Maryland State Poetry Society

Transcription

1 Maryland State Poetry Society (MSPS) introduction On August 10, 1962, Maryland Poet Laureate Vincent Godfrey Burns visited the College Park home of Gladys Millen Wenk to discuss formation of a society for the promotion of poetry in the state. Millen Wenk had conceived the idea of such a society in 1959, believing the 1960 s to be: the beginning of a new era and offers wide horizons for those interested in the promotion of the correct and sound procedures to encourage writers of all ages. As a result of this meeting, on September 20, 1962, Burns, Millen Wenk and Calvin Ira Kephart incorporated the Maryland State Poetry Society to: aid poets and poetry in Maryland by association, publication, recitals orally and over the wires, and in other ways so that the cultural and spiritual life of the people may be stimulated and inspired. The first meeting was held nine days later in the Francis Scott Key Memorial Hall of St. John s College, Annapolis. The first year s program included a Poet s Theatre, a Poetry Day Program at the State House, and meetings honoring Lizette Woodworth Reese and Society of American Poets President Jay T. Slimmer, as well as welcoming Leslie Frost, daughter of Poet Robert Frost. The following year, the Society participated in the Annapolis Festival of the Arts as plans were made to publish the anthology The Rainbow. In 1966, Burns formed The Poet Laureate s Committee of One Hundred and left the MSPS which elected Prof. Charles Crane to succeed him as its president. Over the next decade the Workshop Program was established under Prof. Crane with three workshops in Prince Georges County and another in Baltimore City. In Anne Arundel County, a program of poetry readings for patients was established under Elinor Cloukey on the closed-circuit television station of Anne Arundel General Hospital. Dr. Frederick Morey became president in 1971, the year in which annual contests and banquets were begun with grants from the Maryland Arts Council, and the Society magazine, Oriole, began publication under Editor Helen Patterson. The newsletter became Maryland Musings after Leonard Paul became the society s president in Paul did not complete his presidential term, which was filled out by Vice-president Mary Gaumond, and Prince Georges County Educator Stacy Tuthill was elected president in Under her leadership, the Maryland society sponsored the 1976 State Poetry Societies Convention at the American University in the District of Columbia and worked with the Arts Council and the Maryland Writers Council on other Bicentennial activities. In 1980 President B. Floyd Flickinger began to gather the Society s records and material on Maryland poets in the Cooke Library at Towson State University. The Collection was subsequently transferred to the University of Baltimore.

2 table of contents Series I. Box 1. January 1976 Extension News Items MSPS Poetry Day state and natl. correspondence prior to 1973 correspondence 1973 Banquet, Beta 1974 correspondence 1974 correspondence 1975 correspondence 1976 correspondence Maryland Society of Poets advisory Poetry Recitals local Maryland Musings 3-4/1980 Maryland Musings 7-8/1980 Maryland Musings 9-12/1980 Maryland Musings 12/1976 Maryland Musings 11/1976 Maryland Musings 10/1976 Maryland Musings 8-9/ Maryland Musings 6-7/1976 Maryland Musings 5/1976 Maryland Musings 4/1976 Maryland Musings 2-3/1976 Maryland Musings 11/1975 Maryland Musings 10/1975 Maryland Musings 8-9/1975 Maryland Musings 6-7/1975 Maryland Musings 5/1975 Maryland Musings 4/1975 Maryland Musings 3/1975 Maryland Musings 1-2/1975 Maryland Musings 11/1974 Maryland Musings 10/1974 Maryland Musings 9/1974 Maryland Musings 6-7/1974 Maryland Musings 5/1974 Maryland Musings 4/1974 Maryland Musings 2/1974 Maryland Musings 1/1974 Maryland Musings 11/1973 Maryland Musings 10/1973 Maryland Musings 8-9/1973 Newsletter 10/1972-6/ 73 Box 2. Workshop vol Strophes Stacy s Gift Membership Lists Tax Record Contributions to MSP&LS Library Poetry Pilot 3/ / 77 Poetry Pilot 5/1969-9/ 74 The Detonator

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