Poetry Society of Tennessee

EST. 1953

PST News

  • 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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  • Memphis Heats Up with Beat Poetry

    On May 20, 2025, in collaboration with the Poetry Society of Tennessee, the National Beat Poet Laureate and a caravan of poets stops in Memphis, hosted by Cafe Noir, located at 635 Madison Ave. the event begins at 7:00 p.m. (Look for the balloons!)

    Vagabond Poetry Tour

    The National Beat Poetry Foundation names a national (U.S.) and international Poet Laureate. Mark Lipman, their National Beat Poet Laureate has chosen to undertake a national poetry tour this year, to promote peace and build a vision for a better world. The Vagabond Poetry Tour will stop at as many venues across the country between New England and Los Angeles during a 60-day tour.

    About the National Beat Poetry Foundation

    The National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization, which includes its festivals, “National Beat Poetry Festival” (NBPF), “International Beat Poetry Festival” (IBPF), and “Kerouac Cafe”. While we continue to preserve the writings of the “Beat Generation’, we strive to keep evolving to create a new ” Beat Generation” of Poets, Writers, Artists, and Musicians. The NBPF supports the above primary mission by hosting, collaborating, and fostering joint partnerships for Beat-themed poetry readings, workshops, plays, radio shows and much more locally, across the United States and Worldwide. Learn more.

    About Cafe Noir

    CAFE NOIR is a Bookstore and Cafe. Their shelves will be filled with books by Black, PoC, LGBTQI+ authors. Along with amazing books, cups will also be filled with ethically sourced and fair traded coffee. Learn more.

    About Home Grown Arts

    Homegrown Arts is committed to creating art that builds community by using creative writing and performance art. Learn more.

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  • Debut Poetry Collection from Sarah Small

    Sarah Small’s debut poetry collection, Stitches, is available for pre-order at Finishing Line Press. Learn more.

    Stitches is not only a collection featuring Sarah’s poetry. Her collection also features cover art that was painted by her dauther-in-law, Summer Small, who’s from Knoxville, TN.

    About Stitches

    Stitches is a debut poetry collection composed of 20 intimate poems that reflect on life’s quiet yet profound moments. Through vivid imagery and emotionally resonant language, the poet weaves together stories of memory, love, loss, and renewal—each poem acting as a snapshot of a lived experience. From a soldier tracing a photograph to a mother grappling with her son’s rejection, the collection captures both the tenderness and pain of human connection.

    Interspersed with celebrations of the natural world, the poems invite readers to pause, breathe, and find solace beneath metaphorical and literal canopies of green. Accessible yet evocative, Stitches offers a comforting, contemplative space that feels like coming home.

    About the Author

    Sarah Cummins Small holds an MA in English/creative writing from Iowa State University. Sarah lives outside Knoxville, TN.  Her poetry has appeared in a number of journals, including Appalachia Bare, Cider Press Review, Tiny Wren Lit, Yalobusha Review, and Willawaw Journal, and anthologies like Breathing the Same Air and Migrants and Stowaways.

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  • Time for Renewal

    Spring’s renewal lifts my spirits. Trees fill with leaves, flora take colorful form, and fresh air resonates with local and migratory birdsong. As I write, I’ve just returned from Arizona’s curious mountain desert landscape—also renewing, albeit in different shades, with different plumage and birdsong.

    I return to the road this weekend for our poetry festival (April 26) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. As our first in-person festival since pre-COVID, and our first-ever hybrid event, we hope members and other attendees will renew connections and develop new ties. I know I’m excited to touch base with friends in person and meet more poets!

    We are grateful to partners MTSU Write and Poetry in the ‘Boro, without whom a hybrid festival would not have been possible. I’m also grateful to Festival Chair Howard Carman and Festival Contest Chair Deborah Adams, along with festival committee members Kory Wells, Mary Leoson, Jake Lawson, Cynthia Storrs, and Nikki Noushin. Further thanks go to festival volunteers Cathy Hollister, Betthy Kasoff, Julie Herman, Sara Minges, Kayla Nichols, Claudia Stanek, and KB Ballentine.

    Judges have almost completed work on our annual Student Contests, so look for an announcement of winners soon.

    Beginning in May, the society enters its new program year! This is the perfect time to renew or join us. The $25 membership fee is well worth the value. Find membership information here (online & mail options available). Our first presenter of the year will be acclaimed author Janisse Ray who will guide us on an exploration of the intersection of poetry and nature. Learn more.

    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 and anticipation—
    Lisa Kamolnick
    President, Poetry Society of Tennessee

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