The Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry, founded in 2012, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity organization that works to ensure that people can have an enlightening, educational and often life-changing experience of poetry.
ROMP does this in a variety of ways:
- ROMPfest & Wonder City Wordfest: An annual free festival of poetry that celebrates the form in our lives and invites people from all walks of life to experience the joys of poetry
- Poetry Contests: ROMP conducts an annual Oklahoma Poem Contest with cash prizes and other contests for specific events, such as the Pryor Creek Comic-Con where ROMP conducts an annual Pop Culture Hero Poem Contest and Founder’s Day with a Locust Grove poem. Other seasonal contests are also offered. These contests have no entry fee and always have cash prizes.
- Martial Arts & More Class: ROMP sponsors a free to the public class taught by Master Paul Flaherty which begins and ends with poetry and includes instruction and practice in breathing, stretching, self-defense and more.
- ROMP Tellabration: ROMP hosts an annual Tellabration, which is an international storytelling event that takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving. Nationally-known tellers are often hired for this event.
- Poetry Out Loud: ROMP sponsors a regional contest for this national program and uses its own funds to pay for all expenses associated with it.
- Tutoring: ROMP director Shaun Perkins offers free tutoring in a variety of subjects at the museum.
- Let’s Talk About It: This book club program is partly funded by Oklahoma Humanities, and ROMP uses its own funds to pay for printing, refreshment, book replacement costs, etc.
- Workshops & Appearances: ROMP director Shaun Perkins appears free of charge or for reduced fees to spread the word of poetry at conferences, workshops and festivals throughout the state and region. ROMP also puts on free workshops for people of all ages and backgrounds.
- Craft Workshops: ROMP sponsors Cherokee artist Louisa Soap, allowing her to present free workshops on a variety of traditional Cherokee crafts, such as basket-making and beading.
- Museum: The museum is a free, interactive place for people of all ages. In 2021, the museum moved to downtown Locust Grove, and all available funds were used to renovate and keep this space going into the future. Exciting exhibits are on display year-round and changing yearly.
- ROMP Rummage Store: The rummage store in downtown Locust Grove opened in February 2016 and survives on donations. It helps fund the museum while also serving as a low-cost place for local people to get clothes, dishes, bedding and more. Donations to the store are tax-deductible, and a receipt is provided.
OUR NEEDS
The museum particularly needs funding for these items:
- Rent, insurance, and utility bills (gas, electric, water/sewer, internet, phone) at the rummage store and museum
- Prize monies, medals, and certificates for poem and art contests that ROMP sponsors
- Funding to pay for guest speakers, poets, lecturers, etc. at ROMP events
- Exhibit costs: Display items, furnishings, posters, photographs, artifacts, etc.
- Advertising: The museum is still working to ensure that people know it exists
- Director Travel Expenses: ROMP Director Shaun Perkins travels the state and region when possible to promote ROMP at conferences, festivals and more.
Donate to ROMP
Donations can be sent to ROMP at PO Box 1243, Locust Grove OK 74352. A tax receipt will be sent in return. You can also donate with a credit card or Pay Pal by using the button below:
If you cannot donate, please consider shopping at or donating to ROMP Rummage Store!
THANK YOU for helping bring poetry to people across Oklahoma and beyond.
Thank you for doing what you do, spreading the love of poetry. I’m inspired by your story about creating the museum to pass down through generations, and even after 3 hours there, I felt like there was still so much to uncover, new details with every examination. The secrets of the place are abundant, and finding them was a true pleasure. It reminded me of the joy of artistic creation and provided a place of safety in a world that doesn’t always support the artist’s life. For a brief moment, I felt like a true artist. I only wish I had come sooner, so I could go back more often.–Cheryl Kutcher
Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry 