Poetry Society of Tennessee

EST. 1953

PST News

  • Opportunities Abound: June Roundup

    Our June roundup includes various opportunities brought to our attention by various organizations, members, and friends and discovered organically. Grow your skills, find submissions opportunities, and more!

    Submissions Closing Soon!

    • BoomerLit (open to writers of all ages) seeks submissions on the theme of resilience. Learn more. Deadline June 20.
    • The Dribble Drabble Review seeks Little-ature. Call closes June 21.
    • Shift, lit mag for MTSU Write, seeks submissions on the supernatural. Learn more. Deadline June 30.
    • Last Stanza seeks submissions on the theme conversation. Learn more. Deadline June 30.
    • Submissions are open for Procrastinating Writers United‘s 2025 mini-digital-publication THE YELLING CONTINUES, not surprisingly themed on Noise. Be part of the cacophony. Learn more. Deadline June 30.

    More Calls

    Always Open

    Hate deadlines? Here are a few randomly selected literary venues that are always (or almost always) open to submissions:

    From NFSPS

    CONVENTION: NFSPS will hold their annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from July 23-28, 2025. Naomi Shihab Nye will be their keynote speaker! Details on the BlackBerry Peach Youth Mini-Festival to be held July 25, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will also become available in the coming months.

    More Calls and Contests

    Events

    • On June 7, the FW Coleman Theatre will put on a Children’s Jazz and Poetry Festival from 12:00 – 4:00 PM at 1517 S Mt. Zion Rd, Byhalia, Mississippi.
    • The Southern Fried Poetry Slam will be held June 11-14, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Get details.

    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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  • That’s A Wrap: Full-Year Contest Results for 2024-2025

    Poetry Society of Tennessee wrapped up their 2024-2025 contest year with the final winner announcement at their May membership meeting. We are pleased to present highlights for a year of firsts and full contest slates for poets of virtually all ages as well as a new contest for artists.

    Winning art work, first place poems from festival, member, and student contests along with Tennessee Voices contest finalists and other editorial selections will be published in the upcoming edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology, expected to become available in late summer.

    68th Annual Poetry Festival Contests

    A partnership with MTSU Write and Poetry in the Boro, The 68th Annual Poetry Festival was the first-ever hybrid event for the society and offered diverse workshops for attendees. The event concluded with contest winner announcements and a reading of winning poems.

    The festival’s 22 contests received 532 entries and yielded 141 moments of recognition for poets. First place winners and Tennessee Voices finalists will appear in the anthology.

    Best of Fest Goes to ….

    Best of the Fest is an award presented to the top poem among winning festival poems. Plenary session presenter Christian J. Collier, the guest judge for this special award, selected the Best of Fest winner. KB Ballentine won Best of Fest for her poem “Rest.” Look for “Rest” and other winning poems in Tennessee Voices Anthology, 2024-2025 this summer.

    Get the full festival winners list.

    Tennessee Visions Cover Art Contest

    The society launched its inaugural cover art contest in the fall of 2024. Winners will appear on the front and back cover of the upcoming anthology edition. Learn more about the contest, winning art, and the artists.

    Members-Only Contests

    In addition to 11 traditional sponsored contests with monetary prizes, this year the society’s Full Moon Poetry Group sponsored a unique poetry contest for members, where all entrants received feedback from at least two members on the judging panel. First prize winning poems of these 12 contests will appear in the upcoming edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology. Get full results of members-only contests.

    Tennessee Collegiate and Student Contests

    The society launched its inaugural Tennessee Collegiate Contest open to college students of all levels attending Tennessee-based higher education institutions. They also continued their long-running annual student contests for elementary, middle school and high school students. First place winners will appear in the forthcoming Tennessee Voices Anthology. Get full Tennessee Collegiate Contest results. Get full Student Contest results.

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  • June 2025 Program: Celebration

    In June, as we near our 72nd anniversary, we offer a special two-part program! First, we invite you to reflect on the year’s highlights and join us in a brief ceremony celebrating and honoring volunteers who delivered an amazing 71st program year to members. Next, we will celebrate poetry with hands-on activities. Get ready to write as Jake Lawson guides us through a writing prompt or two! Afterward we will have a poetry share.

