Illinois Poetry.com
A New Site for Illinois Poets
Please support this site by donating and /or purchasing some of the merchandise from the links below. This site is presented by Steven Robert Heine. Heine is a disabled poet in his 70'. He was crippled in a fall several years ago and suffered a stroke in 2023. Your support will help cover costs of this site and provide more frequent updates.
Illinois Poetry and Writing Groups.
The current Illinois State Poet Laureate is
John Prine.
Prine was appointed State Poet Laureate on June 20th, 2020. (The position had been vacant since 2017). The Governor's Office states the following about Prine: 'The legendary singer-song writer, who was born in Maywood, passed away on April 7, 2020 after contracting COVID-19.'
The position of Illinois State Poet Laureate was established January 14, 1936 with the appointment of Howard Austin by Governor Edward J. Hughs. The position was a lifetime appointment until 2003, when Governor Rod R. Blagojevich revised the guidelines for the position, making it a four-year renewable term.
Previous Illinois State Poet Laureates include:
Howard Austin (January 14, 1936-April 1, 1962)
Carl Sandburg (February 28, 1962-July 22, 1967)
Gwendolyn Brooks (January 3, 1968-December 4, 2000)
The Illinois Arts Council supports Illinois writers, artists and educators through grant programs and resources. Please see the link above for details.
The Illinois State Poetry Society is open to all Illinois poets, at all levels. The ISPS provides resources for Illinois poets and posts poetry contests. The group also posts poems by ISPS members. Regular membership dues are $20.00 per year. The address for the ISPS is: Illinois State Poetry Society P.O. Box 307Western Springs, IL 60558
For the past several years, thousands of Illinois high school students have participated in the Poetry Out Loud State recitation competitions, sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Your high school is invited to participate.
Poetry Out Loud is a wonderful program for students. The program helps the develop Stage and speaking skills, confidence and a love of poetry. Poetry really needs to be spoken to truly be enjoyed. Poetry Out Loud is a great program for students. To learn how to get your school involved in the competition, please see the link above.
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Poetry Slams are events in which adults and students read and perform poetry for awards and prizes. There are many local events and even a National competition. Check with your local poetry group for the nearest Slam event and Slam schedules. (The above link is for one of the Chicago Poetry Slams, one of many in the State).
The Chicago Writers Association is open to all Chicago area writers, of all ages and levels of writing, from beginners to accomplished authors. The CWA supports all genres of writing from fiction to nonfiction to poetry. The group holds conferences (when possible). Membership is $25.00 per year. Please see the above link for more information.
Poets and Patrons is a group in Chicago that supports all genres of writing, especially poetry. The group is open to all Chicago area writers. Poets and Patrons holds conferences (when possible) and has poetry contests. Membership is $20.00 per year. Please see link above for more information.
Chicago Women in Publishing is open to all writers, men and women. The group provides news about publishing and provides conferences (when possible) and resources. Please see link above for membership information
A Town Poetics is a group in Aurora that welcomes all poets in the Aurora area. Currently, the group is meeting via Zoom. Please see the link above for their calendar and group information.
The DuPage Writers Group is a group from Carol Stream. The group is open to all area writers of all genres. Currently, the group is not meeting in person, but is working on setting up meetings via Zoom. Please see the link above for updates.
The Naperville Writers Group is a group in Naperville that supports poets of all levels and ages. The group produces an annual anthology called Rivulets. The address for the group is:
Naperville Writers Group, PO Box 41,Naperville, IL 60566-0041.
The St. Charles Writers Group provides news and resources for writers of over 18 and all genres of writing. Normally, the group meets twice a month at the St. Charles public library. Please see the link above for meeting schedules (when possible) and group information. There is no fee for membership.
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Breaking News!
Steven Robert Heine launches a new line of tee-shirts and merchandise to help support this site. We hope you will consider purchasing some of the items from the links below.
Steven Robert Heine is an American poet and author. He has spent much of his life supporting poetry projects and events. He is the author of 8 volumes of poetry. In 2011 he was seriously injured in a fall that left him in great pain and almost unable to walk. He suffered a stroke in 2023. Heine receives no disability and relies on a small pension and retirement income. He is no longer able to make public appearances.
We hope you will consider purchasing some of the merchandise in the links below. Many are original tee-shirts and merchandise created by Steven Robert Heine.
Thank you!
This site is provided as a service to the poets of Illinois.
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Steven Robert Heine is a West Coast poet & author. He has traveled extensively through the United States, including trips to Illinois. He has spent his life promoting poetry; serving as founder for many poetry contests. He is the author of fifteen books, including poetry, history and his own short auto-biographies. His books can be found on Ebay, Amazon and Amazon Kindle.
Heine was crippled in a fall in 2011 and now makes very few public appearances.