Ohio Poetry Association

March 21st at 10 a.m., Join the Ohio Poetry Association for a historical look at notable poets with Ohio ties on World Poetry Day!

This is a virtual event. Please register at www.eventbrite.com/e/ohio-voice...

Happy Birthday Toni Morrison!
Save the date for August 5, as we honor this literary titan.

National Federation of State Poetry Societies - BBP National Poetry Slam BBP National Poetry Slam. National Federation of State Poetry Societies

Registration is live for the 2026 BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, held July 23-26 in Overland Park, Kansas, during the annual NFSPS Convention. In addition to the cash prize, this year’s winner will be USA representative at the 2027 World Poetry Slam Championship in Tokyo.

More info: appalachianohio.org/aacf/opportu...

Maggie Smith’s Launches New Poetry Collection, A Suit or a Suitcase. Bestselling author and poet in conversation with poet, OSU scholar Marcus Jackson! Kicks off Gramercy's National Poetry Month programming!

The Ohio Poetry Association is very pleased to be a Community Partner with Gramercy Books for this special event featuring acclaimed @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in conversation with Marcus Jackson at the Drexel Theatre in Bexley, Ohio, on April 2nd.

Tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/maggie-smi...

Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize | Wick Poetry Center | Kent State University 2026 STAN AND TOM WICK POETRY PRIZE$2,500 for a First Book of PoemsThis prize is offered annually to a poet who has not previously published a full-length collection of poems. The prize awards the win...

From the Wick Poetry Center: "Finish the polishing touches on your manuscripts because the 2026 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, judged by Camille Dungy, is open for submissions! Visit our website for full eligibility and submission guidelines." www.kent.edu/wick/stan-an...

See and hear Cincinnati poet Ellen Austin-Li tonight on Zoom! Her new book, Incidental Pollen, is fantastic. More info: www.facebook.com/events/91462...

We're kicking off a yearlong statewide celebration of Toni Morrison on February 18, 2026!

Spread the word, sign up for our newsletter, and join in the celebration.
ohiocelebratestonimorrison.org

HOLD THE PHONE. WILL YOU LOOK AT THIS LINE UP! Get these on your calendar, friends. REGISTRATION LINKS WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON. A huge thank you to our sponsor the Ohio Arts Council and our "showcaster" Sheila-Na-Gig Editions.

THAT'S A WRAP! It has been my great honor to serve as Ohio's Poet Laureate for the past six years. THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY TIME IN SERVICE EXTRAORDINARY, FRIENDS! I am humbled as I look back at so many opportunities. Best wishes to our new laureate, soon to be announced! #ohiopoetlaureateemeritus

The Ohio Poetry Association is very pleased to be a Community Partner for this special event featuring Ohio writers Roy Bentley, Cliff Treyens, Sandra Feen, and our immediate past president Chuck Salmons at Gramercy Books Bexley on January 29th. More info: gramercybooksbexley.com/event/2026-0...

Deep gratitude to Jennifer Browne for her inspiring workshop on "Making a Killer Serial" yesterday.

Next, the OPA is thrilled to be a Community Partner for this special event featuring David Baker with Julia Kolchinsky at Gramercy Books Bexley on 1/22. Info: gramercybooksbexley.com/event/2026-0...

Renee Nicole Good, murdered by ICE, was a prize-winning poet. Here’s that poem. Renee Nicole Good, 37, mother to a six-year-old boy, was murdered earlier today by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, a few blocks from her home. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune: [An ICE agent] s…

lithub.com/renee-nicole...

A hearty congratulations to our 1st vice president, Dr. Susann Moeller, for being appointed the first-ever Poet Laureate of the city of Worthington. worthington.org/2420/America...

Winter Writing Camp | Lit Youngstown Winter Writing Camp is a fun day for writers ages 5 and up, no experience necessary.

