Saint Louis Poetry Center

Saint Louis Poetry Center (SLPC) is a literary arts nonprofit dedicated to promoting poetry in St. Louis and the region.  Founded in 1946, it is one of the oldest poetry organizations west of the Mississippi River.  Early members included Tennessee Williams and William Inge.  SLPC provides high-quality, professional literary arts programming that emphasizes local poets and nurtures new work.  We also offer community programs, including education programs at schools & libraries.  Saint Louis Poetry Center reaches national, regional and local poets and audiences, increasing access to & participation in the art form and supporting our literary vision.

In 2022, Saint Louis Poetry Center programming featured 50 poets and served approximately 4,000 individuals.  SLPC also partnered with Kranzberg Arts Foundation and Bennington College to feature acclaimed poets Mary Ruefle and Mark Wunderlich for Ruefle's first solo exhibition of visual work, ERASURES. And after a two-year partnership, Outside Literary Magazine found its new home with us. In 2022, this student-run magazine expanded to include five high schools, and featured over 50 young writers and artists in its print and online publications.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that SLPC had to scale back and adjust programming in 2020, 2021 and 2022. SLPC transitioned to virtual events for much of these seasons. We returned to in-person programming in fall 2022, which now includes livestream and virtual attendance options.

Programing in 2022-2023 includes:

OBSERVABLE READINGS
Quarterly poetry reading series that features notable, published poets (local & national) for in-person and virtual readings that are live-streamed to SLPC's website and Facebook page.

POETRY AT THE POINT
Monthly poetry reading series showcasing local & regional poets at all stages of their careers for in-person and virtual readings that are live-streamed to SLPC's website and Facebook page.

SUNDAY WORKSHOP
SLPC's signature program, Sunday Workshop is the longest-running poetry workshop in St. Louis.  It offers critical feedback & mentorship to poets of all ages who are committed to developing their craft, with guest poet critics leading in a friendly and constructive group setting.  Always free and open to the public, monthly workshops take place in-person and virtually via Zoom.

POETRY AWARDS
Beverly Hopkins Memorial Poetry Contest for High School Students-
Poetry contest open to high school students living within a 100-mile radius of St. Louis, with a national judge selecting winners and honorable mentions.  Award-winners and honorable mentions are invited to read their poems at Saint Louis Poetry Center's annual poetry concert (virtual award ceremony this year), and their poems are published on SLPC's website.

James H. Nash Memorial Poetry Contest-
Poetry contest open to adults living within a 100-mile radius of St. Louis, with a national judge selecting a winner and honorable mentions.  The award-winner's and honorable mentions' poems are published on SLPC's website.

COMMUNITY
Saint Louis Poetry Center's community programs include education programs that offer teaching artist residencies, classroom visits, and summer camps. These include Poetry Inside Out (translation curriculum in partnership with Center for the Art of Translation), Outside Literary Magazine (in partnership with Lizzy Petersen and Central Visual and Performing Arts) and other arts-integrated residencies (in partnership with COCA).