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PST 2022-2023 High School Contest Deadline Nears
Students, teachers, parents: the deadline is approaching for our high school division contest. December 20, 2022, is the postmark deadline.
The high school contest is one of two remaining contests open of three offered this year, one each for elementary, middle and high school students:
High School Division (Grades 9-12) Free Verse Poem — postmark deadline December 20th 2022
Elementary Division (Grades 2-5) Any Poem Form — postmark deadline February 18th 2023Who is Eligible?
The competition is free and open to all Tennessee students in grades 2-12. Public, private, and home school students are eligible. Each student may submit only one poem.
Non-Tennessee residents may compete by joining the Poetry Society of Tennessee as Student Members. It’s not too late to join. Get membership information.
What do Winners Receive?
Contest Awards: 1st place $25, 2nd $20, 3rd $15, 4th $10, and 5th $5.
Winners will be announced on the PST website in the spring. Winning poems will be published in Tennessee Voices.
Get More Details
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PST 2022-2023 Middle School Contest Deadline Nears
Students, teachers, parents: the deadline is approaching for our middle school division contest. December 13, 2022, is the postmark deadline.
The middle school contest is one of three offered this year, one each for elementary, middle and high school students:
High School Division (Grades 9-12) Free Verse Poem — postmark deadline December 20th 2022
Middle School Division (Grades 6-8) Free Verse Poem— postmark deadline December 13th 2022
Elementary Division (Grades 2-5) Any Poem Form — postmark deadline February 18th 2022Who is Eligible?
The competition is free and open to all Tennessee students in grades 2-12. Public, private, and home school students are eligible. Each student may submit only one poem.
Non-Tennessee residents may compete by joining the Poetry Society of Tennessee as Student Members. It’s not too late to join. Get membership information.
What do Winners Receive?
Contest Awards: 1st place $25, 2nd $20, 3rd $15, 4th $10, and 5th $5.
Winners will be announced on the PST website in the spring. Winning poems will be published in Tennessee Voices.
Get More Details
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WITHOUT POETRY WE LOSE OUR WAY
Joy Harjo came to Johnson City recently as a literary festival keynoter and speaker in ETSU poetry classes. Those of us who heard and interacted with her were given a gift. A few months after her visit here, she was named U.S. Poet Laureate in 2019.
The title for this message is from an interview with her in American Poets, Spring/Summer, 2019. I cite below a portion of that interview—a penetrating insight into the nature of poetry:
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Poetry is the art that is closest to music, standing between music and narrative orality (which can be speechmaking, sermon or theater). Poetry is the voice of what can’t be spoken, the mode of truth-telling when meaning needs to rise above or skim below everyday language in shapes not discernible by the ordinary mind…. Poetry is prophetic by nature and not bound by time. [It] carries grief, heartache, ecstasy, celebration, despair, or searing truth more directly than any other literary art form…. Poetry is a tool for disruption and creation and is necessary for generations of humans to know who they are and who they are becoming in the wave map of history. Without poetry, we lose our way.
-Joy Harjo
—Calvin
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Regional Author Reading and Book Sale Featuring Dr. Marilyn Kallet Dec 10 at Oak Ridge Library
Friends of Oak Ridge Library (FOL) and Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) are pleased to present a live reading event and holiday book sale for anyone in the Knoxville/Oak Ridge area, to be held at Oak Ridge Library December 10, 2022, from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. Enjoy readings by area poets and authors. Pick up some nice gifts for your favorite poetry lover or bookworm (or make it a “Treat Yourself” day).