    MEETING INFORMATION

    This program will be presented during our upcoming member meeting, to be held June 14 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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  • Debut Poetry from Cynthia Storrs Available for Pre-Order

    Cynthia Storrs’ poetry chapbook, Garden Clippings (Finishing Line Press), will be released on August 29, 2025, and is available at a discount on pre-order now through July 4, 2025.

    About Garden Clippings

    In Cynthia’s chapbook, the richness and vibrance of gardens give voice to transitions, losses, and faith. Image, form and rhyme become a place to innovate, experiment and play, pulling threads of life’s tangles to shape hope for a coming harvest.

    Praise for Garden Clippings

    The beautiful, bountiful garden of Cynthia Storrs‘ Garden Clippings delights and nourishes. These finely crafted poems, vibrant and colorful, have been tended by a loving caretaker. I know you will enjoy spending time with Garden Clippings as much as I do.  –Aaron Anstett, inaugural Pikes Peak Poet Laureate and author of What Now and other poetry collections.

    Garden Clippings (Finishing Line Press) is available at a discount on pre-order now through July 4, 2025. Learn more about Finishing Line Press.

    About the Author

    Cynthia Storrs is a poet, teacher, and cross-culture lecturer. She and her husband reared two children overseas in French schools while working with national churches and teaching English. Her award-winning poetry has appeared on-line and in print in magazines and anthologies. In addition to writing, she is an amateur painter and regularly incorporates her love for art in ekphrastic poetry. Storrs currently resides with her husband Don and their dog Rustee outside of Nashville where they are attempting to tame their backyard into a garden. Learn more.

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  • May 2025 Poetry Contest Results

    The Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) formally announced its members-only May 2025 contest results at their May 10 member meeting. Winners receive cash prizes. The first place poem will be published in an upcoming edition of PST’s anthology, Tennessee Voices.

    This month featured two contests. Many thanks to sponsor and judge for each, Russell Strauss and Dr. Emory Jones, who selected the following winners and honorable mentions:

     A humorous poem
    1st: "Composing a Poem" by Sara Gipson
    2nd: "Cab Calloway Called it Chinse Music" by William Hill 
    A poem about friends
    1st: "Reminisce" by Lisa A. Riley
    2nd: "Flow" by Jonathan Bennett
    3rd: "Forever Friends" by Fred Tudiver
    HM "Coffee with Chris" by Mark Hudson

    Meeting attendees enjoyed the readings of these winning poems.

    Get full-year members-only contest results here.

    MORE Members-Only Contests

    More contests are coming, and you can sponsor one. But hurry! Only 5 spots left. Help shape our next anthology edition. Get details.

    Winners of June’s contest, for a Burma Shave poem, will be announced at the next meeting.

    Join Us!

    Not a member? Our new year started May 1, 2025: join us. Learn more.

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  • New Poetry by Charles Thomas

    Charles Thomas’ new poetry collection, Love Too Much, is available for purchase.

    What We Know

    Thomas invites readers on a journey through the multidimensional continuum of love, exploring its depths, limits, and transformative power, aided by the stunning visual art of a professional artist.

    About Love Too Much

    In Love Too Much, poet Thomas offers an exploration of love, darkness, and light, inviting readers to reconsider societal norms and stereotypes of these themes. Through a blend of verse and vivid imagery, Thomas challenges the traditional view that equates darkness with negativity and light with goodness. Instead, the poet celebrates the restorative power of darkness, urging us to embrace a more nuanced and balanced understanding of love and human connection.

    This collection delves into the complexities of the heart, from the delicate balance of strength and weakness in “Space-Time Between” to the raw honesty of loving without causing harm in “Can’t Be Done.” With stunning visual art accompanying each poem, Love Too Much is a transformative journey that will challenge, move, and inspire you to rethink love itself.

    About the Author

    Charles Thomas decided to self-publish a book not for the purpose of self-publishing a book; rather, his purpose is to share his thoughts, feelings, and ideas, and to encourage everyone to do the same. His poetry has appeared in various online and print magazines, including most recently Novus, Dandelion Scribes, Remington Review, Shift, and WorshipWeb of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

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  • New Poetry by Sally Bennett Boyington

    Sally Bennett Boyington’s new poetry collection, Deep Roots in a Dry Place, is available for purchase.

