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.  Since 1999, our annual teen poetry anthology, Navigating the Maze, has reached teens, their families and friends, and others around the world.

SPW In-Person Open Mic, May 3, 2023 

Join SPW members and friends for our first live, in-person, indoor, spoken word open mic from 6-8 PM May 3 -- and the first Monday of every upcoming 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. 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!

Poetry in CyberSpace: SPW Open Mic May 17, 2023

The Springfield Poets and Writers monthly open mic via Zoom Cloud Meeting continues, on the third Wednesday of every month. Link information for the May 17, 2023 "Poetry in Cyberspace: SPW Open Mic" is posted below. Share your own work, read the words of your favorite writers, or join just to listen. Time: May 17, 2023, 6:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Copy and paste this shortened link into your browser's address window https://tinyurl.com/5s2nwfdf

Or, from the Zoom app, join using the Meeting ID: 867 1783 9201 and Passcode: 626258

On a smartphone, one tap mobile: +13126266799,,86717839201#,,,,*626258# US (Chicago)

SPW 30th Anniversary T-Shirt Contest Opens May 3, 2023 

In conjunction with its 30th anniversary, SPW is soliciting designs for a commemorative t-shirt. The winner will receive a cash prize. More details are available on the T-Shirt Design Contest page.

SPW 2023 Election Results

Voting in the SPW election closed at midnight April 30. Both James Bockmier and Thea Chesley were re-elected to the Board of Directors. With Board concurrence, Thea will continue as President, and James will continue as Director of Outreach.