The reading will feature former Knoxville Poet Laureate and author of 19 books, Dr. Marilyn Kallet of Knoxville, along with Oak Ridge’s Poet Laureate, Erin Elizabeth Smith, and 16 other well-established writers in this region. Authors will read and sell their books during three two-hour time slots from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm:
10:00 – 12:00
- Jeri L. Duke 10:30
- Carol Grametbauer 10:45
- Kelly Hanwright 11:00
- D. Ray Smith 11:15
- Sally Bennett Boyington 11:30
- Melanie K. Hutsell 11:45
12:00 – 2:00
- Marilyn Kallet 12:00-12:30
- Claudia M. Stanek 12:45
- Connie Jordan Green 1:00
- John C. Mannone 1:15
- Ron Lands 1:30
- KB Ballentine 1:45
2:00 – 4:00
- Erin Elizabeth Smith 2:15
- Shirley Raines 2:30
- Wes Sims 2:45
- Fay Martin 3:00
- Sylvia Woods 3:15
- Diane Williams 3:30
FOL and PST jointly sponsor the reading. FOL sponsors the book sale. All of the authors will be selling their books. The organizations will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. PST welcomes poets and poetry lovers to join their society..
Learn more about the 18 participating poets and authors here.
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December 2022 Program
The Poetics of What You Shouldn’t Write Poetry About
In this session, Andrew Lee Butler will discuss with members the insidious ways that Poetry can get in the way of our poetry. Sometimes, it’s helpful to clear your mind and write a poem about something you don’t think you should write a poem about. There won’t be any prompts, but there will be moments of generative interaction and participant input, so come prepared to think and willing to share.
About the Presenter
Andrew Lee Butler is a writer from Kingsport, TN. A graduate of East Tennessee State University and the MFA program at the University of Arkansas, he is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches English and Creative Writing. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Grist: A Journal of the Literary Arts. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in the Oxford American, Rattle, Hobart, and elsewhere.
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PST 2022-2023 Student Contests Open
We’re excited to announce our 2022-2023 Student Contests! We invite all eligible students to submit a poem, and we encourage Tennessee educators to involve their students in a contest.
This year we offer up three contests, one each for elementary, middle and high school students:
High School Division (Grades 9-12) Free Verse Poem — postmark deadline December 20, 2022
Middle School Division (Grades 6-8) Free Verse Poem— postmark deadline December 13, 2022
Elementary Division (Grades 2-5) Any Poem Form — postmark deadline February 18, 2023Who is Eligible?
The competition is free and open to all Tennessee students in grades 2-12. Public, private, and home school students are eligible. Each student may submit only one poem.
Non-Tennessee residents may compete by joining the Poetry Society of Tennessee as Student Members. Get membership information.
What do Winners Receive?
Contest Awards: 1st place $25, 2nd $20, 3rd $15, 4th $10, and 5th $5.
Winners will be announced on the PST website in the spring. Winning poems will be published in Tennessee Voices.
Get More Details
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The Value of Competition
A Message from the President
Greetings from the Memphis Metro,
It has been a busy month for me. I have added to my resume: in addition to Preacher, Painter, Poet and Pet Sitter, I am now a Pumpkin Patch Proprietor. It has been a lot of fun seeing little kids with their parents and grandparents coming out in the beautiful autumn weather, and I have been blessed to have sold several of my books and paintings while there.
It has been busy, but I always make time for the PST members-only contests. For me, these monthly contests are the backbone of PST. In Kentucky, their society does a great job with monthly Zoom poetry readings. Mississippi society branches have great turnouts at monthly meetings on the coast, in Natchez and in the capital area around Jackson. The North branch, spread out over the north half of Mississippi, effectively moves quarterly meetings to different areas to involve the entire region.
PST holds monthly Zoom meetings to provide access across the state. With the help of our regional connections committee, we no doubt will be back up to speed with regional (and in-person) events soon. But beyond meetings, our contests are a long held tradition that can bind us. What’s more, they add value to our society and to each of us as poets.
I am asking for more participation in our contests. While low entries give participants a better chance of being awarded prizes, I know we can do more and better. As a poet who likes attention, I like winning prizes, but I’d rather have more competitors push me out of the rankings. As I see it, more competition in our contests will bring three major benefits to our society:
- Improve overall quality of our contests and anthology. It does not take a statistical expert to figure out that the best poem of 4 will not usually be up to the standards of the best out of 20, 50 or more. The better our first-place winners are, the better our anthology will be. Imagine the day teachers buy Tennessee Voices and tell their students, “This is how it’s done!” You can be part of this gift to educators and future poets.
