The E. E. Cummings Society celebrates and studies the works of American poet and painter Edward Estlin Cummings (1894-1962). Spring, the journal of the E. E. Cummings Society, is published annually. It  includes papers presented at the American Literature Association's conference, original poetry, news, and notices of Cummings-related events. Within its pages are critical papers as well as reproductions of Cummings' artwork.
History: The Society and its Journal, SPRING were established in New York City in 1980 by David V. Forrest, a psychiatrist, and Richard S. Kennedy and Norman Friedman, both English professors. Friedman and Forrest, along with Editorial Board members George J. Firmage and D. Jon Grossman, knew Cummings in the old days and enjoyed a personal / literary relationship with him. Forrest was editor of the Journal and chief organizer of the Society's meetings, and SPRING ran quarterly from April of 1981 to June of 1991.

The Society met periodically and ad hoc, attended by a fluctuating membership--usually gathering around some relevant event, such as the performance of a Cummings play or the arrival of a visiting notable--who were convened in Forrest's office and then transposed to a nearby restaurant for lunch or dinner. An account of the meeting then appeared in the Journal which was produced in the manner of a typewritten newsletter, along with articles, poems, letters, and other items of interest to those who cherish Cummings and his works.

In 1992, SPRING, new series was started, featuring a more regular journal format, and a greater selection of articles and studies of Cummings' life, works, and times. The editors continue to aim for the freshness,
spontaneity, and variety of the original Journal, and so retain a lively interest in music, theater, drama, poetry, news and notes, etc. For more on the history of the society and journal, click here.
Click here for Spring Contents, issues 1-12, new series and texts of a FEW articles.

Membership in The E. E. Cummings Society includes a subscription to Spring.
To subscribe to the Journal and join the E. E. Cummings Society, fill out this form and send a check via snail-mail to the editor, Michael Webster. 

Comments, questions, and e-mail inquiries concerning Spring and The E. E. Cummings Society may also be addressed to Michael Webster at: websterm@gvsu.edu

Back copies of the old series of Spring and of new series issues 1-5 are no longer available.

Submission guidelines:

Submissions to Spring must be in both hard copy and IBM disk formats.
For return, all manuscripts must be accompanied by a SASE.
Send manuscript to Michael Webster.

All material quoted from the writings, and reproduced from the artwork of E. E. Cummings is by permission of the E. E. Cummings Trust, George J. Firmage, agent.

For permission to quote from the the works of E. E. Cummings, fill out this permission form (from his publisher Liveright, a division of W.W. Norton).

Back to SPRING home page