Tennessee Poetry.com
A New Site for Tennessee Poets
Please support this site by donating and /or purchasing some of the merchandise from the links below. This site is presented by Steven Robert Heine. Heine is a disabled poet in his 70's. He was crippled in a fall several years ago and suffered a stroke in 2023. Your support will help cover costs of this site and provide more frequent updates.
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.