- Enhance PST’s prestige and the value of our contests. The more entries each month, the more prestige our contests will carry. If our contests have three prizes, three honorable mentions and seven entries, they may be perceived as having less value. Part of the value for us as writers is gaining practice with different forms and subjects than we might normally explore. And you just might win and get published!
- Enhance our image nationally. A good reputation can help our society grow. As an NFSPS member, we get national exposure. Our contests influence how NFSPS members and poets across the nation view our society. Those among the PST membership serving in positions with NFSPS are a testimony to the respect we have across the country—a respect that we have earned and must work to maintain. We will do this by taking Calvin Ross’ words to heart, “Onward and Upward!”
Please, everyone, make contests a priority. If PST’s standing as a society is not important to you, then do it to grow as a poet. Which really is the same thing: if we are each better, won’t that make PST better? If something is holding you back from participating, reach out to me or any other PST leader. We care about you as a person and as a poet and are here to provide support and opportunities to learn and grow.
When I show up at a future NSFPs convention, I want folks to come up to me and say, “I know about your contests.” Together, we can make this a reality.
yic, Bill Hill
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Performance Opportunity in Knoxville TN
Sundress Reading Series Seeks Readers for Spring 2023
From February to May of 2023, the Sundress Reading Series will be back in person at their new venue, Pretentious Beer Co. in the Knoxville Old City. They now feature comedy and music alongside literary readings!
The Sundress Reading Series is an award-winning literary reading series previously hosted on-ground in Knoxville, TN, just miles from the Great Smoky Mountains. An extension of Sundress Publications and the Sundress Academy for the Arts, the Sundress Reading Series features nationally recognized writers and performers from around the US while also supporting local and regional nonprofits.
Their events will take place the last Sunday of every month from 1-3PM EST. The spring series will take place on February 26, March 26, April 30, and May 28.
Performers will receive publicity across Sundress Publications’ social media channels in the lead up to their event, an opportunity to sell books and music, and a $100 honorarium.
They are currently seeking readers and musicians for their series with an emphasis on marginalized voices; please note in your cover letter if you identify as a person of color, a trans and/or nonbinary writer, and/or a writer with a disability.
To apply to perform, send 6-8 pages of poetry, 8-15 pages of prose or a 5-10 minute clip of your musical performance (either as a video or sound file). You will also need to include a 50-100 word bio, CV (optional), and a ranking of preferred reading dates to sundresspublications@gmail.com. Please make sure the subject line reads “Reading Series Application – Your Name.”
Applications to participate as a performer are open and the deadline to apply is December 1st, 2022. Those selected will be notified by early January.
To find out more or to view some of their past performers and schedules, visit www.sundressacademyforthearts.com.
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November 2022 Program
The Responsibility of Place: Psychic Geographies and People
In this talk, Matthew Wimberley engages with the responsibilities of the writer when engaged with the particulars of place. How does one avoid turning life into a representation and how does one create dignity through language? Together we will explore the possibilities and the dangers of writing about place, confronting and celebrating landscapes essential to ourselves, and begin to consider how the often overlooked is extraordinary.
About the Presenter
Matthew Wimberley grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He is the author of two collections of poetry, “Daniel Boone’s Window” (LSU, 2020) selected by Dave Smith for the Southern Messenger Poetry series, and “All the Great Territories” (SIU, 2020), winner of the 2018 Crab Orchard Poetry Series First Book award, winner of the Weatherford Award . A recipient of a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council he was the winner of the 2015 William Matthews Prize from the Asheville Poetry Review, and his work was selected by Mary Szybist for the 2016 Best New Poets Anthology. His writing has appeared most recently in the Poem-a-Day series from the Academy of American Poets, Blackbird, and the Threepenny Review. Wimberley received his MFA from NYU where he worked with children at St. Mary’s Hospital as a Starworks Fellow. He is an Assistant Professor of English at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC.
PST News
Poetry Society of Tennessee 