SDSPS was organized in 1927 and incorporated as a South Dakota non-profit on August 8, 1970.
Our Mission
To encourage and foster the writing and publication of poetry by South Dakota writers and to promote excellence therein; to arouse in students of high school and college age, interest in the creative writing of poetry; to foster or publish Pasque Petals, a magazine, on a regular basis, thereby continuing the publication which was begun before the Society was organized, which publication is devoted chiefly to poetry, to stimulate by such proper means as the sponsoring of contests, awarding of prizes, and by other means of encouragement, the writing of poetry; and by these means to aid in the cultural growth of South Dakota.
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National Poetry Month Poetry Prompts
Dear Poetry Friends, In celebration of National Poetry Month the SDSPS board has compiled a treasure trove of writing prompts to encourage you to create some lovely new poems! If you develop one or two into your own treasures, remember to send them to the Society. We would love to consider them for inclusion in …
Winning Landscape Poems from the 2020 Annual Contest
Congratulations to the winning poets of the annual contest! This year Darla Biel judged the landscape category. She said it was tough to pick winners because she was so impressed with the work that was submitted. Thank you to everyone who entered, and enjoy reading these poems. “Eight South Dakota Riffs on Rilke’s ‘Herbsttag’ (Autumn …
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Winning Portrait Poems from the 2020 Annual Contest
Congratulations to the winning poets of the annual contest! This year Lee Ann Roripaugh judged the portrait category. She said there were so many wonderful poems she really enjoyed reading them all. Thank you to everyone who entered, and enjoy reading these poems. First Place: “Morning Dew on Stone” by Erika Saunders The killdeer didn’t …
Winning Portrait Poems from the 2020 Annual Contest Read More »
About Those Rejections…
Today, I am celebrating. I’ve been fortunate to have had numerous poems printed in a variety of publications over the past few years. But like every other poet, I’ve suffered through my fair share of rejections. So what am I celebrating? A REQUEST!! An actual, real, personal REQUEST to submit to a special …
South Dakota Poets of Merit
The results are in! Our 2020 Poets of Merit are Linda M. Hasselstrom and Zitkála-Šá. 2020 South Dakota Poet of Merit: Living Category Linda M. Hasselstrom, essayist and poetHermosa, SD Hasselstrom was nominated by SDSPS member Bruce Roseland, and of her, he says, “To put it plainly, Linda Hasselstrom is a living legend, not just …
Portrait Category Contest Winners 2020
Thanks so much to everyone who submitted to our annual contest! We are excited to announce the winners of the portrait category: Judy Larson, Todd Williams, and John Nelson! Our contest judge was Holly Moseley. Here are the winning poems: FIRST PLACE Dust Bowl By Judy Larson The wind’s sighs say what we cannot. …