.00 for 12 videos. The videos will be on YouTube Unlisted for Attendees to watch during our 3-day summit. Attendees will have 2 weeks to watch all the videos. PST member John C Mannone will be leading one of the sessions.

    • MTSU’s 2025 conference theme is Weaving Hope and will feature classes and presentations that will invite you to write both toward hope. This year’s conference will take place Friday, November 7 (virtual) and Saturday, November 8 (on MTSU’s campus).
    • 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.
    • 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
    • Young Creative Writers Workshop (all ages welcome), October 25. Download flyer:
    Young Writers WorkshopDownload

    On Demand

    Find More Opportunities

    Introducing a running list of venues to find poetry opportunities. Are we missing a good one? Let us know!

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  • New: Instars from Deborah Zenha Adams

    Deborah Zenha Adams’ latest poetry chapbook, Instars (dancing girl press and studio), is now available for purchase.

    About Instars

    Instars contains poems that chronicle a woman’s emotional life-stages, from the optimism of youth, through the glimpses of reality we see in our early adult years, the sometimes-crushing turmoil of midlife, and the topsy-turvy insights gained as we enter maturity. The 20-poem collection ends with a stage Deborah today thinks of as ‘wisdom age,’ noting “ten years on, I may laugh at that.”

    Praise for Instars

    Reading Deborah-Zenha Adam’s poems felt like being told secrets filled with wisdom, learned and gained from a lifetime of lessons, such as this: “I tell you now: never // trust the logic of a story // moving always forward” and “the storm is always coming, and the // truth lives in the wind.” These poems look back and understand the world’s intricacies in a whole new way, with a greater depth: “sacrificing // things we’d rather not, learning the art // of trade-off.” The collection offers truths—“I am an illusion”—and asks unanswerable questions, just as this life does. Magic and myth and prophesy thread their way through this book, and what becomes bound is strength, fortitude, and a new kind of enlightenment—hard-won and certain.—Shuly Xóchitl Cawood, author of Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough: poems

    “Instars,” a new collection of poems by Deborah-Zenha Adams, is governed by a metaphor – the phases insects undergo as they pass, molting and transforming along the way, from egg to adult. At the end of their journey, they join the natural world to live out their earthly existences.
    Following the same kind of thematic arc, this book takes the reader on a journey of poems that reveal the fragility and uncertainties of human life, often with metaphorical, quasi-allegorical renderings of experience. The variety of poems, in form and content, makes this journey rich, layered, and thought-provoking. And of her many strengths as a poet, the most important is her strong, surprising, but spot-on closures. “Instars” clearly expresses an existential acceptance of what is, with no whining along the way, no talk of destiny and fate, but with the clear sense that changes and transformations are not only right, but inevitable and natural.—Malcolm Glass, author of Her Infinite Variety (Finishing Line Press, 2023)

    Instars (dancing girl press and studio), is now available for pre-order.

    About the Author

    Deborah-Zenha Adams is an award-winning author of novels, short fiction, CNF, and poetry, and served as executive editor of Oconee Spirit Press for ten years. You are invited to visit her website to read samples of her work. www.Deborah-Adams.com

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  • Members Featured in Had I a Dove & More

    Had I a Dove (Redhawk Publications) features 80 Appalachian poets responding to the Hurricane Helene Flood of September 2024. Proceeds from the book will support Hurricane Helene relief efforts, offering both art and tangible aid to those most affected.

    We are pleased to share that the voices of society members Danita Dodson, Patricia Hope, and Sherry Poff, are included in this moving collection, now available.

    Had I a Dove is available for purchase here.

    More Anthologies Featuring Members

    Our members are also featured in

    • Sunflowers Rising, an anthology featuring poems for peace from 170 poets based in Ukraine, the United States, and elsewhere. All proceeds from this book support Ukranian orphanages.
    • Encore 2025, an anthology featuring the top 150 winning poems of 6,000 entries in the National Federation of State Poetry Societies’ 2025 contests.
    • Tennessee Voices Anthology. For more than 60 years, the society has been publishing collections of winning and selected poems from the society’s contests, calls, and invitations. Look for the 2024-2025 edition in early fall 2025. Earlier volumes are available now.
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    Member Chapbooks & Collections

    Discover our members and their poetry offerings in our bookstore directory.

    These are just the most recent releases from our member authors.

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  • New: Nameless as the Minnows from Connie Jordan Green

    Connie Jordan Greene’s latest poetry collection, Nameless as the Minnows (Madville Publishing), is now available for purchase.

    About Nameless as the Minnows

    In this collection, poems move through an early consideration of one’s yet unrealized self being washed toward a faceless future, into an exploration of growth and resilience through family and loss, and farther into the miracles of forming a new family and finding one’s true name among the wonders of the natural world, culminating in the spirit yet reaching toward the stars, the universe, still questioning the unknowable and praising “the small rituals of becoming and being.”

    Praise for Nameless as the Minnows

    In Nameless as the Minnows, Connie Jordan Green’s throaty verse illuminates the grit and unflinching spirit of rural America, each carefully crafted line skillfully depicting the power of family and the pride and comfort that can be drawn from the people and places we call home.—Kari Gunter-Seymour, Ohio Poet Laureate, author of Dirt Songs

    Connie Jordan Green’s voice is that of a soul at peace, sharpened by a mind conditioned, out of necessity, to look at absence, loss, deprivation, or need and then to get busy doing the hard work of wrestling blessing from—and offering blessing for—this unkempt, unquenchable, sometimes dwindling, often unbearable, always sacred space we share.—Jeff Hardin, author of Watermark and A Clearing Space in the Middle of Being

    Nameless as the Minnows (Madville Publishing), is now available for purchase.

    About the Author

    Connie Jordan Green is the author of novels for young people, poetry chapbooks and collections, and a personal newspaper column that ran for more than 42 years. Her poetry and prose have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She is the recipient of awards for her writing including induction into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame, a Tribute to the Arts Award from the Oak Ridge Arts Council, and inclusion in Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia (Univ Press of Kentucky, 2003). She taught creative writing for the University of Tennessee and continues to teach at various workshops.

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