History of SDSPS

The first organizational meeting of the South Dakota State Poetry Societywas held on October 5, 1927 in Huron, SD. The Society was founded in1927 by Dr. James C. Lindberg at Northern State College. Its officialmagazine Pasque Petals was first published in 1926 in Aberdeen, SD. Since1959 has been the body to vet and recommend the South Dakota PoetLaureate to the Governor. SDSPS is directed by a Board of up to fifteenSouth Dakota poets who also select the editor for Pasque Petals, oversee itsannual state-wide poetry contest (now in its 38th year), and assist with theSouth Dakota Festival of Books.South Dakota Poet Laureates serve as ex-officio members of the Board, takepart in meetings, readings and gatherings, and have a poetry blog for writerson the official site www.sdstatepoetrysociety.com. The current South DakotaPoet Laureate is Lee Ann Roripaugh, appointed in 2015. Past Poet Laureatesare Badger Clark (1937-1957), Adeline Jenny (1958-1973), Mabel Frederick(July-October 1973), Audrae Visser (1974-2001) and David Allen Evans(2001-2015).The SDSPS was incorporated as a non-profit organization on August 8,1970:To encourage and foster the writing and publication of poetry bySouth Dakota writers and to promote excellence therein; to arousein students of high school and college age, interest in the creativewriting of poetry; to foster or publish Pasque Petals, a magazine,on a regular basis, thereby continuing the publication which wasbegun before the Society was organized, which publication is devotedchiefly to poetry, to stimulate by such proper means as the sponsoringof contests, awarding of prizes, and by other means of encouragement,the writing of poetry; and by these means to aid in the cultural growthof South Dakota.Our magazine Pasque Petals is the oldest official poetry journal incontinuous publication sponsored by a state poetry society within theNational Federation of State Poetry Societies. This literary journal, whichbegan as a mimeographed monthly publication, has grown to two annualprofessionally printed editions that exhibit a wide variety of poetry in avariety of forms that illustrate the emotional and intellectual insights of ourregional, national, and international contributors. In addition to PasquePetals, in 2010, board members decided to realize the society’s mission in anew way by publishing chapbooks to foster a larger body of work by fourSouth Dakota poets to be selected through a competition.In 2015 the SDSPS placed its considerable archives in the Hilton M. BriggsLibrary at South Dakota State University for care and to make themaccessible to the public in perpetuity.The SDSPS Board of Directors meets three times a year, in January, June,and in September during the South Dakota Humanities Council’s annualSouth Dakota Festival of the Book. SDSPS volunteers facilitate the poetrytrack at the Festival each year.The SDSPS organizes and supports poetry readings and events across thestate, in schools, communities and prisons, and hosts a website:www.sdpoetry.org. Our work reflects our Mission Statement: “For thepurpose of connecting to all South Dakota writers, rural and urban, andcontributing to the state’s cultural growth, SDSPS seeks to foster thecreation and appreciation of poetry that appeals to the senses, challenges theimagination, and stimulates creative and intellectual thought.”Prepared by Norma C. Wilson, Secretary, South Dakota State Poetry SocietyJune 11, 2018Featured image by Petr under the creative commons license on Flickr.