Texoma Poetry Society
P.O. Box 2902
Sherman, TX 75091-2902


Poetic Patter
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April 2001 2nd Quartly Issue 2001
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"Promoting Poetry by Participation"

Program Information

The April program will be a reading of a famous poet's works. In our March program, we had Bob Haynes, a journalist and writer from the Herald Democrat, with us. He is doing a piece on Arts and Artists in the area. Leona had invited him to attend our meetings, meet us and interview some of us. He took photographs of us reading and took notes on our proceedings. We look forward to seeing his piece.

We ha a "Soft Slam" in March. Leona took 1st place with her poem "Dear God;" Brenda came in 2nd with "To Be or Not To Be;" Cliff and Susie Barnhurst tied for 3rd.

Winners in the February contest were: Leona Welch 1st with "Roots and Wings"; Lynda Ross, 2nd with "So I Will Know You Won't Let Go of Me"; Cliff Roberts, 3rd with "Again Last Night I Dreamed". Honorable Mentions went to Carl Frazier with "Visions and Dreams through Time", and Bonnie Jo Gleaves with "Unlimited Love".

At the April meeting, we will be announding the "Leprechauns" contest winners. If you think the same person keeps winning over and over, maybe it is because only those people are submitting poems to the contests. I only received 5 entries for the contest in March.

Winners in the March Contest were: Bonnie Jo Gleaves, with "The Leprechaun", Susie Barnhurst 2nd with "For a Pot of Gold", Cliff Roberts 3rd with "Libel Leprechaun Limerick". Honorable mentions go to Brenda Roberts with "King Brian" and Lynda Ross with "Is He Real".

Contests for the next three months are:
No line limits,
MUST receive in the P.O. BOX or in person by the 15th of the month Deadline.
Winners to be announce at the following month's meetings.
April - Easter Review
May - A poem to honor a mother who has influenced your life
June - A poem to honor a father who gave you a helping hand.

TPS NEWS NOTES

As most of our membership is aware, Bob Lewis has been very ill for quite a while. He and his family also have just recently lost a family member. Let's keep both Bob and Gail and their loved ones in our prayers and hearts as they struggle to deal with the effects of his illness. Bob, WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOUR PRESENCE IN OUR MIDST, OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

March 2001 was the month for the United Nations' sponsored Dialogue Among Civilizations Through Poetry. Poetry was being read during the week of the 25th thru the 31st at over 200 cities, over 150 countries, in Antarctica, on Mt. Everest, on the Space Station and many other places. Our members participated in the readings in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Reading at University of Texas in Arlington on the 31st from TPS' group were:
Leona Welch, Lynda Ross, Cliff and Brenda Roberts
Also reading at this event were recent TPS guests Jan Benson, Avis Herndon, and Michael Guinn.

Brenda and Cliff were also readers in the kick off event for the Fort Worth area reading at the Borders Sunday Night group hosted by Helen Jones on the 25th.

Brenda, Cliff and Coke Brown, Jr. (another TPS member) read at the LAST official UN Dialogue Readings at Barnes and Noble in Sundance Square, downtown Fort Worth hosted by Susan Vogel Taylor with lots of other Poetry Society of Texas members and recent TPS guests: Jan Benson, Avis Herndon, and Michael Guinn.

Many of our membrs have received recognition for their poems in various forums. Please let me know so that all our members can share in your excitement through the newsletter.

Brenda Roberts has a new novel for sale online. It is entitled A Cold North Wind with the cover by fellow Texoma Poetry Member and fellow author, Dennis J. Smith. contact Brenda at brephoenix@aol.com to order one, or go to www.synergebooks.com

Dennis J. Smith has a new book of poetry and short stories called Random Raging Images. contact djs2306@aol.com to order one, or go to www.synergebooks.com

Cliff Roberts has just signed a contract with SynergEbooks.com for two books due out sometime in the late summer or early fall. One is a chapbook of his Vanyell Delacroix vampire personaes vampire poetry which came out in print in October of Last year. It is called In Another Vein. The other is a children's Halloween vampire story of his poem Daysleeper.

Cliff also won a Barney Book prize at the March meeting of Poetry Society of Texas in their monthly poetry contest.

Coke Brown Jr. and Brenda Roberts both have books available from Word Wrangler publishing at www.wordwrangler.com.

Brenda, Cliff, Coke, Leona and Susie continue to particiapte in online poetry forums. Brenda Cliff, Coke and Leona are all active in the Poetry Society of Texas and in the Dallas - Fort Worth venues.

