Tennessee Poetry.com
A New Site for Tennessee Poets
Updates coming soon!
UPDATE: Steven Robert Heine was severely crippled in a fall at his home in November 2024. He spent many weeks in the hospital and can no longer walk or even stand up. Your contribution will help pay for nursing care and his rehabilitation.
Please donate.
YOU CAN HELP! Steven Robert Heine is the author of seventeen books. But there are several book projects that still need to be completed. Now that SRH is severely handicapped we need your help to complete these projects. Please donate.
Author Steven Robert Heine is in need of a major sponsor for future books and reprints of his other books. Some people spend thousands of dollars for tickets to college football games; why not instead leave a legacy by sending a large amount as a sponsor of books by Steven Robert Heine? Large contributions MAY be credited in future books. Several books remain unwritten.You could help make history!
Thank you!
Tennessee Poetry and Writing Groups.
The current Tennessee State Poet Laureate is
Margaret Britton Vaughn.
Margaret was appointed in 1999 and is serving a lifetime term. More information about her can be found on the link above.The position of Tennessee State Poet Laureate was established in 1971. The first Tennessee State Poet Laureate was Richard M. "Pek" Gunn. (1971-1994)
The Tennessee Arts Commission supports Tennessee artists working in all genres, including poetry and writing. They provide grants and programs for Tennessee writers and artists. Please see the link above for details.
** The Poetry Society of Tennessee** is a nonprofit organization founded in 1953. The group supports local chapters in Tennessee cities, as well as providing a number of poetry contests. The Tennessee Poetry Society also holds meetings and readings, when possible. Though at this writing all group meetings have been postponed. Please see the link above for contest information and resources. Also on the link above is membership information.
For the past several years, thousands of high school students have participated in the Poetry Out Loud State recitation competitions, sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Your high school is invited to participate.
Poetry Out Loud is a wonderful program for students. The program helps the develop Stage and speaking skills, confidence and a love of poetry. Poetry really needs to be spoken to truly be enjoyed. Poetry Out Loud is a great program for students. To learn how to get your school involved in the competition, please see the link above.
Poetry Slams are events in which adults and students read and perform poetry for awards and prizes. There are many local events and even a National competition. Check with your local poetry group for the nearest Slam event and Slam schedules. (The above link is for the Knoxville Poetry Slam, one of many in the State).
The Nashville Writers Circle is a presentation of the Nashville Public Library. The group seeks to bring in published authors and writers to talk about their work and provide encouragement for Nashville writers. For more information and schedules, please see the link above.
The Tennessee Mountain Writers is a group from Oak Ridge that welcomes ALL Tennessee writers, at all levels of writing. The group offers conferences (when possible) and workshops. For more details and membership information, please see the link above.
The Smokey Mountain Romance Writers is a group in Knoxville that supports the writing of romantic fiction. All area romance writers are welcome. They have fiction writing contests, and when possible meetings. Membership dues are $30.00 per year. Monthly meetings are usually held on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Fountain City Branch library located at 5300 Stanton Road, Knoxville.
The Music City Romance Writers Group is a group in Lebanon that supports all genres of romantic fiction writing. The group holds meetings and conferences, when possible. They were formed to provide support and resources for romance writers in the Knoxville area.
** Collierville Christian Writers** is a group in Collierville that supports all genres of Christian writing. They provide conferences (when possible) for area Christian writers. Dues are $15.00 per year. More information I available on their site (above).
Dollywood What better place for a poet to get inspired than at a theme park named for an artist who has written hundreds of songs?
About the author: Steven Robert Heine is an American poet and author. He has spent much of his life supporting poetry projects and events. He is the author of 8 volumes of poetry. In 2011 he was seriously injured in a fall that left him in great pain and almost unable to walk. He suffered a stroke in 2023. Heine receives no disability and relies on a small pension and retirement income. He is no longer able to make public appearances.
We hope you will consider purchasing some of the merchandise in the links below. Many are original tee-shirts and merchandise created by Steven Robert Heine.
Thank you!Proceeds from the sale of merchandise on this site will help SRH provide this site as a service to the poets of Tennessee.
Steven Robert Heine is a West Coast poet & author. He has traveled extensively through the United States, including trips to Tennessee. He has spent his life promoting poetry; serving as founder for many poetry contests. He is the author of fifteen books, including poetry, history and his own short auto-biographies. His books can be found on Ebay, Amazon and Amazon Kindle.
Heine was crippled in a fall in 2011 and now makes very few public appearances.