    About Deep Roots in a Dry Place

    Join poet Sally Bennett Boyington on an intriguing journey through the desert accompanied by ChatGPT and image-generating AIs. Each of the illustrated pages that resulted from this curiosity-driven adventure contains a poem written by either the author or ChatGPT, set opposite each other for comparison. Photographs accompany the author’s poems, while AI-generated images in various styles are juxtaposed with the ChatGPT poems.

    The fusion of technology and human creativity in these pages showcases how far AI has come in recent years, as well as revealing the nuances that continue to distinguish human expression from machine learning. Deep Roots in a Dry Place offers readers a fascinating holistic experience where art, poetry, and science intertwine.

    About the Author

    Sally Bennett Boyington spent decades exploring the Arizona desert on foot, by horseback, and in the pages of books. Sally has written several novels set in Arizona, including a series based on the prehistoric Hohokam Indians. As a copy editor and publishing coach, she has helped several hundred authors see their words in print. Sally currently writes about Arizona in absentia, for she lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her husband and four-footed friends.

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  • Opportunities Abound: May Roundup

    Our May roundup includes various opportunities brought to our attention by various organizations, members, and friends and discovered organically. Grow your skills, find submissions opportunities, and more!

    Submissions Closing Soon!

    More Calls

    • Shift, lit mag for MTSU Write, seeks submissions on the supernatural. Learn more. Deadline June 30.
    • Last Stanza seeks submissions on the theme conversation. Learn more. Deadline June 30.
    • Submissions are open for Procrastinating Writers United‘s 2025 mini-digital-publication THE YELLING CONTINUES, not surprisingly themed on Noise. Be part of the cacophony. Learn more. Deadline June 30.
    • MER seeks poems on motherhood and family. Learn more. Deadline July 15.

    Always Open

    Hate deadlines? Here are a few randomly selected literary venues that are always (or almost always) open to submissions:

    From NFSPS

    CONVENTION: NFSPS will hold their annual convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from July 23-28, 2025. Naomi Shihab Nye will be their keynote speaker! Details on the BlackBerry Peach Youth Mini-Festival to be held July 25, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will also become available in the coming months.

    More Calls and Contests

    Southern Fried Poetry Slam Coming to Knoxville

    The Southern Fried Poetry Slam will be held June 11-14, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Get details.

    Events

    • May 20, Vagabond Poetry Tour at Cafe Noir at 7 PM, 635 Madison Avenue (look for the balloons).
    • Oceanside Library “Near and Afar” Zoom Poetry
    • Love Shakespeare? Snag a random role in an ZOOM production of “The Merchant of Venice”! Get details.
    • On June 7, the FW Coleman Theatre will put on a Children’s Jazz and Poetry Festival from 12:00 – 4:00 PM at 1517 S Mt. Zion Rd, Byhalia, Mississippi.

    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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  • Road Trippin’

    This spring the theme for me has been travel. Last month I travelled across country and to the middle of our state. As our new program year begins, I find myself on the road again–to Florida and back, then coursing corner to corner across Tennessee for a Beat poetry collaboration in Memphis.

    May marks the first month of the society’s program year. Travel around the sun with us this year! Now is the perfect time to join or renew. At just $25 membership fee is well worth the value. Find membership information here (online & mail options available).

    We take a moment to remember two long-time members who will not make the trip with us into our 72nd year. We are saddened to share that Pete Harris and Frances Cowden passed away during our last program year. In his early 90s, Pete was our oldest member. Frances was the force behind our student poetry contest for many years. We appreciate their membership and contributions and will miss them.

    Contest programming will begin soon, and we invite you to become a contest sponsor for a members only contest or a festival contest as we kick off the year. Learn more.

    Speaking of contests, we recently announced winners of our 2024-2025 student poetry contest, just as the school year is ending for our winning elementary, middle school and high school poets. Get details here.

    We started our programs for the year with acclaimed author Janisse Ray who guided us on an exploration of the intersection of poetry and nature. Learn more. In June, we will celebrate and honor our volunteers and take some time to write with a prompt or two.

    If you’re looking for a reason to get out on the road, mid-summer the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) Annual Convention will be held July 23-28, 2025, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Registration is open. If you will attend and would like to serve as a delegate for our society, please contact me via poetrytennessee@gmail.com.

