NFSPS Convention: Advocacy! Activism! Community! Schedule of all events
NFSPS, Inc and Sunflower Poetry Society of Kansas
Co-Hosted Annual Convention
Doubletree Hilton Overland Park, KS
Wednesday, July through Sunday, July
All times Central Time Zone
Schedule subject to change prior to event
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
Happy Hour gathering for those who would like to participate
THURSDAY, JULY 23
| 9:00 - 12:00 pm | Book Room Check in |
| 9:00 – 9:00 pm | Registration table opens |
| 9:30 – 11:00 pm | NFSPS Inc Contest Awards |
| 11:00- 12:00 pm | Open Mic |
| 12:00 – 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 - 2:00 pm | SLAM Orientation |
| 2:00 - 3:15 pm | Another View: Ekphrastic Poetry and the Art of Interpretation with M. Palowski Moore |
| 3:30 – 5:30 pm | BBP SLAM Bouts A and B |
| 4:00 – 8:00 pm | Cash Bar and Announcements |
| 5:30 - 6:30 pm | Opening Dinner |
| 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm | BBP SLAM Bouts C and D |
| 9:00 – 11:00 pm | BBP SLAM Bouts E and F |
| 11:00 pm-Midnight | Advocacy and Awareness open mic (protest poetry) * |
FRIDAY, JULY 24
| 7:30 - 8:30 am | Open Mic Poetry Reading* |
| 8:30 – 10:00 am | NFSPS Inc Contest Awards |
| 9:00 - 5:30 pm | Book Room Open |
| 10:00 - 10:50 am | “Make Your Poetry Sing” by Valerie Szarek |
| 11:00 - 11:50 am | “Protest Poetry: Activism in Poetic Form” by Huascar Medina Kansas Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022 |
| 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | Luncheon: Youth and Adults |
| 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm | Poets for Peace Reading |
| 1:15 pm - 3:15 pm | Poetic Jeopardy with Dargan Ware, Toby Palowski, and M. Palowski Moore |
| 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm | BBP SLAM Bouts G and H |
| 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Cash Bar |
| 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm | Dinner |
| 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm | Barbara Stevens Manuscript Winner “Escapement” Rebecca Biber |
| 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm | BBP SLAM Bouts I and J |
| 9:00 – 11:00 pm | BBP SLAM Bouts K and L |
| 11:00 pm – 12:00 am | Open Mic Poetry Reading* Identity poetry Open mic for LGBTQ+ and allies (poems about identity, however you identify, advocacy, and action in the life of the poet/community) |
SATURDAY, JULY 25
| 7:30 - 8:30 am | Open Mic Poetry Reading* |
| 8:30 – 9:30 am | NFSPS Inc Contest Awards |
| 9:00 - 5:30 pm | Book Room Open |
| 9:45 – 11:00 am | State President’s Meeting |
| 10:00 – 11:00 am | Youth Workshop “Word is Bond” by Melissa Ferrer Civil |
| 11:15 – 12:15 pm | Youth Workshop “The Story Kaliedoscope” by Abby Bland |
| 12:15- 1:15 pm | Youth lunch |
| 11:00 - 12:30 pm | Plenary Session (in memoriam, elections, reports) |
| 12:30 – 1:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:30 pm | CUP Winners: “Where the Sky Touches the Ribcage” by Sarah Gill from Oklahoma State University and “A Jambstone Called My Jawbone” by Jo Ammons from Purdue University |
| 1:30 - 2:45 pm | Youth Community Building Activity |
| 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Youth Workshop: From Page to Mic: Transforming Writing into Performance by Sheri Purpose Hall |
| 4:30 - 6:00 pm | Youth Slam and Open Mic for all Adults invited and encouraged to come support the Youth |
| Kansas Showcase | |
| 2:00 - 2:50 pm | “Sharing Words: Poetry and Publishing” with Maureen Carroll |
| 3:00 - 3:50 pm | “Let's Make a Book: Advocacy & Activism through the Diverse Voices Literacy Program” with Linzi Garcia |
| 4:00 - 4:50 pm | Poetry Universe Creation Workshop with Sheri Purpose Hall |
| 5:00 - 8 pm | cash bar |
| 6:00 - 7:00 pm | Dinner |
| 6:15 - 6:30 | Manningham Winners |
| 7:00 – 7:30 pm | Haiku Slam |
| 7:30 - 11:00 pm | BlackBerry Peach National Poetry SLAM Finals |
SUNDAY, JULY 26
| 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | Open Mic Poetry Reading* |
| 9:30 – 4:00 pm | Book Room Open |
| 9:15 - 11:15 am | BlackBerry Peach Form SLAM competition |
| 11:15 - 12:00 pm | Book Reading and Signing |
| 12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:30 – 1:00 pm | Blackberry Peach Spoken and Written Poetry Winners |
| 1:15 – 2:30 pm | Panel Discussion with Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer |
| 2:45 - 4:15 pm | “Meeting All of It: Embracing Paradox and Opposition in Poetry” Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer |
| 4:00 to 5:00 pm | Bookroom-pick up all books (no sales) |
| 5:00 – 8:00 pm | Cash Bar |
| 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Gala Dinner |
| 7:00 -8:00 pm | KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer |
| 8:00 - 8:30 pm | Autograph signing for Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer |
| 8:30 pm to finish | NFSPS Inc Contest Awards |
| Open Mic Poetry Reading to follow until 11:00 pm |
****Are you attending convention and want to sell books in the bookroom? The guidelines and forms will be available Mid-April on the convention website at nfsps.net