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Regional Connections Committee Gears Up for 2023-2024
In the past program year, Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) formed the Regional Connections Committee to help connect poets in local regions. Members from each region participate on the committee to serve and represent their region. This year starts with representatives from Knoxville, Memphis, and Northeast Tennessee, with plans to expand representation.
2023-2024 RCC Members
Patricia Hope, Chair, Knoxville Rep 
Ruby Jones,
Memphis Rep
Fred Tudiver, Northeast TN Rep Leaders Assure Continuity
Last year’s committee members signed up for a second year to continue the efforts begun last year, with Patricia Hope taking the Chair role as Jerry Buchanan rolls off the committee. Patricia also serves as a PST Board Director this year.
The committee met monthly during the past program year and will determine a meeting schedule for the coming year. Learn more about the committee and their activities in 2022-2023.
About the RCC
The RCC identifies and develops initiatives to meet the needs of PST membership in various regions of the state. Their goals are to:
- facilitate independent regional development and growth according to each region’s strengths and interests
- promote a regular exchange of communications and information between PST Regional Representatives and PST Leadership regarding regional planning efforts
- coordinate plans for a yearly PST regional budget allotment to address regional development and membership growth
- encourage regions across the state to share ideas and support each other as they discover opportunities and develop programs and initiatives
- provide support to regional representatives as they work to promote their region’s growth and increase PST membership
Get in Touch
RCC representatives would love to hear from PST members to identify important areas of growth for the future. Email your ideas to poetrytennessee@gmail.com with the subject line REGIONAL CONNECTIONS, and your message will be forwarded to the appropriate committee member.
If you’d like to become involved or have interest in developing a new regional connection as a regional representative, please reach out via poetrytennessee@gmail.com with the SUBJECT line NEW RCC REGION.
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66th Annual Festival Explores the Poet’s Life and Features Winning Poems
On April 15, attendees from across Tennessee and beyond came together on Zoom for PST’s 66th Annual Poetry Festival. Attendees enjoyed an exploration of the poet’s life and a reading of winning poems to be featured in an upcoming edition of Tennessee Voices, PST’s annual anthology.
Workshop
Following opening remarks by Festival Coordinator Howard Carman, Rick Hilles, Associate Professor of English at Vanderbilt University, presented
“A Writer’s Life: Getting Started, Keeping Going, Getting Started Again.”The program explored poetry, the unique challenges of writing poetry, and methods to keep at the writing process. Several writing prompts helped poets generate new ideas for future poems.
Poetry Reading
Following a brief intermission, a group of poets read their poems selected for inclusion in Tennessee Voices, 2022-2023. Readers included poems accepted from the Tennessee Voices call for submissions and monthly member contest 1st prize winners (see full list of winners here).
Call for Submission Top 3 Prizes
Prior to the festival, Tennessee Voices editorial board members Connie Jordan Green, Lacy Snapp and Maria Zoccola presented a short list of accepted poems, and Rick Hilles chose the top three:
- Carson Colenbaugh ($150), for “At the Powerline, Picking Blackberries”
- Jake Lawson ($100) for “Sky Master”
- Rieppe Moore ($50) for “Lines on Snow”
ETSU Contest Winners
PST also announced the first place ETSU contest winner during the festival, Emily Wilson, for “après moi, le déluge”. Get the full winner’s list here.
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PST Seeks Sponsors for 2023-2024
Members, poets and poetry lovers: as our 2023-2024 program year begins, we are seeking sponsors for our monthly members-only poetry contests. If you are interested in supporting our organization and promoting poetry in Tennessee and beyond, this is a great opportunity.
We currently have eight contest sponsorship openings. Get contest details here. Get sponsorship form here.
Got questions? Reach out to poetrytennessee@gmail.com with subject line SPONSORSHIP.
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2023-2024 Leadership
In its March meeting, Poetry Society of Tennessee members ratified Board nominations for the 2023-2024 membership year. The new membership year takes effect on May 1, 2023, and runs through April 30, 2024.
Members interested in joining a committee may contact PST at poetrytennessee@gmail.com. In addition to the open committee positions, PST is also looking for someone interested in a future Treasurer role as well as additional Regional Connections representatives in regions currently lacking representation.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Lisa Kamolnick, President
- Howard Carman, Treasurer/Membership Chair
- Erika Perez, Secretary
- Patricia Hope, Director
- Russell Strauss, Director
COMMITTEES
Anthology Editorial Board
- Howard Carman, Chair
- Janet Qually
- Lacy Snapp
- Connie Green
- Maria Zoccola
Communications
- Matthew Gilbert, Chair
- Michael Ramey, Web Master
- Lisa Kamolnick, Publicity
Regional Connections
- Patricia Hope, Chair (Knoxville)
- Ruby Jones (Memphis)
- Fred Tudiver (Northeast TN)
Contests
- Russell Strauss, Monthly Member Contest Chair
- Seth Grindstaff, Student Contest Chair
- TBD, Festival Contest Chair
Festival (67th Annual)
- TBD, Festival Coordinator
70th Anniversary
- TBD, Event Coordinator
- TBD, Historian
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ONWARD AND UPWARD
PST’s 2022-23 year is drawing to a close. Membership has been responsive. Regional chapters have been merged into a unified state society. Our core identity—so vital for stability and growth—is now defined by three platforms: contests, monthly educational presentations, and regional nurture. (See January 2023 PST newsletter, “The Beauty of a Triangle.”)
About contests—a zenith was reached by Samuel Smith’s poem “ROYGBIV” which won first place over 188 national entries in the senior category, from 25 states. Samuel is a student at West Ridge HS, Blountville, TN. His writing teacher is Seth Grindstaff, who served as PST’s statewide student contest coordinator.
About educational programs and regional nurture—I marvel at the splendid presentations arranged each month by Lacy Snapp. I salute the impressive, area achievements of Jerry Buchanan’s Regional Connections’ Committee.
It’s been an honor to serve as co-president with Bill Hill and with dedicated and talented directors: Lisa Kamolnick, Claire Webb, Howard Carman, Jerry Buchanan, and Russell Strauss. Under Lisa’s capable leadership, her presidency will sparkle, and our poetry society will glisten with delights.
As I leave the presidential office, I rise to toast PST’s future. I raise high my glass and confidently say, “The best wine is yet to be served.”
Onward and Upward,
Calvin Ross
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66th Annual Poetry Festival
Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) holds an annual poetry festival for members and guests. Join us for a celebration of poets and poetry from Tennessee and beyond.
Festival Details
This free event will be held April 15, from 2:00 – 5:00 pm Eastern via Zoom. PST members and guests will be provided a link.
The event will feature a workshop and poetry reading.
Festival Workshop
Rick Hilles will present a workshop for attendees, entitled, “A Writer’s Life: Getting Started, Keeping Going, Getting Started Again.”
About the Presenter
Rick Hilles is the author of several poetry collections, including Brother Salvage, winner of the 2005 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize and named 2006 Poetry Book of the Year by ForeWord Magazine, and A Map of the Lost World, a finalist for the Ohioana Poetry Prize, and, most recently, My Roberto Clemente. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Harper’s, Literary Imagination, Poetry, Narrative, The Nation, New Letters, The New Republic, Paris Review, Salmagundi, Smartish Pace, Southern Review, and Tar River Poetry. He teaches in the English department and MFA program at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, TN and in Carrboro, NC.
Festival Reading
The event will also feature a poetry reading of poetry submitted to PST in response to a recent call for submissions or an earlier contest.
PST News
Poetry Society of Tennessee 