Kentucky State Poetry Society Looks Forward to an Active Year with New Programs

The Kentucky State Poetry Society was founded by Eastern Kentucky poet and teacher Jessie Stuart in the 1960s to provide opportunities for the state's poets and build audiences for the art. Its members are primarily Kentucky poets but also spread all across the United States. Benefits of membership include a subscription to the society's journal "Pegasus" and its newsletter "Mitakuye Oyasin", advertising of any of its members published works through a free book review service and an opportunity to be listed on KSPS' official website www.kystatepoetrysociety.org/, and an invitation to its conference usually held in October to coincide as closely as possible with National Poetry Day at a different designated state park annually. Members also receive a subscription to "Strophes", the official newsletter of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies of which KSPS is a member.

Membership dues are to be paid annually and are as follows: Student (elementary through college)- $10, Library- $10,Senior Adult (aged 60 and over)-$20, Family (must include the names of family members)- $25, Adult- $25, Patron- $25, Benefactor- $50, and Sponsor- $75.

This year, President Tony Sexton has announced several new programs which will utilise any member willing to volunteer and will help expand KSPS' membership and benefits. Along with the well-established annual adult and student contests held by KSPS, there will also be initiated an annual membership drive in March. For every five new paid members recruited, the recruiting members will receive one free membership to apply to themselves or gift to someone. Also, details that defined exactly what the three regions of the state (for KSPS' purposes) are and to organise regional meetings.

A state-wide Library Blitz will be carried out to extend membership to as many libraries as possible as well as to put these institutions more in touch with their local poetic communities, improve cooperation between them in the form of literary events, and to encourage libraries to carry books published by KSPS members.

Beginning this year, an annual Kentucky State Poetry Society Poetry Month Meeting and Mid-Year Conference will be held in April. This year's dates are April 16 and 17, 2010. Events at this meeting will be a public poetry reading, a day of various workshops, a business meeting, and a book sale featuring books written by KSPS members. There will also be a banquet with a special guest speaker who is yet to be announced. Registration for this conference is $35 per individual, does not include hotel costs, and requires pre-registration.

Volunteers are being encouraged to conduct a workshop in their local library with KSPS' help, invite friends to join KSPS and/or attend regional meetings, pass out the student contest brochure at local schools, email members to remind them of meetings and special events, make suggestions for improving KSPS, and to keep writing and sharing their poetry. These new initiatives will require the man-power of every member in large and small ways to be successful. Tony Sexton emphasises that there are jobs for all.

The Kentucky State Poetry Society is therefore set for sizable growth and greater efficiency as these initiatives begin to be implemented during this year.