TPS was born in the McMaster University tower

When established at McMaster University in 1951, the members would meet in a room in the “Tower”, which is part of University Hall. Hence, the members decided that the name of the organization would be The Tower Poetry Society. Little did those early members know that the TPS would expand to include non-university members and hold its monthly meetings in other venues within the Hamilton community. In 2026, TPS will celebrate 75 years of promoting and publishing poetry. The Society is Canada’s oldest continuously operating poetry group.

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Our next Events…

• • February 14 – Poet Talk — not a usual workshop…“The Love Poem.” – Poet, Norm Brown’s Somewhat Deep Dive into The Dynamics of The Love Poem for the Desperate and the Doomed(an attempt to answer the age-old question: Is the Love Poem a technical term – ergo, genre – or merely a descriptive phrase?)
  • Open Mic, Feb. 17…

• • #TPS75 February Anniversary Challenge: Spreading the Love of Poetry

Instructions: Print the blank template back-to-back to end up with two copies that can be filled out. Copy a few lines of a love poem onto the valentine template and give it to someone, leave it in an office or pin it on a bulletin board somewhere. Valentine poem template

3-fold accordion -style Instructions: Print just one side of the paper (color or greyscale works fine). Fold accordion style at pale dot lines with Heart at Front. Cut along the horizontal dashed lines and distribute. 3fold Valentine note

• Ongoing — The TPS 75th Anniversary (More Poetic Offerings, here!) — Watch your inboxes for details on our February Poetic Challenge — Give a TPS Valentine’s Poem Card to people you love, or even strangers on the street!