ISP Celebrates Twenty Years of Poetry
Having retired from the International Society of Poets over a year ago, I was ecstatic when they asked me to write an article in celebration of their 20th Anniversary. Poetry is still in my soul, and this assignment rejuvenated that love in me. I felt like an excited child, preparing to recite his greatest moment or best story. The organization that I helped found twenty years ago has grown to be the largest membership society for poets in the world . . . and I was being given the opportunity to tell its mighty tale.
I sat down at my kitchen table, a family heirloom and faithful piece of furniture that survived my recent move to a more modern condo. Since this was going to require an old-fashioned approach to storytelling, I used paper and pen to record my thoughts and memories. As I rested my hand on the tabletop, I thought back to the day I sat here with Howard Ely and Elizabeth Barnes, discussing the crazy notion of a membership group for poets.
Howard had been publishing books of amateur poetry. He spoke of a common desire seen in many of the authors he knew; they all wanted to spread their love of poetry to as many as would hear their voices or read their words. As a writer myself, I could comprehend this drive that he spoke of; we began discussing ways that we could somehow channel this sense of sharing and caring. We needed to find a way to orchestrate this multitude of voices into one unified song.
It was on that day, at this old, worn oak table, that the International Society of Poets was born. Elizabeth Barnes would be our first president, and I would begin working behind the scenes on what we could do as a membership society to spread the love of poetry to the entire world . . . a daunting task indeed.
We began to contact poets everywhere. We sent out hundreds of invitations to authors who wanted to promote the ideas of peace, love, and charity. The response was amazing! I remember large bins of mail being delivered, all with letters of support, applications from poets joining our society, and most of all, poetry! I had this same childish excitement on that day as well; I was witnessing the birth of a dream. It was not only ours but the dream of every poet who wrote to us.
We soon found that this crazy notion was contagious. There were many people willing to help us nurture this society during its infancy. I began calling a variety of college professors, like Dr. Joseph Adams, as well as professional readers and performers, like Ira Westreich. Our idea of spreading poetry had even made its way to Capitol Hill, as we spoke with Senator Eugene McCarthy about working with our budding society.
I started work on a quarterly newsletter devoted to poetry and writing. Anne Miller became the first managing editor of The Poet's Corner. We were going to show that the pen was truly mightier than the sword by using words, the most powerful tools in a poet’s repertoire. Again, though tiny at first, we knew that this periodical would grow into so much more.
We were publishing the poetry of our members, the stories of their lives, and their message to the world. We began holding contests for each issue, and the poems poured in. We introduced a haiku section and published articles by professional poets and literature professors. We created a forum to spread general poetic news, while also teaching new facts and fun trivia about the art form we loved. And the mail kept coming! Thousands and thousands of letters were received . . . and more poets continued to join “us.” We could feel our voices unifying, yet there was still something missing.
We knew that we were reaching other poets from the stories our members shared with us in their letters. Our poets organized local clubs and workshops, while others brought poetry readings to their churches or local libraries. Even the simplest act of passing out poetry on cards, memos, or little notes was spreading amongst families and friends. These poets shared their experiences with their fellow members through their writing. There were so many members from all over the country, in fact, all over the world, who had never met. The young International Society of Poets wanted to change that, and in doing so, experienced a fantastic growth spurt.
We began planning for our first international gathering of poets in 1991. You can only imagine the amount of work behind such an event. Where would we hold it? How would we tell everyone? Could we find a hotel? Who would speak at such a prestigious event? We would need entertainment, but who would we find? I began to worry that the task before me might be insurmountable. Would this even work?
Once again, I sat down at my trusty kitchen table, rested my hand upon its reassuring surface, and began to think. I started recording any ideas I had and making notes as well as phone calls. Elizabeth and I began contacting anyone and everyone we could think of who had shared their poetic voice. We spoke with Dr. Joseph Adams and Professor Bruce Souders, and, along with Ira Westreich, we assembled an ensemble of poets, writers, teachers, and performers. The Smothers Brothers agreed to perform at the event. We found the perfect city, the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. With pomp and circumstance, we hosted the first-ever International Society of Poets Convention and Symposium, and it was a huge success!
There was no turning back now. After six years, the small snowball had rolled into an avalanche. It was at this time that ISP President Elizabeth Barnes wanted to promote a belief in peace through poetry. We once again met and began working on a poem for peace. As we started contacting our fellow members, each one of them started sending us a contribution for this poem. Elizabeth personally wrote world and national politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and spiritual leaders. We began receiving mail from everywhere and from everyone. Correspondence arrived from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Senator Joseph Lieberman, actor Dudley Moore, and a then little-known governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton. In fact, we received letters and contributions from governors and congressmen from all over the United States. Suddenly, our poem for peace had become the world's largest of its kind and the subject of a USA Today newspaper article. The message of peace and love that we had preached for so long finally made the front page, so to speak.
Following these monumental achievements, we began holding conventions once a year. In the beginning, we received a great deal of help from not only Dr. Adams, Bruce, and Ira, but also Dr. Sharon Weinstein, Ms. Rae Rosen, and our good friend, Senator Eugene McCarthy. And I continued to try and find the best entertainment. In 1992, Joan Rivers' comedic style and wit was on display, and the size of our convention nearly doubled. The following year, country and folk legend, John Denver, captured our hearts and minds with his tender lyrics. And then in 1994, we brought the house down with the Oak Ridge Boys. We were also honored that year when Florence Henderson, "Mrs. Brady" to so many adoring fans, became a member of the International Society of Poets. Our ranks now contained a host of celebrities and political personalities. However, we were amazed that with each event, more and more poets continued to travel to Washington, D.C. for a weekend full of entertainment and poetry. Our community became larger with each convention.
