Calendar of
Our Monthly Meetings – 3rd Saturdays
The PSC meets monthly! Most monthly meetings also include a poetry workshop. Meetings include announcement of the previous month’s poetry contest winners and reading by their authors. Attendance instructions for Members are in the monthly Newsletter. Non-Members should email membership@PoetrySocietyofColorado.org for instructions. More on the meetings below the Events Calendar.
Monthly Poetry Contests
The PSC sponsors monthly poetry contests judged by knowledgeable individuals outside the membership – 8 of which are open to Members and Non-Members with 4 open to Members only! We hope you’ll consider submitting to one of our upcoming poetry contests. Rules and forms for entry are provided in our “Submissions and Contest” pages. More on the Contests below the Events Calendar.
Monthly Poetry Workshops
Most monthly meetings also include a poetry workshop, where attendees can learn new techniques and hone their poetry writing skills .These workshops are taught by outside experts in their subject matter and knowledgeable members of our Society. More on the Workshops below the Events Calendar.
Events Calendar
Who can enter: The October Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “The Future”
Specified poetry form: Open, Poet’s Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Each Poem 40 line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, December 19, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Ann Kleiman
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Venue: 10am MDT on Zoom (link to be provided in our monthly newsletter to members)
Agenda to include: October Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop Topic: To be announced.
Workshop Presenter: To be provided
Who can enter: The November monthly contest is for Members of PSC only. If you are not a member, you must join PSC first before entering a poem (link here: “Membership”).
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “Choices”
Specified poetry form: Open, Poets Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Each poem 40 lines maximum.
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight, November 21, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor(s): Tracey Mitchell
To enter, please click on the link here: “Contests – Members-Only Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to the “Members Only Contests” (not “Open Contests”).
Venue: 10am MDT on Zoom (link to be provided in our monthly newsletter to members)
Agenda to include: September Members-Only Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop Topic: “Poetry as Alternate Reality”
Stop overthinking the poem and dive in! This workshop is designed to make your work more vivid and less predictable by exploring dream imagery, surrealism, and what is magical in the mundane. We will discuss poems by Charles Simic, Pablo Neruda, and British poet Pascale Petit. Generative time will be included throughout. And in honor of Halloween/Day of the Dead/Samhain, we will also spend a little time releasing the monsters within.
Workshop Presenter: Amy Wray Irish, Poet Presenter
Amy Wray Irish grew up in the Chicago area, received her MFA from the University of Notre Dame, and now lives in the foothills of Colorado. She has two contest-winning chapbooks— Down to the Bone (Wild Rising Press, 2023), which reimagines fairy tales and myths as sources of strength for women; and Breathing Fire (Middle Creek Publishing, 2020), which is an intimate response to a year of national combustion. Her work has been published locally (by groups like TwentyBellows Lit, South Broadway Press, and Stain’d) as well as nationally (for example, in the We’Moon 2026 and 2027 daily calendars). Explore her poetry at www.amywrayirish.com and coloradopoetscenter.org.
Who can enter: The October Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “In The Course of Time”
Specified poetry form: Open, Poet’s Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements:
Each Poem 40 line maximum
Poems must include some reference to the passage of time, aging, live changes, the impact of history on the present, aspirations for the future, the fleeting nature of time, cycles of nature, horology, or anything else related to the concept of time
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, October 17, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Martin Postma
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Venue: 10am MDT on Zoom (link to be provided in our monthly newsletter to members)
Agenda to include: August Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop Topic: “The Contemplative Poet – Searching for the Spiritual through Poetry”
Workshop Presenter: Poet Nancy Cummins-Bierman.
For more details about the workshop: Download the .pdf by clicking here.
For more information on Nancy: Download the .pdf by clicking here.
September’s casual gathering will take place on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
Building on the success of the last several PSC casual gatherings our next one will be at the Ship Tavern within the Brown Palace Hotel. The address is 321 17th Street in Denver. For more information on this space and access parking, please review their website at these links: Ship Tavern | Brown Palace Hotel | Parking.
These events are opportunities to get to know each other in person but are not formal in any way. There are not agendas, contests, or workshops. Please attend, bring a friend, and enjoy good company.
