The National Federation
of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) is a non-profit organization,
exclusively educational and
literary. Its purpose is
to recognize
the importance of poetry with respect to national cultural
heritage. It is dedicated
solely to the furtherance of poetry on
the national level and serves to unite poets in the bonds of
fellowship and
understanding.
The NFSPS sponsors fifty annual poetry contests with cash
prizes totaling over $6,000, including a grand prize of
$1,000.
It also sponsors the Stevens Manuscript contest for a collection
of poems
by one poet, with a cash prize
of $1,000 plus
publication, the BlackBerry Peach Poetry Awards, with total cash prizes of
$1,750.00, plus
publication, and the College Undergraduate Poetry competition,
which awards two $500 prizes, plus publication.
Strophes is the national society's official
newsletter. It is published quarterly with national news but
also with state
societies' news. It announces numerous contests
and lists the national board members
and state presidents. The
summer issue provides names of judges and winners for the
national contests.
Annual conventions are conducted for business, instruction, and
fellowship. Poets who attend share poetry, ideas,
and
inspiration, which they carry home to their local
organizations.
The Federation Library Collection is housed at Baylor
University in Waco, Texas. In addition to the Encores
(prize
poem anthologies which contain winners of the national poetry
contests), the collection includes books
and materials provided
by organizations and individuals.
The emblem of the Federation is the Athenian Greek coin
insignia that appears on all NFSPS publications
and has been
incorporated into the design of the medal (see above) which is
presented to NFSPS presidents
at the end of their terms.
The members of the Federation are members of an NFSPS
affiliated state organization. Any poet wishing to
know the
location of his or her state society may contact NFSPS for this
information. Send a business-sized
SASE to:
Julie Cummings
9428 Fallen Rock Road
Conifer, Colorado 80433
Honorary Chancellor - Lance Larsen
Executive Board: The Executive Board shall be comprised of all elected officers of the NFSPS and the immediate past president. This body shall serve as the governing body of NFSPS.
[NFSPS Bylaws, Article VI-Executive Board, Section A.]
Elective Board
President: Paul Ford, 2412
E. 10265 S.,
Sandy, UT 84092 pmford3@gmail.com
Electronic Media
1st Vice President / Joeseph Cavanaugh,
3722
Longford Cir Ormond Beach, FL 32174
jcavanaugh1@gmail.com
Development Chair (Endowments/Sponsorships), BlackBerryPeach
Prizes for Poetry Chair
2nd Vice President: Steven Concert, 49
Kitchen Ave, Harveys Lake, PA 18618 paperlesspoets@gmail.com
Contests Sponsors/Brochure Chair
3rd Vice President: JoAn Howerton,
1550 Trent Blvd Apt. 1403, Lexington KY 40515 ladyjoan1946@gmail.com
Special Awards Chair
4th Vice President: Jessica Temple,
103 2nd Ave SW Fort WaltonBeach, FL 32548
jessica.NFSPS@gmail.com
College Undergratuate Poetry Competition Chair
Chancellor: Deborah Petersen, 718 S. Bennet
Street, Bluffton, IN 46714
djpetersen57@yahoo.com
1st Vice Chancellor: Terry Jude
Miller
tmilleroftexas@hotmail.com
Stevens Manuscript Competition Co-Chair
2nd Vice
Chancellor:
Peter Stein (address and email not
available)
Treasurer: Linda Harris,
49512 SE Weber Rd, Sandy, OR 97055-7425
harristaxes@aol.com
Secretary: Polly Opsahl,
7316 Huntington, Oscoda, MI 48750 pollyopsahl@gmail.com
Manningham Trust Competition Chair
Immediate
Past President: Julie Cummings,
9428 Fallen Rock Rd, Confer, CO 80433
jcummings3@gmail.com
Presidential Advisors Chair, Strophes Editor, Contest Chair, and
Electronics Media Assistant
Appointive Board
Board Liason to State Societies:
Russell H.
Strauss 18 S. Rembert, St. Memphis, TN 38104 RSTRpoet@cs.com
Membership Chair
Judges Chair: Carla Jordan 5858 Pintail Way, Frederick CO 80504-9668
judgeschair.nfsps@gmail.com
Encore Editor: Kathy Cotton, 1019 Applewood
Lane, Anna, IL 62906
kacotton7@frontier.com
Historian: Nancy Baass,
408 E. Warren AVE., Victoria, TX 77901-4847 nancy.baass@gmail.com
Legal Councelor and Parliamentarian: Susan Stevens
Chambers, 57310 166th Lane, Good Thunder, MN 56037
schambersmediator@yahoo.com
Librarian:
Catherine L'Herisson, 518 Grinnell Drive,
Garland, TX 75043 -
catherinepoet@juno.com
Poetry Day/Poetry Month Liaison: Amy Jo Zook,
3520 State
Rd. 56,
Mechanicsburg, OH 43044
Publicity Chair:Bernadette Perez,
19645 Hwy 314 Belen NM 87002
bpburritos@aol.com
Stevens Manuscript Competition Co-Chair: Eleanor
Berry,
2230 SE Laura Lane, Dallas, OR 97338 eberry@wvi.com
Strophes Associate Editor: Julie K.
Shavin julianza@comcast.net
Youth Chair: JC Wayne,
495 Falls Rd #712, Shelburne, VT 05482
jc.trekoneworld@gmail.com
Website: Billy Pennington,
P.O. Box 7842, Moore,
OK 73153
nfspsweb.master@gmail.com
Past
NFSPS Presidents:
*Cecilia Parsons Miller, *Clinton
Larson, *Robert D. West,
*Edna Meudt, *Marvin Davis Winsett,
*Max Golightly, *Hans Juergensen,
*Russell Ferrall, *Jean
Jenkins, *Catherine Case Lubbe,
*Glenn Swetman,
*Carl Morton, *Alice
Briley, *Wauneta Hackleman,
*Jack Murphy, *Barbara
Stevens, *Henrietta Kroah,
*Jerry Robbins, Pat Stodghill, *Wanda
Blaisdell,*Ralph Hammond, Amy Jo Zook,
Susan S. Chambers, *Clarence P. Socwell,
*Madelyn Eastlund, Budd Powell Mahan,
Doris Stengel, Nancy Baass, Russell H. Strauss, Jeremy M. Downes,
Eleanor Berry, *James Barton, and Julie
Cummings
*deceased,
Past NFSPS Honorary Chancellors
Joseph Auslander, John Crowe
Ransom, Glenn Ward Dresbach, Jesse Stuart, Grace Noll Crowell,
Jean Starr Untermeyer, Loring Williams,
Harry M. Meachum, John
Williams Andrews, August Derleth, William E. Stafford, N.
Scott Momaday, Richard Armour, Richard Eberhart,
James Dickey,
Judson Jerome, John Ciardi, Robert Coles, Richard Shelton,
Marcia Lee Masters, Robert Penn Warren, Richard Wilber,
William E. Stafford, Rodney Jones, Tess Gallagher, Michael
Bugeja, David Wagoner, Maxine Kumin, Naomi Shihab Nye, Li
Young Lee,
Lewis Turco, Ted Kooser, Natasha Trethewey, Peter
Meinke, Jo McDougall, and David J. Rothman
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