Located in Champaign-Urbana IL we are committed to building community and strong individual voices through the power and practice of poetry.
As with any group, occasionally conflict comes to ours. Though we do not have official rules or by-laws, at CUPoetry, the main purpose of the group is to bring in poems we've written, share them with the group and get honest feedback so we can make the poems better. We strive to create an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable sharing their work. One of the purposes of poetry is to make people think about difficult topics with which they may not be comfortable, and sometimes those topics lead us into conversations about the topic instead the poetry. While we do not stifle conversation, we do ask everyone at a CUPoetry meeting or event to show respect for the ideas and feeling of others, even if we disagree. At different times, various members take to roll of organizer or facilitator, but it is everyone’s responsibly to keep the group on task and moving along.
We have a chapbook! Our first anthology, Crows on a Line, is available here.
Poetry Contest 2017 - We have a winner!
CU Poetry Group gave a reading at Champaign Public Library on 11/1/2016. Pictures can be found here.
CU Haiku returns to The News-Gazette
After a brief hiatus with the previous editor, The News-Gazette is now in collaboration with the CU Poetry group to present a weekly haiku in the newspaper each Sunday. Submissions may be made tocupoetry@gmail.com with "C-U haiku" in the subject line. Include your name and city, which will be published with your haiku and posted to The News-Gazette website and linked from our CU Haiku page.
Poetry Contest - We have a winner!
Our inaugural MTD Poems contest is over. Find out more here. Read the Daily Illini coverage here.
Mark your Calendar
CU Poetry has a weekly critical workshop Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm in Champaign-Urbana. Bring 8-10 copies of a poem or poem in progress for constructive feedback.
We also have a monthly generative workshop one Saturday each month, usually from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Prompts and writing time are supplied so all you need is your brain and your favorite weapon of choice, be it laptop, pen & paper, or the like.
Please check our Meetup page for upcoming times and locations.
Please join us for stimulating discussion, witty banter and as always a great time!
CU Poetry has some older recordings on SoundCloud that can be found here.
Poetry Workshops
Once a week - every week - we meet in person to workshop and share our own poetry and those from favorite authors as well as discuss poetry related topics and issues
“Write for whatever holy thing you believe in, not for your poetry workshop fellows... The main thing is to know that your craving to write is the big thing and will continue, and is more valuable than the finished poem. ”
Poetry Jams
Bringing poetry and music to the public -
We are always on the look out for new venues. Performing is not only fun but builds Character - as they used to say, free yourself to speak your heart and mind whatever life throws your way and learn to effectively share your passions with your audience
“When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.”
Publishing, Outreach and Internet Resources
New in 2016, we are taking our show on the road. We did our first "on location" workshop in February at an assisted living facility, Brookdale Urbana. If you know poets who can't get to our workshops contact us and we may be able to bring out workshop to them. Although our main focus is and always will be local in person poetry sharing and events, we want this web site to be an online community resource guide for all those brave souls "seeking the richness and diversity of existence"
Calling all poetry lovers - share with us your favorite poetry resources
Share with us your vision and voice