Blog Posts

a day without fear / David James

Some of the poems in A Day without Fear are months old while a few were written over forty years ago. Altogether this is an eclectic collection of poems ranging from the very imaginative to the pastoral to the hard poems about mortality and what happens after death, if anything. In this chaotic and harrowing world, it’s hard to live a day without fear, but we have to try.  As far as we know, this is the only life we’re going to get.



Born and raised on the third coast, Michigan, David James has published eight books and has had more than thirty of his one-act plays produced in the United States, Ireland, and England. After working for forty-five years in higher education, he retired in 2022.

PSM Winners in the 2025 NFSPS Annual Contest

Patricia Barnes of Wyandotte MI, PSM Honorary Chancellor:
HM2, Winners Circle Award
HM3, Poetry Society of Indiana Award
HM5, The Robbie Award

Deb Belcher of Tustin MI:
HM4, The Barbara Sykes Memorial Award

Dr. Emory D. Jones of Iuka MS:
HM6, William Stafford Memorial Award
HM3, The Robbie Award

Cynthia Nankee of Canton MI:
3rd Place, Jim Barton, Bard of the Pines Award
HM7, Jim Barton Memorial Award
1st Place, Alabama State Poetry Award
HM2, James C. Saunders Memorial Award
HM3, Wallace Stevens Memorial Award
2nd Place, Mississippi Poetry Society Award
1st Place, Barbara Stevens Memorial Award

Polly Opsahl of Oscoda MI:
3rd Place, Poetry Society of Indiana Award
1st Place, Poetry Society of Oklahoma A

New “Craft” Article by Shutta Crum

In her article, Nailing the Landing, member poet, Shutta Crum writes, “Perhaps the most egregious crime of bad poetry is when the poet tries to summarize the poem for the reader. This usually happens at endings. But the writer must bear in mind that readers bring to the table their own histories. Readers take away what is needful at the moment—to them. And it may be something entirely other than what the writer had in mind while writing the poem.” Read the full article HERE.

Shutta Crum

Shutta Crum is the author of several middle-grade novels, thirteen picture books, many magazine articles and over a hundred and fifty published poems. She is also the winner of nine Royal Palm awards, including gold for her chapbook When You Get Here. (Kelsay Books, 2020). Her latest volume of poetry is Meet Me Out There. She is a well-regarded public speaker and workshop leader. shutta.com

Read the Latest Issue of Peninsula Poets.

New Feature: Anyone can read the latest issue of Peninsula Poets on line for free and share it with friends and family. Just click the cover icon to read now. You can also download it to read later.

At the latest board meeting it was decided to expand our readership and give our poems worldwide exposure.