Texas Poetry.com
A New Site for Texas 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's. 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.
Texas Poetry and Writing Groups.
Texas State Poet LaureateThe current Texas State Poet Laureate is
Emmy Perez.
Emmy Perez has received many past awards for her poetry and is a graduate of Columbia University (MFA) and the University of Southern California (BA). Her bio link is above.
According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 82, 43rd Legislature, Regular Session (1933) authorized appointment of a committee by the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House to designate an outstanding and recognized poet, who is also a citizen of the state of Texas, as poet laureate." As established by SB 1043 of the 77th Legislature, the state poet laureate currently is selected for a one-year appointment by the Texas Poet Laureate, State Musician and State Artist Committee.
Previous Texas Poet Laureates.
1932-1934 - Judd Mortimer Lewis, Houston
1934-1936 - Aline T. Michaelis, Austin
1936-1939 - Grace Noll Crowell, Dallas
1939-1941 - Lexie Dean Robertson, Rising Star
1941-1943 - Nancy Richey Ranson, Dallas
1943-1945 - Dollilee Davis Smith, Cleburne
1945-1947 - David Riley Russell, Dallas
1947-1949 - Aline B. Carter, San Antonio
1949-1951 - Carlos Ashley, Llano
1951-1953 - Arthur M. Sampley, Denton
1953-1955 - Mildred Lindsey Raiborn, San Angelo.
1955-1957 - Pierre Bernard Hill, Hunt
1957-1959 - Margaret Royalty Edwards, Waco
1959-1961 - J. V. Chandler, Kingsville
1961 - Lorena Simon, Port Arthur
1962 - Marvin Davis Winsett, Dallas
1963 - Gwendolyn Bennett Pappas, Houston.
1964-1965 - Jenny Lind Porter, Austin.
1966 - Bessie Maas Rowe, Port Arthur.
1967 - William. E. Bard, Dallas.
1968 - Kathryn Henry Harris, Waco.
1969-1970 - Anne B. Marely, Austin.
1970-1971 - Robby K. Mitchell, McKinney.
1971-1972 - Terry Fontenot, Port Arthur.
1972-1973 - Mrs. Clark Gresham, Burkburnett.
1973-1974 - Violette Newton, Beaumont.
1974-1975 - Lila Todd O'Neil, Port Arthur.
1975-1976 - Ethel Osborn Hill, Port Arthur.
1976-1977 - Florice Stripling Jeffers, Burkburnett.
1977-1978 - Ruth Carruth, Vernon.
1978-1979 - Patsy Stodghill, Dallas.
1979-1980 - Dorothy B. Elfstroman, Galveston.
1980-1981 - Weems S. Dykes, McCamey.
1982-1983 - William D. Barney, Fort Worth.
1987-1988 - Ruth E. Reuther, Wichita Falls
1988-1989 - Vassar Miller, Houston
1993-1995 - Mildred Baass, Victoria
2000 - James Hoggard, Wichita Falls
2001 - Walter McDonald, Lubbock
2003 - Jack Myers, Mesquite
2004 - Cleatus Rattan, Cisco
2005 - Alan Birkelbach
2006 - Red Steagall
2007 - Steven Fromholz, Kopperl
2008 - Larry D. Thomas, Houston
2009 - Paul Ruffin, Huntsville
2010 - Karla K. Morton, Denton
2011 - David M. Parsons, Conroe
2012 - Jan Seale, McAllen
2013 - Rosemary Catacalos, San Antonio
2014 - Dean Young, Austin
2015 - Carmen Tafolla, San Antonio
2016 - Laurie Ann Guerrero, San Antonio
2017 - Jenny Browne, San Antonio
2018 - Carol Coffee Reposa, San Antonio
2019 - Carrie Fountain, Austin
2020 - Emmy Pérez, McAllen
** The Texas Commission on the Arts** provides resources, grants and programs for Texas writers and artists of all genres. Please see link above for program and grant information.
“For the past several years thousands of Texas high school students have participated in the Poetry Out Loud State recitation competitions, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Texas Commission on the Arts. They invite your high school 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. Please show your support for this important project in Texas.
If your high school is not yet involved, contact the Texas Commission on the Arts to learn how to get involved.
The Writers League of Texas was founded in 1981 as ‘The Austin Writers’ League'. In 2000 the name of the group was changed to: The Writers’ League of Texas. Today the group has more than 1,200 members statewide. The group provides conferences and resources for Texas writers of all genres. They also publish an online newsletter and (when possible) a summer retreat. Please see the link above for event and membership information.
