Cultivating and advancing Virginia's poetry
PSV Anthologies
Anthologies of members' poems are a special way to continuously honor our mission. They deepen readers' understanding of poetry and showcase the evolution of styles and approaches over years.
Teachers have also found them to be valuable tools in classrooms for introducing students to a wide range of poetic styles, themes, poets, and historical contexts.
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Poets who are published in these collective volumes not only represent a celebration of individual voices but also are a testament to the collective spirit of a community with a shared passion for poetry. Anthology publication is a bridge between the personal and the communal.
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Your purchase of a PSV anthology keeps the work of these poets visible, assists in our funding efforts for programs, and supports the preservation of Virginia's rich literary heritage.
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Each year the Poetry Society of Virginia sponsors contests in 25 or more categories, covering traditional poetry forms, free verse, and effective 2023, spoken-word video performance. Many of the categories include themes, such as: friendship, farm life, women, fatherhood, technology, nature, historical events, lyrical, and narrative poems. Some categories are open to poems in any style, with any theme. PSV anthologies are examples of outstanding poems that poets often use as inspiration to write their own prize-winning poems in future PSV contests and competitions sponsored by other organizations.
dear human AT THE EDGE OF TIME
Editors: Luisa A. Igloria, Aileen Cassinetto, and Jeremy S. Hoffman (Paloma Press)
dear human AT THE EDGE OF TIME: Poems on Climate Change in the United States is offered as a companion to the NCA5 report, and an opportunity to participate in urgent conversations on environmental justice. Edited by Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellows Luisa A. Igloria & Aileen Cassinetto and NCA5 Chapter Lead Dr. Jeremy S. Hoffman, the anthology's 70+ contributors include Union of Concerned Scientists director Erika Spanger and U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, with Foreword by Claire Wahmanholm and Afterword by Dr. Sam Illingworth.
Ada Limón reads a poem for the virtual book launch of Dear Human at the Edge of Time.
Ada Limón, 24th U.S. Poet Laureate (2022-2025)
Blended Voices: Blending the Voices of Virginia Poets
Blended Voices: Blending the Voices of Virginia Poets started as a PSV workshop Kathleen P. Decker designed for PSV's Centennial year (2023). There was a small, enthusiastic group of participants for the workshop—which used a format slightly different from the anthology. Participants picked poetry lines at random from four color-coded bins, one for each historic Virginia poet presented by Kathleen. Then participants pulled lines from two different poems by each historic Virginia poet: Edgar Allan Poe, Ruby Altizer Roberts, Anne Spencer, and Karenne Wood. Workshop participants created their own poems, using the four lines they randomly chose.
Kathleen facilitated a second workshop for more participants and extended the anthology challenge to all PSV members. The result is a collection of widely diverse poetic content and styles. Most of the historic poems that inspired contributor poems are reprinted in the beginning of the book.
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Sofia M. Starnes, Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita and Chair of PSV's North American Poetry Book Awards, adds keen edits to this compilation. The blending of voices in this anthology fosters a further blending of Virginia’s diverse people and cultures.
Joys of the Table: An Anthology of Culinary Verse
Gastronomist James Beard wrote, "Food is our common ground, a universal experience." No matter the distance or language or years that divide us, eating is an experience we all share. Joys of the Table explores the many facets of our complex relationships with food, from our fondest kitchen memories to ways we express our love through food, from a child s hunger to a holiday celebration, from lighthearted menus to intimations of our final meals.
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PSV member Sally Zakariya gathered almost 100 poems from 75 poets for this anthology. The result is a rich poetic feast, sprinkled with occasional recipes from the poets themselves, a delicious dish for food-lovers and verse-lovers alike.
Captured Moments: The James City Poets
Joan Ellen Casey
In 2008, poetry students attending the Beginning Poetry Writing Workshop of the Christopher Wren Association (at William & Mary) gathered to improve their poetry craft. Workshop leader Ed Lull, member of the Williamsburg Poetry Workshop at the time, initiated James City Poets (JCP) Workshop to accommodate the new poets. Members met twice a month from September to June—a practice still in place. In 2013, eight JCP members joined with nine members of the Williamsburg Poetry Workshop to produce an anthology titled Distant Horizons. In 2017, James City Poets released their first solo anthology, Captured Moments. The 11 members of this group collected their work for this volume.
Things I Know Now: Messages We Would Tell Our Younger Selves
Miko Marsh
Things I Know Now: Messages We Would Tell Our Younger Selves
serves as a chorus of wisdom, a reflection on the intricacies of life, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. In this anthology, a diverse group of poets lends their voices to the most transformative moments of their lives, sharing insights, lessons, and reflections that have shaped them. The stories here collectively whisper, shout and affirm the bridge between evolved poets and their younger selves.
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The collection features contributions from esteemed poets such as Taylor Mali, the curator of "Page Meets Stage" at the iconic Bowery Poetry Club; Roscoe Burnems, the inaugural Poet Laureate of Richmond, Virginia; and Dr. Leonard A. Slade, Jr., a retired English professor and author of over two dozen poetry collections. Exploring the nuanced landscapes of love, loss, identity, and triumph, this anthology brings together a rich tapestry of perspectives as a source of guidance for navigating life.
As much as it is a collection of individual journeys, it, too, is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to connect, heal, and inspire.