Ohio Poetry Association Blog

The National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS), an organization to which the  Ohio Poetry Association belongs,  named Westerville, Ohio poet and OPA member,  Betty Bleen as runner up in the prestigious BlackBerryPeach Spoken and Heard competition. Bleen has been invited to read her poem at the NFSPS national convention in Denver, Colorado on June 2, 2018, along with the other prizewinners. The  BlackBerryPeach competition challenges poets to present their original poetry in print and spoken word. First Place went to  Rosemerry Trommer of Placerville, Colorado.  As 1 st  place winner Trommer receives the grand prize of $1,000.  The second place prize winner of $500 is Susan Chambers of Good Thunder, Minnesota. Third place winner of $250 is Ryan Jones of Grayson, Georgia.  Vice President Joe Cavanaugh, chair of the contest stressed the importance of reaching out to all poets by recognizing spoken poe...

Kari Gunter-Seymour was recently named poet laureate of Athens by the Athens Municipal Arts Commission (AMAC). Gunter-Seymour began her tenure as poet laureate on February 19, 2018. A third-generation Athens County native and longtime OPA member, Gunter-Seymour will hold the position of poet laureate for one year and, pending an evaluation at the end of her first year, potentially a second. She will have access to a $2,000 stipend to pursue projects as poet laureate. Gunter-Seymour holds a BFA in graphic design and a MA in commercial photography, but she is a self-taught poet. She started writing poetry after her son was deployed for Korea in 2002 and is now an active member of the arts community in southeastern Ohio and an award-winning poet. “I woke up each morning, when I was able to sleep, wondering if my son was alive,” said Gunter-Seymour. “It was poetry, finding those few precious words to explain my fear and analyze my faith, that kept me grounded, got me throu...

Don’t miss the fourth annual Poetry at Perkins benefit reading event preceded by a day-long series of activities on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at various locations throughout Delaware, Ohio. The Sun & Moon Poetry Festival promises to provide a full spectrum of poetry activities and readings. It starts at the Delaware County Library with a workshop led by Dr. Susann Moeller, secretary of the Ohio Poetry Association, on the topic of Space Junk. In the afternoon, a reading hike is scheduled though Stratford Ecological Center that will feature poets from throughout Ohio at various points along the path. In the evening, there will be more poetry from Ohio poets at the Perkins Observatory . Check out the full details below. Full/Crescent Press , a Columbus-based poetry press, has hosted “Poetry at Perkins: In Celebration of the Night Sky” as an annual event since 2014. Bill Hurley was one of the first poets to be involved and acted each year as Master of Ceremonies. A poet and ama...

With April’s arrival comes the beginning of National Poetry Month, and in 2017, there’s no shortage of great events and activities to experience in Ohio. If you haven’t yet kicked off your celebration by attending a great reading or just plain reading great poetry this past weekend, take a look at some of the things offered by both OPA and local groups throughout the state, as well as offerings at the national level. Events LaWanda Walters John Drury OPA is pleased to offer another of its free poetry workshops at Otterbein University on Saturday, April 8, when we welcome from Cincinnati the husband-and-wife poetry team of John Drury and LaWanda Walters. Get the full event details from the OPA website and come prepared for an engaging afternoon of wordsmithing.  If you’re looking to make a weekend of poetry in the Columbus area, why not put the Ohioana Book Festival on your list? OPA is excited again to be partnering with the Ohioana Library to bring the 11th ...

Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of Ohio Poetry Day.  May 15 is the deadline for the dozens of contests that are a part of the event . Here is a copy of the submission form. We realize the type is small. This is how it comes to OPA from Ohio Poetry Day staff in the mail. It's chocked full of great contest information, and as a result, the type is small. OPA recommends that in order to see it best, you should print a copy of the form which is in jpg or photo format. You can do that by saving the image to your computer and printing it. You can also use your own paper as an entry form if you don't want to print off a copy of the form. Be sure to provide all the information required, including which poems you want to be considered for which contests. Follow all the submission instructions. (Many photo viewers will allow you to zoom out thereby enlarging the type so you can check to see that you have included everything.)  It is recommended that you contact...

  Share your ideas with people of like-mind and get motivated by their encouragements and experiences. ― Israelmore Ayivor , Shaping the Dream This year’s July OPA Quarterly Business Meeting and All-Star Picnic will be held at the beautiful Jeffrey Park , Memorial Shelter located at 165 N. Parkview Ave., Bexley, Ohio 43209 .    The park is a 40-acre recreation area on the east side of Columbus, complete will all the amenities—hiking trails, playground for children, kayak and canoe ramp, tennis courts, and restroom facilities—the perfect setting for this year’s annual outdoor poetry event. The picnic is open to OPA members and their friends and family, or anyone who is looking for a great afternoon of potluck and poetry. It’s that time of the year when in the beautiful out-of-doors, we can share our ideas and words with people of like-mind and get motivated . An original watercolor painting by Deb Grenert will be raffled . The program promises ...