From the Society

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

  “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...

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...

  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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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 submissions@classicalpoets.org. Put “Poetry Competition Submission”...

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...

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...

  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...

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...

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 X Meter. Most commonly iambic pentameter....

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...

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...

  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”...

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...

  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...

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...

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...

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...

The Society of Classical Poets is pleased to announce the publication of its First Annual Poetry Journal, available on Createspace and Amazon.  Below is a preview of the Featured Poets and...

Dear Competition Participants, Thank you for your submissions! I am pleased to announce the winner and honorable mentions of the 2012 Society of Classical Poets Poetry Competition: Winner of $1,000...

Happy New Year! Thank you everyone for your submissions! We have received approximately 600 submissions to the First Annual Society of Classical Poets Poetry Competition. Any new submissions will be counted...

The horrific elementary school shootings on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn. have set off a divisive debate about gun control in America. Would more gun control laws have helped? Or, as National Rifle Association...

  I This is the month, and this the happy morn, Wherein the Son of Heaven’s eternal King, Of wedded maid and Virgin Mother born, Our great redemption from above did bring; For so the holy...

NEW YORK—Shen Yun Performing Arts will begin its 2013 seasons in Buenos Aires, Agentina, on Dec. 13, bringing with it the true beauty engendered by Chinese classical dance. Shen Yun’s dance companies,...

NEW YORK—Earlier this month, a man walked into the Tate Modern, in London. He walked up to a painting by modern artist Mark Rothko. The painting “Black on Maroon” consists, more or less, of two lines and...

Poetry should be metered, because metered poetry is, quite simply, better than free verse.  This is for the same reason that realist art trumps impressionist art and that Baroque music trumps rock and roll...

Updated May 5, 2018 by Evan Mantyk Some people have raised concerns about the technical difficulty of writing classical poetry. Actually, there is very little difficulty behind writing classical poetry...

Evan Mantyk is President of The Society of Classical Poets.  He is a poet, writer, and English teacher in the Hudson Valley region of New York, where he lives with his wife and two children. His more recent...