    Late summer look for the next edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology. We are excited to share the wonderful work of our winning poets with you. I’m pleased and grateful to share that Kayla Nichols will serve as our Anthology Chair for this edition.

    Check out more poetry calls, events, and other opportunities here.

    We are always looking for volunteers to support our mission. Our Regional Connections Committee is in need of someone to take minutes for meetings. We are also seeking volunteers with a passion for contests, marketing, or creating connections in our regions. We promise, inquiries are not expectations for a commitment. Contact us at poetrytennessee@gmail.com to learn more.

    Curious about PST? Join us at a meeting or event. Reach out anytime. I hope to see you soon at a PST event—in person or virtual.

    With gratitude, excitement, and road-ready wheels—
    Lisa Kamolnick
    President, Poetry Society of Tennessee

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  • PST Announces 2024-2025 Student Contest Results

    Poetry Society of Tennessee (PST) is pleased to announce the winners of our 2024-2025 student contests.

    About the Contest

    The contest divisions were as follows:

    High School Division (Grades 9-12) Free Verse Poem
    ​Middle School Division (Grades 6-8) Free Verse Poem
    Elementary Division (Grades 2-5) Any Poem Form


    The competition was open all Tennessee students in grades 2-12 (public, private, and home school students) and to student members  of the society residing in any state. Students were invited to submit a single poem for consideration.

    Contest awards for each division are as follows:  1st place $25, 2nd $20, 3rd $15, 4th $10, and 5th $5. In addition, 1st place winning poems will be published in a forthcoming print edition of Tennessee Voices Anthology. 

    High School Division Results

    Prizes

    1. “The Waiting Room” by Aasritha Butti (White Station High, Ms Lauren Larson)
    2. “Perfection, a Flawed Concept” by Eleanor Ibrahim (Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, Ms Edwards)
    3. “Inevitable” by Eli Bennett (Concord Academy, Christi Marin)
    4. “THE NIGHT SKY” by Rodney Walker (Concord Academy, Christi Marin)
    5. “My Father’s Happiness” by Lina Jameel (Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, Carlijah Edwards)

    Honorable Mentions

    • No honorable mentions were selected for this division.

    Many thanks to poet and East Tennessee State University Literature and Language instructor, Holly Todaro, who served as judge for this division.

    Middle School Division Results

    Prizes

    1. “The Weight of Grief” by Sadie Perez (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)
    2. “Seasons Change” by Shreyas Vadapalli, (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)
    3. “Gone” by Masato Blake, (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)
    4. “The Man Who Died Standing” by Audric Anes, (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)
    5. “Draft” by Olivia Jackson, (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)

    Honorable Mentions

    • “Between Worlds” by Shivvani Prakash, (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)
    • “Mistake” by Jaren Feng, (White Station Middle, Mrs. Varriano)

    Many thanks to Alexandria Craft, a middle school English teacher in East Tennessee who recently earned her doctorate in Ed Leadership from East Tennessee State University, who served as judge for this division.

    Elementary Division Results


    Prizes

    1. “The Old Man” by Walker Beddingfield (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)
    2. “The Garden’s Mysteries” by Lila Rose Whitsitt (Farmington Elementary School, Mrs Pettit)
    3. “War Zone” by Cole Curtis (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)
    4. “A Little Flower” by Kassidy Crews (Columbia Academy, Mrs Phillips)
    5. “Little Flamey” by Charlotte Davis (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)

    Honorable Mentions

    • “Beginning to End” by Lacy Kelley (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)
    • “Night” by Maddie Gosz (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)
    • “Pink Sky Poem” Duke Owens (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)
    • “Childhood” by Knox Thornton (Homeschool, Mrs. Thornton)
    • “Halloween” by Bofang Gabriel Wen (Baile Station, Ms. Shepherd)
    • “Cozy Night” by Lily Fly (Columbia Academy, Mrs. Phillips)

    Many thanks to educator and librarian Anne Timbs, who served as judge for this division.

    PST Student Membership

    Know a high school aged student interested in poetry? Give the gift of membership in Poetry Society of Tennessee! At just $10 a year, it’s an incredible value. Get membership information.

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