By-Natalie Solmer
I met John Hinton, president of Poetry Society of Indiana, at an event for Indiana Humanities. After speaking with John a few times, I realized he is working extremely hard to expand and improve PSI and reach out into the community. I interviewed him about this work recently.
NS: You are the president of Poetry Society of Indiana. Can you give our readers some background on the history of the organization and what it’s about?
JH: The first official meeting of what would become Poetry Society of Indiana was held on October 11, 1941. The ideology of the group is expressed here: Miss. June Winona Snyder, (The inspiration for the society) believed Indiana needed “to unite the various organized poetry groups in Indiana that were cultivating and promoting the appreciation of poetry, so they might have the benefit of knowing one another through cooperation and friendly fraternization and should function as a Federation but never interfere with the internal affairs of management of an affiliated group. I decided that because poetry is such a beautiful thing, and gave such inspiration and comfort to so many people, it would be a valuable gesture to try to bring our state’s poets together. This would enable them to meet each other, and combine their effort for a larger good.”
We hold to these tenants today. We want to be a connecting point for all poets and poetry organizations. Our mission, as the state-recognized poetry society is to promote poetry and poets throughout Indiana. How we do that has both changed significantly since 1941, yet remains the same. With the technologies available to us in 2024, getting information to a wider audience has become easy, but the tried and true method of people meeting with people in social settings to share their love for poetry is still the most fertile soil for growth.
NS: When did you first become interested in poetry, and what was your journey to becoming president of Poetry Society of Indiana?
JH: I came to poetry because I failed as a novelist. I was told from 2nd grade that I was an excellent writer. I believed the hype until I couldn’t ever produce cohesive work. So tormented by the futility of it all, I burned everything I’d ever written and vowed to never write again. I didn’t write for several years. But as social media became more prevalent, I found a site that I enjoyed and I began writing poetry and posting it. I quickly developed a following, and if I hadn’t posted anything in a few days, people would message me asking for more. Something about the style I wrote in appealed/resonated. Sadly, that site went defunct, and I had to find a new home and new audience. I found Twitter/X. I loved how the character limit of Twitter/X forced me to choose the most impactful words to create poems.
As I built “library” of work with my social media posts, people would ask if I had a book published. I didn’t. Also, I was still going this poetic journey alone. I needed community. I went to the web and searched for poetry organizations in Indiana. In 2019, I found Poetry Society of Indiana and saw they were having an event called Fall Rendezvous. I signed up to go. I walked in a stranger but was warmly received. During the event, I shared some of my poetry and was given positive feedback. Going back to my table after reading a piece, I sat down and said flippantly to a table-mate, “I really need to get a book published.” And one person responded to me, “Are you serious?” From that
conversation my first book was born, Blackbird Songs. Shortly thereafter, my 2nd book, Held.
I was encouraged by several members to join the Poetry Society of Indiana board. I had that “new member” energy and enthusiasm. Finding Poetry Society of Indiana changed my life, and I wanted to give back to the organization. I was elected 1st Vice-President. Two years later, I was elected president.
NS: I’ve noticed that you are extremely active in poetry communities across Indiana, putting on all sorts of readings and events. Can you talk about some of the goals you have for the organization and what some of your current projects are?
JH: We are extremely active as an organization. We’re doing poetry workshops at libraries, art galleries. We are doing open mics at coffee shops, book stores, even pizza places. Philosophically, my belief is that poetry belongs everywhere and that everyone is a poet, even if they haven’t recognized that fact yet. At every event we’ve held, there’s been at least one person in attendance who came with no claim of being a poet or had no intention of coming to the microphone to share, yet, before the evenings end, they made their way to the mic.
I ardently believe in giving people a platform and opportunity to speak their voice. Every one of us has a story and it’s a story that at least one other person needs to hear. If we don’t share our story, that need goes unmet and we’ve done a disservice to humanity. I believe in being honest, raw, and vulnerable. These are attributes that can connect us to the souls who need to know they are not alone in this world. It’s a world that too often feels cold, heartless, and so lonely.
