The Society currently has 253 members and is affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. We sponsor contests, guest readings, workshops and other activities. These activities are designed to help members improve their skills, while enhancing the enjoyment of reading and writing poetry. We have no bias as to form or style; anyone serious about writing good poetry and anyone who enjoys reading good verse is welcome. We are always looking for new members.

Our primary purpose is to promote poetry as a vital cultural medium,improve our own skills, share opportunities and support one another, and join with others who enjoy the written and spoken word to delight in good poetry of every form and persuasion.

The Alabama State Poetry Society was founded in 1968 and is composed of two hundred poets and poetry lovers of all ages. The Society is a member of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS), Inc. and an affiliate of the National Poetry Day Committee, Inc.

Categories of membership are: Regular (anyone interested in poetry) and Student (a full-time college or university student). The current dues structure is $20.00 for Regular and $7.00 for Student membership. Dues are renewable on January 1 of each year.

We meet three times each year. April and October meetings are each held in conjunction with a contest and luncheon at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. We have an invited speaker, and contest winners are announced: money winners are invited to read their winning entries. The February meeting is held at the Sahara Restaurant in Montgomery.

We publish a quarterly newsletter, "The Muse Messenger." A copy of the NFSPS newsletter is included in the mailing. In the fall, we publish "The Sampler," an annual anthology of members' poems.

We have sponsored workshops and readings over the years that have included participation by nationally known poets, including Richard Eberhart, Sara Henderson Hay, Galway Kinnell, Michael Mott, Jim Simmerman, Judson Jerome, Jon Silkin, and others. In 1979, and again in 1992, ASPS hosted the annual convention of the NFSPS.

Myra Ward Barra, Treasurer
21 Seddon Pt
Pell City, AL  35128
205-223-5106
Myrawardbarra@gmail.com