Florida Poetry.com
A New Site for Florida 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.
Florida Poetry and Writing Groups.
The current Florida State Poet Laureate is:
Peter Meinke
Meinke holds a PHD and has received a long list of awards for his poetry. He “retired” from Eckerd College in 1993, where he founded and directed its Writing Workshop. For more information about him, please see the link above.
Previous Florida State Poet Laureates include:
Franklin N. Wood (appointed 1929)
Vivian Laramore Rader (1931-1975)
Edmund Skellings (1980-August 19, 2012)
The Florida Council on Arts and Culture is the 15-member advisory council appointed to advise the Secretary of State regarding cultural grant funding and on matters pertaining to culture in Florida. The Council provides grants to artists and writers working in all genres, and to art groups and art education programs. There are also a number of webinars for artists. Please see link above for details.
The Florida State Poets Association provides resources, critiques and contests for Florida poets. Individual membership is $25.00 per year. The group welcomes all Florida poets, of all skill levels. They meet twice a year, for several days. Please see link above for their calendar and poetry contest information.
For the past several years, thousands of Florida high school students have participated in the Poetry Out Loud State recitation competitions, sponsored by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture 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.
Poetry Out Loud.
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 The Center for Performing Arts poetry slam in Bonita Springs.
The Florida Writers Association has chapters in many Florida cities. The Association produces webinars and a number of conferences throughout the year. The group welcomes all Florida writers, of all skill levels, working in all genres of writing. To find a group in your city, please see the link above.
The Suncoast Writers Guild, Englewood normally meets four times a month, year-round. Saturday meetings are held in the Elsie Quirk Library, 100 W. Dearborn St., Englewood. The Friday Poetry Pod meets at the Englewood Art Center. At this time, no meetings are scheduled. Please see calendar on link above. The Guild welcomes all writers of all genres of writing.
The Gulf Coast Writers Association provides support and resources to writers in all genres and all skill levels in the Fort Meyers area. The group provides writing contests, critique groups and fellowship. GCWA welcomes all writers and dues are $40.00 per year, for an individual membership. Normally the group meets at: Zion Lutheran Church,7401 Winkler Road, Fort Myers, FL 33919. Please see link above for calendar and updates.
The Writers Alliance of Gainesville provides support and critique groups to writers of all genres in the Gainesville area. The group is open to all area writers. Currently, the Alliance is holding a number of podcasts, via Zoom. Please see link above for calendar and details.
Florida Writers Group, River City Group, Jacksonville, welcomes all area writers of all genres. The group meets once a month (when possible) at Join us on the at 7 p.m.at the SE Library on Gate Parkway. Please see link above for calendar and membership information
First Christian Writers, Jacksonville welcomes all writers in the Christian market in Jacksonville. The group seeks to provide resources to members and critique groups. Everyone is welcome. They meet at: Maranatha Church | 7550 Collins Rd | Jacksonville | 32244. The group reports that they have again been meeting in person. Please see calendar on the link above for updates.
The Lakeland Writers provides support and encouragement for all area writers working in all genres of writing. Everyone is welcome. They meet at: Prime Meridian Bank, Community Room. 3340 South Florida Avenue, Lakeland. Please see link above for calendar.
The Tampa Writers Alliance welcomes all area writers of all genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry and screenplays. Currently, the group is offering a number of online podcasts. Please see link above for calendar and membership information.
This from the Porch Poets site: “In addition to preservation of the Laura (Riding) Jackson home the Foundation sponsors public programs that focus on literature history and the relationship of man and environment. Programs have included Teen Writers Workshops, the annual Poetry & Barbecue outdoor reading, Poetry Open Mic, an Oral History Program, Adult Writing Workshops and Retreats, guest speakers.’ Please see link above for more information.
The Orlando Writers Group provides important resources for Orlando writers. They welcome all area writers of all genres. The group is currently holding a number of online meetings and meetings on site. They meet at: Regular meetings of the Orlando Area Writers Group are held on the first Wednesday of each month at the University Club of Winter Park. Orlando Writers explores important topics for writers, such as dialogue, writing formats and presenting work to publishers. Please see link above for more information.
Breaking News!
Steven Robert Heine launches a new line of tee shirts and merchandise to help support this site. Please consider purchasing on 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 has been created as a service to the poets of Florida.
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Steven Robert Heine is a West Coast poet & author. He has traveled extensively through the United States, including many trips to Florida. Heine 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.