Illinois State Poetry Society

To join ISPS through June, , please fill out our Membership Form and mail it with a check for $20.00 ($30.00 for "Patron" listing, $50.00 for "Benefactor" listing). You don't have to be an Illinois resident to join ISPS, but you do need to be an ISPS member to have your poems posted in this website.

A Message from the ISPS President, November/December, 2023

by Mary Beth Bretzlauf, ISPS President

Hello Fellow Poets!

Did you know that November is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month is quite the thing among writers. I'll be using the inspiration of the month to work on my mystery at a writing weekend the first weekend of November. Carving out time for writing is difficult for me. Sometimes even getting a poem to paper is a struggle, so I look forward to that time to focus.

I realized we poets don't really have that kind of month-long organized motivation like NaNoWriMo, do we? Is anyone aware of such a thing for poets? Please reach out to me if you know of one. Perhaps we can use April as our "get out and write" inspiration, like writing a poem a day with prompts of form or subject.

Maybe January, when it's dark longer than it is light, and with our hands wrapped around a steamy mug of cocoa or tea, we can use that time to write a poem or two. That could be our "stay in and write" month of motivation. Please reach out to me with ideas, suggestions, or share where and when you find motivation to write.

Now as the holidays creep upon us, we want to address more of the suggestions we received last year from our survey. One of those was publishing. We will begin a series of programs designed to help the unpublished achieve their goals. Keep watching your inbox from William Shakespeare for news. Now that I think of it, perhaps April could be the motivation to get your manuscript ready!

One of the items on the Board's agenda when we meet next week will be Poetry Month events. Believe it or not, it's not too early to start thinking about it. One way I'd like to challenge all of you is to contact your local libraries and see if you, as an ISPS member or as a chapter, can be of assistance with their planning — which will begin in December for them. It may be as simple as helping with collecting and displaying poems from local poets, hosting an open mic, or even programs.

This seems odd to say this since autumn is on full display in my corner of the state, but I wish each one of you a wonderful holiday season!

Keep on writing,
Mary Beth

Archive of Presidents' Messages

"Last Sunday" Poetry Reading, December 31, 2023

Two poets will be featured at the monthly poetry reading sponsored by the Illinois State Poetry Society and Brewed Awakening on Sunday, December 31, 12:30-2:00 PM Central Time. There will also be an open mic. You may participate via Zoom or by going to Brewed Awakening (19 W Quincy Street, Westmont, Illinois; just off Cass Avenue, across the street from the METRA station). There is a $12 cover charge, which entitles you to a beverage and snack. The link for Zoom tickets, which can be purchased for $5, will be posted here. You may participate in the open mic either way.