Who can enter: The September monthly contest is for Members of PSC only. If you are not a member, you must join PSC first before entering a poem (link here: “Membership”).
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “in the Mirror”
Specified poetry form: Open, Poets Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Each poem 40 lines maximum.
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight, September 19, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsors: Gloria Viglione & Gay Williford
To enter, please click on the link here: “Contests – Members-Only Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to the “Members Only Contests” (not “Open Contests”).
Venue: 10am MDT in person at 8051 E. Maplewood Ave. in Greenwood Village. The membership portion of the meeting will be held indoors, but we plan to gather outside in the pavilion for the workshop, weather permitting.
Agenda to include: July Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop Topic: “Poetic Thinking, Part II”.
Workshop Presenter: Cory Bloomfield
Workshop Details: A year ago, I presented a workshop on Poetic Thinking—an exploration of how the mind works, what poetic understanding and poetic thinking are, and how we can use poetic techniques as tools for journaling, reflection, and contemplation. We use these to understand the world and ourselves within it. There was so much to cover and too little time. Last year’s workshop was abstract and theoretical, laying out the groundwork for the practical exercises we’ll use. Please join me as we revisit this important topic.
Presenter Information: Cory Bloomfield is still, incidentally, a land surveyor, but his deepest motivations remain with studying what makes us human. His degree is in applied psychology, with minors in philosophy and religious studies. Poetry has been a significant part of his life since before he began it. He keeps busy with proctoring tests and providing training for several surveying and professional organizations.
NOTE: The monthly meeting’s date has changed, but the due date for the August Contest entries remains the same.
Who can enter: The August Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “Classical Music”
Write about your personal experiences with classical music, as an overall genre or specific pieces—anything from a famous tune you like to memories of your grandfather putting on a record after coming home. Does the theme itself evoke a reaction in you? You may also write an ekphrastic response to any classical work; be sure to cite the music you used under your title. The citation does not count in your line limit.
Specified poetry form: Open, Poet’s Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Each Poem 40 line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, August 15, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Ian Hoyman
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Who can enter: The July Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “Nature”
Specified poetry form: Open, Poet’s Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Each poem 40 line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, July 18, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Laurel Becker
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Venue: 10am MDT on Zoom (link to be provided in our monthly newsletter to members)
Agenda to include: June Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop Topic: Praise the Everyday: Unleashing the Power of the Ode
What do a pair of woolen socks and a fresh slice of tomato have in common? They are magnificent subjects for an ode. Too often, people assume odes are rigid, stuffy relics of antiquity—written in archaic language to honor grand, abstract concepts. In reality, true odes are a vibrant celebration of presence, a poetic thank-you note to the world. In our July workshop, we will explore this classic form, discovering what an ode is and what it isn’t. We will study diverse examples, shifting from traditional structure to joyful celebrations of everyday things. Finally, a guided writing exercise will help each participants draft an ode. Join us to find the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary.
Workshop Presenter: Martin Postma
Martin Postma is a poet, artist, aviator, humanitarian, and presenter of wonderful workshops. At the time of his July Workshop, Martin will be President Emeritus of Poetry Society of Colorado. He has served PSC in many other capacities including Secretary, Vice President, and presenter of wonderful workshops.
Martin holds a Masters of Public Administration from Drake University, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute, is a Certified Economic Developer, a Development Finance Certified Professional, a LEED Green Associate, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, an accredited member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, and most recently has earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist credential from the College for Financial Planning.
Venue: 10am MDT on Zoom (link to be provided in our monthly newsletter to members)
Agenda to include: May Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
June “Open Mic”: Traditionally, most June meetings have provided attending individuals the opportunity to read poems of their choosing. This will be the case at this meeting. Please come and bring a reading which interests, amazes, and moves you to share with the group!
Workshop: Because of the “Open Mic” nature of the meeting, there will be no workshop presentation.
Who can enter: The June Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): Open Theme, Poet’s Choice
Specified poetry form: Haiku or Tanka Chain
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements:
Maximum — 8 tanka chain OR 13 haiku chain
Minimum — 3 tanka chain OR 3 haiku chain
Examples of haiku and tanka: Poetrysoup.com
DO NOT MIX TANKA AND HAIKU IN THE SAME POEM
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, June 20, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Ann Klaiman
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Following an exceptionally enjoyable and well-attended March casual gathering in Littleton, the time has come to plan for our next event.