MEMBERSHIP

Dues for the 2000/2001 year were due in October. If you haven't gotten your dues in yet, please send them to the Membership Chairman, P.O. Box 2303 Sherman TX 75091. Dues remain at $6.00 a year and are pro-rated for those who join at times other than October.

Anthology News:

The year 2001 is nearing its preparation time, if you would like to help in its preparation, please contact Janice (drop a line to the PO box and I'll call you). We are trying to obtain sponsors for the printing, so, if you know someone who might like to sponsor us, ask them to let us know, or give Leona, Brenda, or I their names so that we can contact them.

The title of the anthology this year will be Muses in Bubbles. (We pictured a poet with cartoon balloons all around his head like satellites) and we will have a section of children't poetry. I looked up Muses in the thesaurus. It says see "POET" which in turn says a writer of verse which is ten elaborated as (a poet to stir men's soul). So, I encourage you to enter pomes that inspire you to FEEL. Encourage young poets in your family to send in poems for this issue of our anthology. Submissions of poetry for the anthology are due by MAY 15, 2001 so that we can have them assembled and ready for the state meeting in July.

DON'T FORGET!!! PST Summer Conference will be held in McKinney Texas in 2001 (July 26, 27 & 28). We'll get more information out to you as it is received. With the convention only 33 miiles from Sherman, maybe more of our members will have the opportunity to attend. If you don't have your PST membership in, call Leona or Brenda for a membership form.
Leona (903)464-0140
Brenda (817)926-7905

Seminar News

Our seminar for October is in the planning stage ad Brenda has lined up an impressive list of speaker for that event. There will be the usual $15.00 registration fee. It will be from 9 am until 5 pm at the Sherman Public Library on October 6, 2001.

There will be at least 6 Contests for the Seminar:

1) The Lida Lee Award, Sponsor, Cliff Roberts
(In Honor of his Grandmother Lida Lee)
Theme will be Arts and Crafts, up to 50 lines, any form

2) The New Horizon Award, Sponsor Leona Welch
28 line limit, any subject, any form

3) Haiku Award, Sponsor, Cliff Roberts

4) Humorous Award, Sponsor, Bonnie Jo Gleaves

5) Poetic Satellites, TPS Award
any subject, any form, 36 line limit

6) Cowboy Award, Sponsor Jancie Harris,
(Honoring Bob E. Lewis TPS' own Cowboy Poet)

Happy Birthdays

for February: Brenda Roberts, Robert Austin Hermel, Yevonda Kathline Henson, John Jackson

for March: Michael Henson, Josh Harris, Amy Michael(the big 17 this year), Joseph Michael, Lida Lee (Cliff's grandmother is 84 this year), Rhiannon Webber

For April: Nina Northcutt (Coke's niece)

For May: Dwayne Harris

Congratulations to Amanda Michael for the birth of her new son: Devin Jay Michael
and to Barbara Foran and John Jackson on their marriage (Feb. 14)

If a member of your family has a birthday you would like mentioned, please get the information to us prior to the first of the month the birthday will be celebrated in and we will try to get them in the newsletter for that quarter.

From the President' Corner:

I continue to struggle with how to get our membership more involved with meetings and contests. I would appreciate your suggestions. If you have something about the meetings that is discourageing your attendance, please drop me a line and let me know. If there is a problem, we will try and find a way to eliminate that problem. We enjoy your friendshiops and can only wish that all the members could make ever meeting.

We will again be electing new officers in November of this year. We will have to approach Brenda and Cliff to see if they still wish to participate as Officers in the next term, since they no longer live in Sherman, before nominations are made. Please be thinking about how you would like to participate in the next term leadeship roles. If you don't wish to serve as an officer, who do you want to represent you on the board? Nominations will be accepted in September and Elections held in the November meeting. Officers will be installed at the December meeting for the following term. Rember the term is for two years 2002 - 2004


Poem Spotlight

What about Tomorrow by Carolyn L. Arrington
Published in AMERICA AT THE MILLENNIUM

Suppose it wouldnever come.
Can I take yesterday
And all my dreams
And just think of what
I might have become?

Chances that I let pass
Me by just slipped
Right through my hand
Wondering if it could
Have happened if not for the other man.

What about tomorrow?
Did I have dreams of
Yesterday holding on
To old ones seemed to
Move on to another day.

Or did you put off things
You could have done? And
Wasted 24 hours away.
Looked back on things and said
I'll do that tomorrow, then wished it were yesterday?