July 2020
Myron Stokes, a former board member of Poets & Patrons, was interviewed by Caroline Johnson. In conjunction with the Forest Park Vet Center Myron is sponsoring the Veterans’ Poetry Contest. All veterans and active-duty military service members are invited to submit an original poem that reflects on or depicts their military experience.
When did you begin writing poetry?
I wrote my first poem when I was ten years old. My fifth grade teacher, Mr. Horowitz, posted the poem on the bulletin board for all to see. It was entitled, “Summertime.” I didn’t become serious about becoming a poet until 2005 after my first poem was published. Read more ➞
History Lesson
by Myron Stokes
When grandpa LeAndrew was kicked by the foreman
then called an uppity, no-account, stupid nigger,
he uppercutted the foreman’s chin,
booted him in the ribs five times
and watched the man writhe and groan
in Mississippi’s red-clay dirt.
My father said, “Poppa didn’t shit off nobody.
Lord help you if you pissed him off.”
Read more ⟶
See more from the Stokes family album ⟶
Updates & Events
Wilda Morris © 2017
Poets & Patrons is a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to
supporting poetry development
in the Chicagoland area.
Introduction
Wilda Morris © 2017
Poets & Patrons was founded in 1954. It is dedicated to supporting poetry development in the Chicagoland area. It does this through sponsoring and hosting congenial, professional workshops at The Harold Washington Library; running an annual Chicagoland Poetry Contest with modest cash awards for multiple categories; facilitating free writing workshops at area museums and outdoor venues (Write! Chicago); and an annual Awards Ceremony. Poets & Patrons is an excellent vehicle for defining your work, meeting with other fine poets for unique critiques, and exploring with others the power of well-crafted verse.
We meet in workshops four times a year and have started a series of meetings called Write! Chicago, where poets gather in a specific Chicago location and write afterwards. The workshops are designed to increase skill in writing both traditional and non-traditional poetry. We also sponsor 2 contests each year. Please see our Contest page for more information.
Unless otherwise noted, the workshops will be in room 6-N on the third floor of the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Poets & Patrons evolved from a common desire to promote a meeting ground for poets and poet enthusiasts in the Chicago area. Learn more ⟶