Frequently, after our events I will post a recap to our public Facebook. Recently, I wrote about how open mics benefit those who attend, and I received this comment in the replies: “I never knew I had a voice until I attended an event at Dream Palace..” In the environment we were able to create at Dream Palace, someone discovered their voice. This is what Poetry Society of Indiana is about.
Goals: It is easy to say that growth is a goal, but growth isn’t about the number of folks who become members of Poetry Society of Indiana as much as it is the nurturing of people in a manner that encourages them to speak their voice. More people speaking, that is growth.
I want to continue to partner and collaborate with any organization that would like to include poetry in their creative process, even if they haven’t seen the connection of poetry to their specific mission. I do not view Art by categories. To me Art is a holistic entity. It is the creative soul expressing itself through various mediums and no matter the medium, it is still the soul that speaks.
In that vein, Poetry Society of Indiana is completely open to partnering with any organization. We have the typical places like book stores and coffee shops, but I’d like to see us doing workshops with churches, sporting teams, even manufacturing companies. There are no limits to who we’ll partner with, so let’s have a conversation and see how we can collaborate. The only ineffective conversation is the one we never have.
NS: What are your hopes for the future of poetry in Indiana?
JH: When it comes to the future of poetry in Indiana, I am the ultimate idealist. I want to make Indiana known as the hub of poetry. Not a hub of the Midwest, but of the country. We are more than the heartland, we are the heartbeat. We are dreamers and doers. Indiana poets write of earth and emotion. Of fire and fantasy. Of wind and wanderlust. We know our roots run deep and our roots run wide. We stretch imaginations to heaven and beyond.
I want Indiana artistic entities to join together to take our creations beyond the norms. An example, I’ve been speaking to folks from Heartland Film Festival about the possibility of a poetry/film collaboration. Filmmakers would pair with poets to make short films of a poem. And then we’d have an event where the poems are read and the films shown. That’s just the beginning.
Collaborations with bands and poets. Where bands select a poet’s poem and turn it into a song. Then we could have a battle of the bands type event based on these creative unions.
Partnering with Indiana Fashion week to create clothing with poetic designs/themes.
I could fill pages with the ideas we have about weaving poetry into the conscious fabric of our lives.
We want to continue to inspire and grow young writers. Two years ago we started a Young Voices contest for Grades 3-12. https://www.poetrysocietyofindiana.org/psi-young-voices-annual-poetry-contest.html
NS: What is something about the Indiana writing community/scene that you think would surprise people who are not from here? Also, do you have any recommendations for places for folks to visit for literary inspiration or engagement?
JH: I think people would be surprised by the quality of Indiana poetry and poets. We are not hicks in a cornfield. We are intellectual, politically-aware, artistically-motivated and what we have to say is as relevant to the state of human existence as any other voice speaking. Whether that voice is from Washington, New York, California, or global.
Places for inspiration. I often tell folks I don’t believe in writer’s block, and if they think they have it, they should get up and go take a walk. Observe the world around you. I guarantee you’re going to find inspiration. I have a story I tell about taking a walk and finding the road littered with plastic bread ties. It was such a strange occurrence, I had no choice but to write about it.
I encourage everyone to spend time in their local coffee shop. Coffee shops have a particular magic about them. Maybe the scent of coffee stimulates creativity. Go to the library, scan book titles. Go to the local art museum and observe. Get lost in a painting. Disappear into it and let it whisper to you. Go to a baseball game. Walk in the cemetery. And of course, go to open mics. You may choose not to share, but there’s a mad energy in these events that opens portals of inspiration.
And there’s the whole issue of engagement. You cannot get a return on an investment you don’t make. I challenge everyone to find a way to participate within a poetic community. You have perspectives that are uniquely yours and people need to hear. You also have skills that you can offer to help perpetuate the organization. We’d like for you to choose Poetry Society of Indiana!
John Hinton is a Creative exploring the human experience through words. Hinton is the President of Poetry Society of Indiana. He is a Pushcart Nominee, a Nickel Plate Arts(Noblesville Creates) Artist Advocate Award nominee, and a Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Author Awards Literary Champion Nominee. Hinton has published two poetry collections, Blackbird Songs and Held. He has also been published in Last Stanza Poetry Journal, Polk Street Review, Weeder’s Digest, and several Poetry Society of Indiana anthologies.