The location is Louis Café, 1030 Johnson Road, Ste 150, Golden.
This is a time for sharing conversation and friendship building. These are not formal meetings. There are not agendas, contests, or workshops. Please plan to attend. Guests, relatives, and prospective members are most welcome.
Who can enter: The May Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “Reconciliation”
Without using the word “reconciliation” or “reconcile” in the poem or title, write a poem that applies one of the following definitions from the Cambridge Dictionary.
Reconciliation:
1. a situation in which two people or groups of people become friendly again after they have argued;
2. the process of making two opposite beliefs, ideas, or situations agree;
3. the process of making two people or groups of people friendly again after they have argued seriously or fought and kept apart from each other, or a situation in which this happens.
Specified poetry form: Open: Poet’s Choice
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: 40 line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, May 16, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Susan Rocco-McKeel
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Venue: 10am MDT on Zoom (link to be provided in our monthly newsletter to members)
Agenda to include: April Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop Topic: Tomas Tranströmer, Noticing with the “Buzzard Poet”
Swedish poet, Tomas Tranströmer won the Noble Prize for Literature in 2011 “because, through his condensed translucent Images, he gives us fresh access to reality.” In this workshop, we will read examples of Tranströmer’s poetry and consider elements such as his use of landscape, expression of contrast and duality, and his exploration of how humans respond to finding themselves at pivotal points. There will be time to write and apply some of these elements.
Workshop Presenter: Susan Rocco‑McKeel
Susan Rocco‑McKeel, a Poetry Society of Colorado Member since 2013, co‑edited PSC’s Centennial Anthology. Susan is a retired attorney, active arbitrator, a founding organizer of the Castle Rock Writers nonprofit, and a member of the Colorado Author’s League. Her short stories and poetry have been published in journals and anthologies, and she is the co‑author of two books on Douglas County history published through Arcadia Press.
Who can enter: The April Open contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “A Personal Memory” – Lyric poetry, with its emphasis on personal emotion, musicality, and vivid imagery, offers an intimate and emotive form of expression. Its evolution reflects the changing voices and experiences of poets across ages.
Specified poetry form: Lyric Poem
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: 40 line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight MDT, April 18, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Mary Holland
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Venue: This will be an In-Person meeting (not available on Zoom).
Location: Belmar Library Meeting Room
555 S. Allison Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80226
Agenda to include: March Members-Only Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop: “Words from Wild Places” lead by poet Rick Kempa
We go to wild places to hone our city-dulled senses and to reconnect with the animal in ourselves. At the same time, our thoughts, feelings, and insights—our humanness–come into clearer focus in the wild.
More information about Rick and the workshop can be downloaded from here.
Venue: Zoom
Agenda to include: February Open Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop: Led by the poet Nancy Cummins-Bierman.
Title: “The Contemplative Poet – Searching for the spiritual through poetry”
For more information on the workshop: Download the .pdf here.
For more information on the poet: Download the .pdf here.
March’s casual gathering will take place on Saturday, March 7th, 2026 starting at 9:30 am.
We will meet at:
Hearth Bakery
5610 S. Curtice St.
Littleton, CO 80120 (downtown Littleton).
These events are opportunities to get to know each other in person but are not formal in any way. There are not agendas, contests, or workshops. Please attend, bring a friend, and enjoy good company.
Who can enter: The March monthly contest is for Members of PSC only. If you are not a member, you must join PSC first before entering a poem (link here: “Membership”).
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme (Poem MUST use this theme): “Getting Here” – Poet is free to interpret this as they wish.
Specified poetry form: Poet’s Choice (no prescribed form specified)
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Forty Line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight, March 21, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsors: Susan Harmon
To enter, please click on the link here: “Contests – Members-Only Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to the “Members Only Contests” (not “Open Contests”).
Who can enter: The February monthly contest is open to all interested participants – membership in the PSC is not required.