** The Poetry Society of Texas** provides poetry contests and (when possible) conferences for Texas poets. The society has chapters in many Texas cities. Member dues are $25.00 per year. For information on events and membership information, please see the link above.
Gulf Coast Poets is a group of Texas poets from Webster Texas. Though ‘in person’ meetings have been cancelled until further notice, the group still provides a list of resources for local poets. Their site provides membership information. The group received their Charter from The Poetry Society of Texas on Nov. 11, 2006. Gulf Coast Poets provides poetry contests and resources for local poets. More information on the link above.
** The Poets of San Antonio** have more than 1,000 members. Their Facebook page features information about the group as well as contest and ‘Slam’ information.
The Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival. is normally a two day event, (held when possible) offering cash prizes. Please see link for updates and event details.
The Poets of the Northwest is a group from Northwest Houston. They received their charter from the Texas Poetry Society in 1987. The group provides resources and contests for Northwest Houston poets. They are currently meeting by Zoom. See site for information.
The Austin Poetry Society was formed in 1949. The APS provides a newsletter, poetry contests and events for Austin poets. Please see link above for details.
** The Denton Poets Assembly** was founded in 2005. The group provides poetry contests and resources for Denton area poets. The group meets monthly. Currently the group is meeting online via Zoom. There is no cost to join this wonderful group.
The Mockingbird Poetry Society is a group from McKinney. They provide poetry contests and resources for poets. Normally, local poets come to monthly meetings and read their poems. Until further notice, they are holding meetings online. See site for details.
The Rusk County Poetry Society is a group of poets from Henderson. Please see site for group information and schedules.
** The Fort Worth Poetry Society** is the oldest poetry Society in Texas. This incredible Society was founded in 1910, making it more than 100 years old! The Society hosts readings throughout the City and sponsors poetry contests. Information about the group and events can be found online.
Founded in 2004, The East Texas Writers Guild has provided resources and opportunities for writers of all genres. The group seeks to provide information to Texas writers on how to be published and works to promote local writers. See site for details.
About the author: Steven Robert Heine is a West Coast poet. He has spent his life writing poetry and promoting the reading of it. In 2011 Heine was seriously crippled in a fall. Several surgeries later, Heine lives with a great deal of pain. (He is not on any disability). He tries to provide this site as a service to the poets of Texas.
Steven Robert Heine
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!
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I have exciting news for you I have spent many weeks researching web hosts and providers and written an article that I think will save you time and money on creating your own website. I have even included information on where to buy inexpensive domain names. The following are links for web hosts and resources. the full article follows below. I invite you to use the suggested sites to set up your own poetry or writing web site. Please see full article below!
Bluehost. Bluehost offers pretty much all services. Design is through Wordpress. Plans: ‘Basic’, $7.99 per month. Allows one website and one included domain. ‘Plus’ $10.99. Allows unlimited number of websites. ‘Choice Plus’, $14.99 per month. Allows unlimited number of domain and some extra services, such as domain privacy. For an ecommerce site, you will want to use ‘Woocommerce’, plans run from $13.99 (for one store) to $17.99 (for unlimited stores.
Bluehost is a full-service provider with all the tools you could ask for and good support. They even sell They even sell domain names. I have used Bluehost for several years.
A2 Hosting. Drag and drop platform for building with A2 software. Plans include ‘Startup’ $2.99 per month (one website), ‘Drive’ $4.99 (unlimited websites), and ‘Turbo-boost’ for $9.99 per month, (unlimited sites).
Siteground. Wordpress hosting. Plans include: Startup, $3.95 per month, allows one website, GrowBig, $5.95 per month, allows unlimited websites, and GoGeek, $11.95 per month, unlimited websites and more features. (no free domain with account).
Hostinger is one of the biggest webhosting companies on the internet. They provide ‘drag and drop’ as well as cloud hosting and Wordpress. Plans include: ‘Single Shared’ $2.15 per month (allows one website, ‘Premium’ $3.49 per month (allows unlimited websites), and ‘Business Shared’ $7.95 per month (allows unlimited websites and many other features. Premium and Premium and Business plans also come with a fee domain name. It is easy to see why Hostinger is so popular. And yes, I really like this hosting service.
i Page. Wordpress hosting. ‘WP Starter’ $9.49 per month (billed yearly). ‘WP Essential’ $12.49 per month. Good for selling online. iPage provides a number of choices of shopping carts.
NameCheap. Dot.coms start at $8.88 per year. Hosting plans are $2.88 per month to $8.88 per month. NameCheap has their own ‘drag and drop’ builder. NameCheap is a good site to save money on domain names.