I look forward to participating in @lityoungstown.bsky.social's free Winter Writing Camp on February 28th, where I'll present a generative workshop, "Beat Writer's Block," about using inspiration from Beat authors to jumpstart your stalled writing. Register at www.lityoungstown.org/winter-writi....

Poet reclaims her voice after years of discouragement Early in her career, Christine Wilson’s creative writing stalled in jobs that left little room for her to express her authentic voice. She rediscovered the value of her words after joining a women’s w...

cincinnati2025.nextgenradio.org/moments-of-t...

Check out OPA Ambassador Manuel Iris on the Rattlecast tonight! www.facebook.com/events/25837...

Join OPA Ambassadors Mervyn Seivwright, Ray McNiece, Sandra Gill, Bonnie Proudfoot and Zach Hannah on January 4th at 6pm for a conversation that poets, as conscious bearers, deserve to be a part of.
A meaningful and necessary discussion on the past and present of literary expression in our nation.

Congratulations to our @ohiopoetry.bsky.social Ides of October contest winners:

ohiopoetryassn.blogspot.com/2025/12/odes...

Wordplay | George Bilgere Wordplay is an offbeat mix of poetry, comedy, and an ongoing exploration of the possibilities of the spoken word.

A fun Ohio-based poetry podcast by George Bilgere and John Donoghue you might wanna check out. It's aired on WJCU in Cleveland for 18 years now. www.georgebilgere.com/wordplay

Join us Saturday January 10th at 1 p.m. online or in Columbus for “The Making of a Killer Serial: What’s to be Found in a Poem’s Recombinant DNA,” a workshop by Jennifer Browne. Register at www.ohiopoetryassn.org/events. You may also join us for our quarterly OPA business meeting that day at 10 a.m.

This #GivingTuesday, consider donating to the Ohio Poetry Association! Also, consider joining OPA if you are not already a member. Then consider volunteering time helping us continue to produce programming that helps poets further their craft. Thank you! www.ohiopoetryassn.org/donations

From our friends at Poets Against Racism USA: poetsagainstracism-usa.org/how-we-see-f...

Saturday we collaborated with the Cuyahoga County Public Library's William N Skirball Writers Center to present the Get Sharp! Poetry Publishing Conference. Workshop leaders Michael Salinger, Susan Grimm, Geoff Anderson, & Dianne Borsenik were fantastic. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us!

Ohio Poetry Association is an Ohio based arts organization that has long served poets and poetry lovers and loves doing so! We are grateful for our members across Ohio and beyond and hope you will consider us on this #GivingTuesday.

Donate easily online at ohiopoetryassn.org/donations

Get Sharp! publishers

Outlandish Press(www.outlandish.press), Blood Pudding Press (www.etsy.com/shop/BloodPu...), Bottom Dog Press (www.smithdocs.net), betweenthehighway press (betweenthehighway.org), Ethel Zine & Micro Press (www.ethelzine.com), & NightBallet Press (nightballetpress.blogspot.com)

A life characterized by verse: How one Cleveland poet found himself through writing – The Land When Cleveland poet Philip Metres was a senior in AP English at Wilmette, Illinois’ Loyola Academy in 1987, he was assigned a poem that would change the course of his life.

Good to see @philipmetres.bsky.social featured in The Land:
thelandcle.org/stories/a-li...

Join us on November 15th at the South Euclid library for our FREE Get Sharp! Poetry Publishing Conference, sponsored by the Ohio Poetry Association. Register at attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/13881294

Meet our workshop leaders: Geoff Anderson, Michael Salinger, Susan Grimm, and Dianne Borsenik.

OPA Ambassadors Report: NW Ohio with Sandra Rivers-Gill The northwestern part of Ohio has been all the buzz of events and accolades all around. In the ars poetica sphere is a chyron, moving and pe...

New on our blog! So many thanks to our NW Ohio Regional Poet Ambassador, Sandra Rivers-Gill: ohiopoetryassn.blogspot.com/2025/11/opa-...