From the Society

All of the below poems were read on May 31, 2020 at The Society of Classical Poets Symposium, which was held online due to the pandemic. Below are poems from Session I. Session II readings are forthcoming.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p33P5Y-_Ptg&t=2s What’s love got to do with it? (With apologies to Tina...

  The Society of Classical Poets website receives millions of views every year. Visitors read engaging, beautiful, topical verse that enlivens Western Civilization's great conversation. That conversation continues in Journal VIII (drawn from poetry published on our website between February 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020). It's a conversation we...

Due to the unprecedented circumstances regarding the CCP virus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Symposium has been moved online. The details of the event have been adjusted.   Sunday May 31, 2020 Session 1: 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Session 2: 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.   Location Click this link: https://zoom.us/j/92663079240...

  NOTE: This event has been canceled due to the CCP virus (COVID-19) pandemic. A new online SCP Symposium has been planned. The details of the online symposium will be available here on May 1. Date and Location Sunday, May 31, 2020, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. New Century Cultural...

  Better Than Starbucks Sonnet Contest Accepting Submissions Beginning: October 1, 2020 Deadline: December 1, 2020 Top Prize: $100 Submission Fee: None Better Than Starbucks has confirmed that its sonnet contest will be held again this year. No new website is currently up, but last year’s site states here, “This...

The Best Poems of 2019: Winners of 8th Annual International SCP Poetry Competition Thank you to everyone who participated! It was an epic year with an incredible number of exceptional poets contributing their talents. As we've said before, everyone who takes part in this competition, which is reviving the precious...

https://youtu.be/RFqk98nHuA0      

"But with the true poet every thing is terse, touching, or brilliant. He gives the choicest thoughts in the choicest language. He illustrates them by everything that he sees most striking in nature and art." —Washington Irving (1783-1859), "Mutability of Literature" First Prize: $100. Publication on the Society's website and...

  Note: Winners of this contest can be found here. We have begun a new high school poetry contest here. "But with the true poet every thing is terse, touching, or brilliant. He gives the choicest thoughts in the choicest language. He illustrates them by everything that he sees most...

https://youtu.be/Mgo1YAUIglg https://youtu.be/zhbwPHKXU-c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5XvAB3keVo&feature=youtu.be https://youtu.be/bFQnvh-pJ4Q

Judges: Michael Curtis, Amy Foreman, Reid McGrath, Adam Sedia A few words from Judge Michael Curtis: In apology: If you, fair writer, did not win, take heart, This juror read for craft more than for art, And we both know that art can be subjective, So, tend your craft, in...

The Society of Classical Poets successfully holds its first symposium in New York City (Press Release)   NEW YORK—A growing movement is calling for the return of meter and rhyme in poetry in a bid to bring the once widely popular art form back to the mainstream. The non-profit Society...

We are pleased to announce the publication of The Society of Classical Poets’ Journal VII. The new journal is larger and more impressive than any past year, with dozens of color paintings inside, greater placement of poems, and the option for hardcover. Click here to purchase a copy. Journal VII...

Winners announced here! Write a short poem that begins with one line from any Shakespeare play or poem. The poem should be two to four lines in length. Post it in the comments section below under your full name and general area of residence (“Bob Smith, Denver, Colorado”). Two entries...

The Society of Classical Poets is holding its first Poetry and Culture Symposium at the Princeton Club in Manhattan, on Monday, June 17, 4 to 8 p.m. Register here. The Symposium will feature prominent poets speaking on the revival of classical poetry and arts, a chance to meet and network...

April 18, 2019 is Poem in Your Pocket Day, part of National Poetry Month. On this day, people are encouraged to carry a poem in their pockets and share it with others. This day is primarily used by teachers and their students. The Society of Classical Poets has a number...

Thank you to everyone who participated! We have had more quality submissions this year than in any past year and it has been a privilege to read and judge them. Congratulations to the winners! First Place ($1,000 Prize): Adam Sedia, Indiana "Arise, You Bones" "To Xi" "Let None Dare Call...

  “Let glorious acts more glorious acts inspire, And catch from breast to breast the noble fire!" —The Iliad, Homer, Book V, Pope translation First Prize: $1,000   Submission Fee: None   Submit: One to three poems. All together, the poems should total 108 lines or less. The poems should...

April 26 is Poem in Your Pocket Day, part of National Poetry Month. On this day, people are encouraged to carry a poem in their pockets and share it with others. Below are recommended rhyming poems for this day from contemporary classical poets and famous classical poets of the past....

  The Society of Classical Poets is reviving poetry with rhyme and meter and the response has been widespread and tremendous. Since the Society was founded in 2012, we have grown from a daily blog with weekly posts to a major non-profit organization publishing the highest quality poetry on a...

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Funny Food Poetry Contest, including Judges Michael Curtis, Lorna Davis, William Ruleman, James Sale, and Bruce Dale Wise. We had quite a number of people serendipitously break the 14-line limit rule and thus created an entire category for them, which you will...

We are pleased to announce the release of a new publication from The Society of Classical Poets titled How to Write Classical Poetry, which features a guide to common poetry forms, brief essays on the relevance of poetry today to the general (non-poet) public, and analysis of great classical poems...