Domain.com has domains starting at $9.99 per month and also provides hosting plans starting at $3.75 per month.
Malwarebytes provides reasonably priced virus protection. Please see the link above for details.
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Web Hosting Article.
Web Hosting Article
Magnificent 7seven Reviews.
Web hosting
I think you will find the following article very helpful as you begin to set up your own website or a website for your writing group.
Please pay close attention to what you are paying for domain names. I have listed three inexpensive domain registrars. Most hosting companies will sell them to you and many provide a domain free with your paid account.You may be looking at creating a website and don’t know where to start. OR you may have a product or book and don’t know how to create a website to sell it. Then this blog is a great place to start! I have reviewed many webhosts from CARRD to Zyro. I think you will find the following suggestions useful.As recently as a few years ago, most sites provided access to the programming language of the website, or html. This allowed you to make changes to the programming and see how that reflected on your website. Fortunately, knowledge of html is no longer necessary. (You may still find it helpful to learn what the basic elements of html are, in case you need to insert a link in your site or see the code for your site).
Please note: I was not paid by any of the companies listed below to promote their sites. I did find it interesting to research what they have to offer and list some of the main points to consider. And yes, these are affiliate links but they have all been researched.1. What is the cost of a website?
Many hosts can get you started for free! OR with a very monthly rate for the 1st year. Cost is usually listed as a ‘monthly cost’ provided you pay for a whole year at a time. IE: if the cost is $20.00 per month, you may be required to pay $240.00. Make sure you get a plan that fits your needs. Usually you can upgrade to a more expensive plan as your needs grow.2. What is the platform the ecommerce site uses? Generally, sites use either Wordpress or what I call, a ‘House’ software. Wordpress is in my experience a platform that requires an intermediate level of computer savvy. You will do better when you put some time into working with it and develop a ‘feel for it’. ‘House’ software is unique to the webhost site you are using. Most are ‘plug and play’. Like any application, you just have to get comfortable moving around in them. Each has some unique features. When you go to the webhost, you will see samples of web pages. When you like the look... go for it!3. If you are going to be selling products through your site, you will need to know what bank does the ecommerce site use? This is extremely important. It is great you made a sale on your website, but how do you get the customer’s payment into your bank account? You want banking tools that your customer will feel comfortable ordering with, AND you want banking tools that will give you access to your money. While many sites use PAYPAL, some use other financial tools.4. How many domains can I use on one account? If you have several domains, you will want to host them all in the same place. If you have different stores selling different products, you may want to use more than one site. Ecommerce sites vary from one domain per account to ‘unlimited’ domains.5. What kind of stats will this ecommerce site provide? You may want to look around to see how much traffic you are getting and where people are seeing your site. (You may be surprised to note how many people in other countries are viewing your site).6. How good is the technical support from this ecommerce site? You don’t want to wait days for a question to be answered. A good test or response time is to ask the Web host a question as ‘a potential client’ to measure response time.7. Does this vendor sell domain names and for how much? And will they provide me with a free domain name with my order?8. What is the difference between shared web hosting and a dedicated server?’ The answer is, that a dedicated server is a server used by no other sites and thus those sites can’t impact the server or slow it down. Dedicated servers are quite a bit more expensive per month. Most websites should be fine running on shared hosting.
We will try to answer those questions. You can click on the link provided to get Common Website Terms you should know:
Html: hypertext markup language. This is the actual programming code. No matter which programming tool you are using, whether it be **Wordpress ** a sitebuilder, that interface is adjusting the html as you move and change features.
CSS: cascading style sheets. This refers to how you website is presented in the programming.
When you have purchased hosting and are ready to build a website on the hosting server, you must put your domain on that hosts server. You do this by putting in the code numbers for that server into your domain names. Both the hosting provider and your domain seller will explain to you how to do this.VPS Hosting: ‘virtual private server hosting’. VPS hosting acts similar to a private server with more flexibility than shared hosting. Most new users will only need shared hosting.Domain names: this is VERY important, when purchasing a domain name, pay little attention to the initial price of the domain name. What is important is the renewal cost. I have seen domain registers that charge very little for the initial price but upwards of $30.00 per year to renew. Most paid hosting plans give you one free domain name with the purchase of a plan. Beyond that, you will need to go to the market to buy additional names.
Steven Robert Heine is a West Coast poet & author. He has traveled extensively through the United States including a number of trips to Texas. He 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.Email to: Native Publishing at: [email protected]