Along with the growth of our society, our newsletter also needed to expand. In 1994, we debuted a new format for The Poet's Corner. Within only eight years, we had molded the newsletter into a two-color, sixteen-page, seasonal magazine. Though we were sad with the retirement of our long-time editor, Ann Miller, we were just as excited about a new medium with which to spread poetry. I took on the role of Managing Editor, and I continued to receive support from Dr. Joseph Adams, Bruce Souders, Senator Eugene McCarthy, and all the professors and personnel from our conventions. With our expanded format, we were able to offer more haiku, more news and facts, more tips and lectures on poetry, and a chance for our members to see themselves and their work published. This was an opportunity for all our members to gain recognition and share their passion with fellow poets. The magazine grew (over the next two years it would increase to a size of thirty-two pages) and became more popular than ever . . . and so did our conventions.
The following year marked the first appearance of Johnny Cash and June Carter, and we were all treated to a performance by one of the greatest singer-songwriters of our time. In 1996, the Smothers Brothers attended once more, and then Johnny Cash and June Carter returned in 1997. Johnny's performances brought his good friend Willie Nelson the next year. Just like Denver and Cash, Willie Nelson's words and incredible melodies calmed our troubled souls and seemed to breathe a peace that we wanted the world to experience.
And we didn't just have a headliner at each convention, we had a host of other bands, singers, and entertainers. Over the years, we have enjoyed performances by The Coasters, The Platters, The Drifters, The Marvelettes, and The Shangris-Las, just to name a few. ISP even inducted Willard Scott as a member, and he hosted our awards presentation in both 1999 and 2001. One of our proudest moments was in 2000, when we teamed up with Montel Williams to use poetry to collect donations to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. He even appeared at our convention in Washington, D.C. that year to meet poets and present the prizes to our award winners. Once again, our message of peace through poetry was reaching the masses, and all of our members were using their craft to help a charitable cause.
As we entered the new millennium, the International Society of Poets continued to expand. In 2001, Dr. Len Roberts joined our society as our new ISP Educational Director. Upon assuming this post, Len immediately developed a whole new series of lectures and workshops for our conventions. He also contacted many professors and professional poets, asking them join ISP and to help spread poetry to the world. Herbert Woodward Martin, Fleda Brown, Gary Finke, Lucille Clifton, Grace Cavalieri, and Leon Markowicz answered the call, and they brought with them their years of experience, expertise, and passion for poetry.
Along with these changes, we also increased the number of conventions we held each year. We held our first symposium at Walt Disney World in 2001. The following year, we ventured to the West Coast with our first convention in Hollywood, California, hosted by legendary Hollywood star Bo Derek and catered by the most famous chef in the world, Wolfgang Puck. In 2004, we added a new location to our history when we brought our idea of peace through poetry to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Surrounded by the monuments of our forefathers and standing in the place where democracy was born, we felt that our revolutionary society had finally come full circle. After numerous conventions in four of the largest cities in the United States, the crazy notion of a membership society for poets had finally succeeded.
Our host cities changed, as did the faces of those who attended. Joan Collins, former star of Dynasty, was our keynote speaker one year. We were brought to tears by the moving story of the young, crippled poet, Mattie Stepanek, and we were inspired to celebrate our own lives and our love of poetry through his example. Who can forget the presence of Pulitzer Prize winners Stephen Dunn and Robert Pinsky? We felt the impact of another Pulitzer Prize winner, W.D. Snodgrass, who has since been a regular speaker at our conventions. Past Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets David Wagoner honored us by becoming a member in 2004. Poet Michael McClure and former Doors member Ray Manzarek collaborated to create an incisive and engaging combination of prose and music. We experienced new people and new forms of poetry each and every year. Our conventions featured poetry slams and performance poetry, and in 2000, we hosted the largest poetry slam, broadcasting it to millions of people through the World Wide Web. We even received a letter from former Vice President Al Gore showing his appreciation and support of our society. The list of personalities and accomplishments goes on and on. Our dream was now a reality.
As I placed the pen atop my paper, I still find it hard to believe that twenty years have passed. However, I look at my written recollections and I know that there is so much more to say and do. Glancing over the latest issue of Poetry Today and the latest convention newsletter, I realized that this story won’t end here. Our small newsletter has developed into one of the leading poetry magazines and it will continue to transform with the ever-growing and changing society that we built. Our symposium of poets will soon be commemorating ISP's 20th Anniversary with a gala celebration in Las Vegas, Nevada, the latest city to be touched by our members, spreading their message of peace and love through poetry. We are the International Society of Poets, and we will continue our mission for many years to come!
I wish our members all the best of luck in their ongoing writing and publishing efforts. I hope that each and every one of you will be able to attend our convention in Las Vegas. I would like to thank the entire ISP staff for all their hard work over the years and for including me in this milestone celebration. Finally, I look forward to the new heights our society will reach in the next twenty years. We can build upon this foundation by continuing to spread peace, love, and charity through poetry!