ADULT AWARDS   1st Place – $500 Josh Lefkowitz, “A Poem of Fact” 2nd Place – $250 Kathleen Hellen, “Everyday Halloween” 3rd Place – $150 Lorna Davis, “Buyer’s Remorse” 4th Place – $100 Alexandra Umlas, “Falun Gong” 5th Place– $75 A.R. Harmon, “Welcome Tree”   Honorable Mentions | Adult   George Ian...

Divided into easy to engage and topical categories such as Beauty, Humor, Anti-Communism, and The Environment, the 2017 Journal features selected poetry, essays, and translations from the Society’s last 12 months. Purchase online here. Below are the featured poets in the Journal in alphabetical order:   Ahern, Edward Anderson, C.B. Blanchard,...

First Prize ($500): James Sale, Bournemouth, United Kingdom “In Telling This Story” “Obi-Wan Bin Laden RIP” “Imitating Shakespeare’s Sonnet 107” Second Prize: Lorna Davis, California “Buyer’s Remorse” “At the Gates of Heaven” “The Garden Guest” Third Prize: C.B. Anderson, Massachusetts "Water Music" "Heaven and Nature Sing" "Taqqiya"  Honorable Mention Courtney Dowe,...

The first Society of Classical Poets sponsored "Rhyming Poetry Reading" was held at The Tea Garden in Middletown, New York, on December 18, 2016. The open mic featured readings of rhyming poetry by renowned poets such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and John McCrae. Original poetry by...

Submission Instructions Submit three to five poems, each of which does not exceed 50 lines. Email as a word file or in the email body to [email protected]. Put “Poetry Competition Submission” in the subject line of the email. There is no submission fee or age requirement. Include a brief bio...

Write a quatrain (four-line poem) on the topic of America. Post your submissions into the comments section below with your general location, such as city and state. When: From now (June 30) until July 24 midnight. Winner announced August 1. What: A quatrain (four-line poem) on anything within the broad...

The Society of Classical Poets is pleased to announce the release of its 2016 Journal! Click here to purchase a copy. It is also available on Amazon. This year's journal is bigger and better than ever! In addition to the best poetry being written today in the English-speaking world, it...

  Winners   Conformists of a feather flock together. Michael R. Burch, Nashville, Tennessee   The u of solitude allays the y of lonely. The i in if precedes the o in only. Michael Harmon, Scottsdale, Arizona   Runners Up   I sympathize truly my dear, But as you see,...

Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who participated. There were many hundreds of submitted poems and many good works and poets who had to be left out. Thank you! ***Winners should email their mailing addresses to [email protected] to receive their prizes.   First Prize ($500): Ron L. Hodges, Garden...

Updated January 9, 2020 A Quick Sonnet Guide.  A traditional sonnet should have... 14 lines. X Rhyming. The most common is the Shakespearean rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. These 14  letters represent the sonnet's 14 lines and the same letter means those lines rhyme with each other. The more...

Society of Classical Poets 2016 Competition Guidelines (Closed) (See details for Hudson Valley, New York Competition below*) -Submit three to five poems, each of which does not exceed 50 lines. -Please indicate if you are in high school so that you can qualify for the high school prize. -The poems...

We are proud to announce the publication of The Society of Classical Poets’ 2015 Poetry Journal! The best poetry of the last year has culminated in this publication.  Poets include competition winners Reid McGrath, James Sale, Mike Ruskovich, Bruce Dale Wise, Darlene Wolenski, and Abigail Zhong, as well as many...

  First Prize ($500): Reid McGrath Winning Poems: “Tares in the Wheat” “A Recurring Dream, Vanquished” “Retreating Snow” “Lamenting Our Complicity in the Installation of Suicide Nets” “Three Trojan Perspectives”   Second Prize ($100): James Sale Winning Poems: “Apollo Builds Troy with His Lyre” “The Commissars Oppose Falun Gong” “Noah...

We are proud to announce the publication of The Society of Classical Poets' 2014 Journal! The best poetry of the last year has culminated in this publication.  Poets include competition winners Bruce Dale Wise, Damian Robin, Reid McGrath, Betsy M. Hughes, Michael Curtis, Gloria Li, and Leland James.  Other featured...

  First Place: Bruce Dale Wise (Prize: $500) Second Place: Damian Robin Third Place: Reid McGrath Honorable Mention: Betsy M. Hughes Honorable Mention: Michael Curtis High School Winner: Gloria Li Best Essay: Leland James   A sincere congratulations to the above winners, to all of the finalists (who will be...

We suggest, but do not absolutely require, that poetry be metered in some fashion or have a similar number of syllables per line. We generally only accept poetry on five themes: Beauty: Beauty in human nature, culture, the natural world, classical art forms, and the divine. Great Culture: Good figures,...

A new Windows phone app allows you to access The Society of Classical Poets more easily: Click here for the app. A big thank you to Rui Carvalho for creating the app!  

You can support the Society of Classical Poets in a variety of ways: I. Participate: Write poetry and submit it; comment on others poetry; post links to the Society. II. Buy the latest journal or download it for free and pass it on. III. Volunteer your time to help promote...