PoemCity 2023

Poetry Society of Vermont Reading

Poetry Society of Vermont members read original work followed by an open mic. Part of PoemCity 2023, presented by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, April 18, 2023.

PoemCity 2023

Join us in celebrating National Poetry Month at Montpelier’s PoemCity 2023. The list of poetry events throughout the month of April offers a wide range of options, including workshops and readings by Poetry Society of Vermont members.

PSOV CELEBRATES 75 YEARS

A RETROSPECTIVE

BEGINNINGS

A cursory review of poetry societies across the country reveals that 32 have their beginnings in—or at least now are attached to—the National Federation of State Poetry Societies organized in 1959. At least 30 are affiliated with the Academy of American Poetry’s Poetry Coalition and can be found at poets.org.

The Poetry Society of Vermont falls into neither of these camps. The PSOV archives remind us that “On May 15th 1947 at the Hotel Vermont in Burlington Mary (aka Mollie, PSOV’s fourth president) Newton Baldwin…witnessed the birth of a long-cherished idea…the creation of The Poetry Society of Vermont.”Continue Reading PSOV CELEBRATES 75 YEARS

Vermont Poet Laureate

In 1961, Vermont established a state poet laureate position, which is currently held by Mary Ruefle, who was appointed to a four-year term in 2019. Ruefle is the author of over a dozen full-length poetry collections, the most recent of which is Dunce (Wave Books, 2019), which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Poetry.

https://poets.org/state/VT

PROFILE Ann B Day

Ann B. Day with daughter Deb and grandson Haven

Backlit by a late-winter glow and surrounded by books and poetry magazines, Ann Bemis Day, at 92, the oldest member of the Poetry Society of Vermont, recently talked to The Mountain Troubadour about her writing, life, and PSOV, of which she’s been a member since 1959. She joined us via Zoom from her cozy home at RiverMead LifeCare Community in Peterborough, New Hampshire.  

Continue Reading PROFILE Ann B Day

First of a Kind

History of The PSOV, 1947-2023

The Mountain Troubadour cover 1961

On May 15th, 1947, at the Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Mary Newton Baldwin witnessed the birth of a long-cherished idea: the creation of The Poetry Society of Vermont. Long a believer “that there ought to be a statewide organization for poetry,” Baldwin had begun preaching her gospel in 1946 at a writer’s conference in Durham, New Hampshire. Such was the strength of her conviction that she had converted many writers and members of the Vermont intelligentsia into poetry activists; now finally, on that afternoon in May, surrounded by her adherents, she watched her vision become a reality.Continue Reading First of a Kind

Carol Lee Vail Prize Winners 2021

The Poetry Society of Vermont offers the Carol Lee Vail Prize for Emerging Poets with a generous $1,000 donation from the family of Philip Coleman, a PSOV executive board member. “Carol Vail was a creative and eclectic spirit who embraced the voice and vision of artists in every shape and form,” Philip said in announcing the award. “She dedicated her life to exploration, celebration, and the pursuit of insight– and it is that mission that defines the Carol Lee Vail Prize: to engage new and emergent poets and to honor their art.”

2021 Vail Contest Awards