Thanks for visiting our website.  We're a nonprofit literary organization based in Springfield, Illinois, home of our 16th U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. We're proud to have served central Illinois since 1993, inspiring and supporting the literary arts.  From 1999 through 2023, our annual teen poetry anthology, Navigating the Maze, reached teens, their families and friends, and others around the world.

Upcoming Autumn 2025 events

August 23: SPW Featured Reader at Stella Coffee & Tea

Springfield Poets and Writers and our partner, Stella Coffee & Tea host a special monthly reading, from 10 to 11 on the fourth Saturday of every month. The August 23 Featured Reader will be Reg Ivy, spreading dynamic, thoughtful, and socially aware verse. Stop by for coffee or tea, and sweet or savory treats. Future readers include visiting writers -- and SPW members.

September 3: Live Open Mic 

Join SPW members and friends for our next live, in-person, indoor, spoken word open mic from 6 PM to 8 PM on September 3 -- and the first Wednesday of every month -- in the parlor at historic Edwards Place, 706 North Fourth Street, in Springfield.
Because Edwards Place contains many historic items, please refrain from touching furniture and artifacts, and please remain in the parlor and hall areas. You may bring refreshments (except coffee and red wine, which stain), but please take packaging and waste materials with you when you leave. See you at the open mic! 

September 17: Poetry in CyberSpace/SPW Open Mic 

The Springfield Poets and Writers monthly open mic via Zoom Cloud Meeting convenes on the third Wednesday of every month from 6 PM to 8 PM. Link information will be posted below. Share your work, read the words of your favorite writers, or just listen. 

September 27: SPW Featured Reader at Stella Coffee & Tea

Springfield Poets and Writers and our partner, Stella Coffee & Tea host a special monthly reading, from 10 to 11 on the fourth Saturday of every month. The August 23 Featured Reader will be Liz Huck, a veteran of our organization and a treasured member of our Board of Directors. Stop by for coffee or tea, and sweet or savory treats. Future readers include visiting writers -- and SPW members.