What is the Illinois State Poetry Society website?

Updated

illinoispoets.org is the official website of the Illinois State Poetry Society (ISPS), a statewide organization whose stated mission is to promote poetry in all its forms and to spotlight its members and their work. The site is aimed at poets and poetry lovers in Illinois and serves as a hub for the society's events, chapters, member poems, and organizational history. If you want to know what the society does, when it meets, or how to get in touch, this is the place to start.

What the site covers

The homepage presents ISPS as "Connecting people and poetry" and points visitors to several areas:

  • About ISPS – background on the society
  • Upcoming Events – a full calendar of readings, meetings, and other gatherings
  • Members and poems – a space to spotlight members and their work
  • Chapters – local groups meeting across the state
  • History – the society's background

Events listed on the site

Two recurring activities are described on the homepage:

Monthly Open Mic & Reading

ISPS has sponsored a monthly open mic with two featured poets for almost twenty years. The event takes place at Brewed Awakenings in Westmont (19 W Quincy), led by Wilda Morris, on the last Sunday of the month from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The site states this event is free.

Chapter meetings and poetry critiques

Chapters meet regularly in public venues and/or online across Illinois. Meeting dates and times are available through the Chapters & Meetings page and the Events Calendar.

Chapters

The site lists the following chapters:

  • North Suburban
  • Southern
  • Champaign
  • Lisle (Founding)
  • West Suburban
  • Haiku
  • Pontiac (North Central)

Contact

Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Who this site is for

If you are a poet or poetry reader in Illinois looking for local readings, critique groups, or a community of writers, the site gives you the entry points: the events calendar for what's happening, the chapters list for something near you, and the contact email for anything not covered. The homepage does not list membership fees or pricing, so check directly with ISPS if cost is a deciding factor.