2010 NFSPS Convention Report

The 51st Annual Convention of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, Inc., was hosted by the Poets’ Roundtable of Arkansas, the Mississippi Poetry Society, and the Poetry Society of Tennessee in Memphis, Tennessee, at the Holiday Inn on the University of Memphis campus, June 10-13, 2010. The theme of this first multi-hosted convention was “Heart of the South Convention.”

Appointed PST Delegates to the NFSPS Plenary Sessions were Head Delegate Catherine L’Herisson, Naomi Stroud Simmons, Linda Banks, Floyd (Michaud) L. Lamrouex, and Mildred Vorpahl Baass. Alternates were Valerie Martin Bailey and Sharon Martin Turner. NFSPS President Nancy Baass held Delegate status because of her presence on the NFSPS Executive Board.

Nancy Baass, NFSPS President for 2008-2010, who served as Strophes Editor for 2009-2010, presided over the State Presidents’ Meeting and the 1st Plenary Session on Friday, “Arkansas Day.” She called the 2nd Plenary Session to order on Sunday, “Tennessee Day,” when Elections were held for the NFSPS Executive Board for the two-year term, 2010-2012, the slate selected by the three person Nominating Committee, named by her, on which PST member Budd Powell Mahan served as Chairman. Russell H. Strauss of Memphis, Tennessee, was elected President. Nancy Baass will serve on the Executive Board as Immediate Past President, acting as Chairman of the Presidential Advisors, comprised of all NFSPS past presidents including PST members Pat Stodghill and Budd Powell Mahan. Valerie Martin Bailey was elected 2nd Vice Chancellor and will serve in the Appointive Board position of Encore Editor. Other PST members appointed to NFSPS Appointive Board positions for the one-year term, 2010-2011, were Sharon Martin Turner as Contest Sponsors/Brochure Chairman, Peggy Zuleika Lynch as Librarian, Budd Powell Mahan as Manningham Trust Poetry Competition Chairman and Floyd (Michaud) L. Lamrouex as Legal Advisor and as Parliamentarian. At the 2nd Plenary Session, Nancy Baass was honored to receive the only print made of the 2009 Encore cover photograph from the Cover Art Contest winner, Sam Zook.

Those arriving in Memphis on Wednesday were invited that evening to a cocktail party at the home of Convention Registrar Sarah Hull Gurley. The Convention welcoming event on Thursday evening was dinner at Central Barbecue where the winners of the Convention Poetry Contest were announced. PST member Shirley Elliott Cosby won 3rd Place ($50) and Linda Banks won an unranked Honorable Mention. Winners of the Convention Invocation Contest, of which PST associate member Sara Gipson served as Judge, were announced at the start of each of the six meals, reading their invocational poems, if present. PST member Peggy Silha Ritzer was a winner and her poem was read by Nancy Baass, at the author’s request, before Dinner on Saturday, “Mississippi Day;” the author also won an unranked Honorable Mention. Optional tours included visiting Elvis Presley’s Graceland, and sightseeing in downtown Memphis with a stop to see the famous Peabody Hotel ducks and another stop allowing time to explore Beale Street.

Speakers presenting varied programs/workshops throughout the Convention were Harding Stedler, Cathy Moran, John W. Crawford, Peggy Vining, Randy Smith, Jonathan Randle, Betty Heidelberger, Jim Barton, a panel comprised of Ann Carolyn Cates, Brenda Finnegan and Elva Avara, and Lola Haskins, the Keynote Speaker at Sunday’s Dinner. At a Reception prior to Sunday’s Dinner and Installation of the NFSPS Executive Board, Elva Avara played favorite tunes on the piano and PST member Von S. Bourland, attending with husband Barry Bourland, led attendees in singing along. Nancy Baass showed her Texas pride when installing the Board by wearing a black chiffon skirt and sparkling beaded top, representing the Texas “stars at night” that “are big and bright” she proudly wore a wrist corsage of yellow roses, a gift from her mother, Mildred Vorpahl Baass.

During the Convention, PST received an NFSPS Youth Award Certificate for its youth participation activities, as well as an NFSPS National Poetry Day/Poetry Month Award Certificate for its activities in that regard. An NFSPS Special Award Certificate was awarded PST for working at making clear the connection between how its bylaws and its procedures in action reflect each other, exemplifying Hercule Poirot’s phrase: “Order and Method.” PST received a star on the Directory page of the NFSPS “Histories of Member Societies” project binder located in the Convention Book Room for attendee perusal; PST has participated every year since project originator Nancy Baass debuted the project in 1997, with Budd Powell Mahan writing the original brief history called for, updated versions submitted thereafter.

Student winners of the Manningham Trust Poetry Competition were announced at the Convention and their poems read. Texas student winners were: Junior Division 1st Place: Jordan Thomas and 2nd Place: Nikita Agarwal; Senior Division 3rd Place: Julia Enthoven and 4th Place: Krista Oehlke.

Winners of the 2010 NFSPS Annual Contests, including Honorable Mentions, were announced after each of the six meals. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Prize winning poems were read by the authors, if present, or by Readers. Nancy Baass served as a Reader. PST members who served as Judges were Nancy Baass, Valerie Martin Bailey, Linda Banks, Alan Birkelbach, Lee Carroll, Jerri Hardesty, J. Paul Holcomb and Naomi Stroud Simmons.

TEXAS/PST WINNERS 2010 NFSPS ANNUAL CONTESTS

WINNERS OF CONTESTS #1-49:

1ST PRIZE (Total:13) Evelyn Corry Appelbee, Barbara Blanks, Susan Maxwell Campbell, Lee Carroll, Elzy Cogswell, Shirley Elliott Cosby, Sara Gipson, Marianne McNeil Logan, Budd Powell Mahan (2), Janet McCann, Annie Neugebauer, Lisa M. Salinas

2ND PRIZE (Total: 6) Susan Maxwell Campbell (2), Lee Carroll, Shirley Elliott Cosby, Beverly Monestier, Lisa M. Salinas

3RD PRIZE: (Total: 5) Linda Banks (2), Lee Carroll, Shirley Handley (2)

HONORABLE MENTION (Total: 64) Margaret Anderegg, Evelyn Corry Appelbee, Mildred Vorpahl Baass, Valerie Martin Bailey (3), Linda Banks (6), Barbara Lewie Berry (2), Barbara Blanks, Von S. Bourland (3), Susan Maxwell Campbell (3), Lee Carroll (2), Elzy Cogswell (2), Jeanne Couvillon-Powell, Joanne Faries, Sara Gipson, Alice King Greenwood, Shirley Handley, Jerri Hardesty, Marian Knesek, Maxine B. Kohanski, Catherine L’Herisson, Dory Maguire, Budd Powell Mahan (9), Beverly Monestier (7), Annie Neugebauer, Susan W. Peters (2), Lisa M. Salinas (3), Naomi Stroud Simmons (3), Marilyn Stacy, Loretta Diane Walker (3)

(TOTAL WINS: 88)

TEXAS WINNERS OF CONTEST #50, Student Award

1ST PRIZE: Krista Oehlke

2ND PRIZE: Taylor Hendrix

3RD PRIZE: Franchesca Alamo

Honorable Mention: Alysia Chen, Will Hollerman, Kaitlyn Hunter, Megan Tucker, Alok Vaid-Menon, Dayla Wittie

In 2011, the 52nd NFSPS Annual Convention will be hosted by the Poetry Society of Michigan in Dearborn, Michigan, at The Dearborn Inn - A Marriott Hotel, June 16-19, 2011.