MISSOURI STATE POETRY SOCIETY'S REPORT TO NATIONAL
FEDERATION OF STATE POETRY SOCIETIES, 2007
The
Missouri State Poetry Society was certified November 1, 1998, as the
official organization of Missouri poets in the National
Federation of State Poetry Societies. Chartered as
a corporation by the Office of the Secretary of State in Missouri and
recognized by the Internal Revenue Service of the federal government
and the State Department
of Revenue as qualified for exemption as a non-profit organization, the
Missouri State Poetry Society is a non-political, non-sectarian
literary society with current headquarters at 21010 S. Hwy 245 Fair
Play, MO 65649.
The
Missouri State Poetry Society is comprised of members of poetry groups
throughout Missouri and members-at-large from Missouri and other states
who do not belong to local chapters. There are at present
fifteen chapters, located in Bolivar (two chapters), Cabool, Cuba, De
Soto, Eminence, Independence, Kansas City, Lebanon, Mountain View,
Poplar Bluff, Raytown, Springfield, St. Peters, and an online
chapter. The members-at-large come from ten communities as
well as five other states. As of April 15, 2007, the society
had 241 members, including 24 members-at-large.
The fifteen local chapters in the order of their affiliation with the
state society are Poets & Friends in Springfield; Second
Tuesday in Bolivar; Rhyme & Reason in St.
Peters; Cabool Poetry Society in Cabool; Out of the Ozarks
Poets' Guild in Eminence; Mountain View Poetry Society in Mountain
View; Lebanon Poets' Society in Lebanon; The Write Place in
Independence; Thirty-Seven Cents online; Author Unknown in
Bolivar; On the Edge in De Soto; Kansas City Metropolitan
Verse in Kansas City; Crawford County Bombadils in Cuba; and PB Poets
in Poplar Bluff. Each group has a schedule of activities and
a slate of officers.
The state society's
officers are President Dale Ernst, Vice-President Janice Kroll,
Secretary Tom Padgett, Treasurer Bill Lower, Youth Work Director and
state anthology editor Judy Young, state newsletter editors Don
DePriest and David Thomas
The society's newsletter, Spare Mule, is issued
quarterly, and the state's web site at http://mostatepoetry.com also
helps keep members informed of the national federation's activities,
the four state organization's activities, and the activities of local
chapters. The state-wide activities of Missouri State Poetry
Society include a winter contest, a spring anthology, a summer contest,
and a fall convention. The contests are open to any poet, and
so far each contest has attracted approximately 500 entries.
The fall convention for 2006 was held in Lebanon. Over 60
poets and their guests attended the two-day event. Program
personnel included poets nationally known, John Leax and Walter Bargin.
At the convention luncheon, two members of the state
society, Maria McCubbin and Mark Tappmeyer were presented
with life-time honorary memberships for their poetry, their community
work, and their contribution to Missouri State Poetry
Society.
Grist, the state anthology, in 2006 contained
poetry of 119 members and guest poets who served the society as judges
for the summer contest in 2005 and the winter contest of 2006.
Poetry in the Park, an activity sponsored for several years by the
Poets & Friends chapter in Springfield, was jointly sponsored
by Poets & Friends and MSPS this
year. At the state convention in 2006, the MSPS members
attending voted for MSPS to pay up to half the expenses for the annual
event and count it as a National Poetry Month celebration for the
state. Approximately 60 persons, including 16 readers,
participated in the event in April of 2007. David Thomas of
Springfield directed this event.
Respectfully
submitted,
Dale Ernst, President of Missouri State Poetry Society.