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme: “Black History” – Write about any aspect of Black History, whether it is a person, a place (birthday place, museum, or memorial site), or thing (inventions that have changed the world, such as peanut butter or something mechanical). Please keep the poem positive as to the vast contributions with which Black people have enhanced our lives. If you must talk about enslaved people or slavery in general, try to emphasize positive outcomes.
Specified poetry form: None (Poet’s Choice)
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: 40 line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight, February 21, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsor: Vaughn Neeld
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Open Contests” or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to “Open Contests” (not “Members- Only Contests” even if you are a member)..
Venue: Zoom
Agenda to include: January Members-Only Contest winners will be announced and the winning poems read by their authors.
Workshop: Led by the poet Juan Morales.
Title: “Lightning in a Bottle and a Time to Play with Forms”
For more information on the workshop: Download the .pdf here.
Venue: Zoom
Agenda to include: December Open Contest winners will be announced and the poems read by their authors.
Workshop: Led by the poet Nathan Brown.
Title: “Getting Serious — From Generation to Completion”
For more information on the workshop: Download the .pdf here.
For more information about him, please visit his website: POEMS | nathanbrown
Who can enter: The January monthly contest is for Members of PSC only. If you are not a member, you must join PSC first before entering a poem (link here: “Membership”).
Requirements: Entered poems must use the Theme., Form and other Requirements specified below as well as general entry rules found the Contest Information page.
Theme: “Footprints” (Previously and incorrectly shown as “Footsteps” – darn spellcheck!)
Specified poetry form: No specified form (Poet’s Choice)
You can enter: Up to 3 poems
Additional Requirements: Forty Line maximum
Poem(s) and Payment Due: Any time before midnight, January 17, 2026 (via website entry / email / USPS mail)
Sponsors: Daniel Martinez/Susan Rocco-Mckeel
To enter, please click on the link here: “Submissions and Contests – Members-Only Contests“ or using the menus at the top of this screen. Be sure to submit only to the “Members Only Contests” (not “Open Contests”).
January’s casual gathering will take place on Saturday, January 10th, 2026 starting at 1:30 pm.
We will meet at Sachi Sushi, located on the west side of the Denver Premium Outlet Mall. The address is 13801 Grant Street, Suite 570, Thornton, CO 80023.
This is a time for sharing and friendship building. These are not formal meetings. There are not agendas, contests, or workshops. Please attend, bring a friend, and enjoy good company.
More On:
Our Monthly Meetings – 3rd Saturdays
Poetry Society of Colorado gathers every month to share poems, ideas, and the sheer pleasure of language. From January through November, our meetings include a poetry workshop–sometimes craft-focused, sometimes delightfully generative—designed to stretch your writing and spark new work. We also celebrate the winners of the previous month’s poetry contest with readings by the poets themselves. Members receive meeting details in our monthly newsletter. Non-members are warmly welcome to attend up to three meetings as our guests (email membership@PoetrySocietyofColorado.org for instructions). Come listen, write, celebrate,
and be part of the conversation.
Our Poetry Contests
Put your poems into the world with Poetry Society of Colorado’s monthly poetry contests. Judged by knowledgeable readers from outside our membership, these contests invite both fresh voices and seasoned poets to take part. Each year includes eight contests open to members and non-members alike, plus four exclusive to members. Modest cash prizes are awarded for first through third place, with three additional honorable mentions recognized each month. The themes and formats required for each month’s poems are listed below. The themes and formats required for each month’s poems are listed in each month’s calendar entry. We hope you’ll consider submitting to one of our upcoming poetry contests. Rules and forms for entry are provided in our “Contest” pages.
Our Poetry Workshops
Pull up a chair and bring a curious mind. Each month, PSC Workshops create a lively space where poetic notions take flight–an open invitation to wander, play, and see what language might become. Some sessions dig into craft; others fling open the windows and let language run wild. Workshop presenters include an inspired mix of regional poets, university voices, and brilliant members of our own community. New to poetry or deep in the practice, you’ll find a generous, welcoming space to experiment, connect, and remember why you fell in love with poems in the first place. Workshop descriptions and brief biographies of the presenters appear in each month’s calendar entry in the Meeting descriptions.
