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.
Cummings Self-Portrait, 1944
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 1-23, new series and texts of some articles.

Membership in The E. E. Cummings Society includes a subscription to Spring.
To subscribe to the Journal, order back copies, 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:
websterm at gvsu dot edu

Back copies of the old series of Spring (1981-1990) are now available in CD format.
Back copies of the new series of Spring, issues 1-5 (1992-1996), are available in CD format only.
Paper copies of  Spring, issues 6-21-22 (1997 through 2014-2015) are available at the usual rates.

Submission guidelines:

Submissions to Spring may be sent via e-mail attachment or CD or both.
We prefer that you send documents in Microsoft Word, keeping extraneous formatting to a minimum.
Critical discussions should use MLA style and endnotes rather than footnotes.
A paper copy is appreciated, especially if you are sending poetry.
For return, all manuscripts should be accompanied by a SASE.
Send manuscripts to:

Michael Webster
Spring Editor
235 Lake Huron Hall
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI, 49401
websterm at gvsu dot edu

All material quoted from the writings and reproduced from the artwork of E. E. Cummings is by permission of the E. E. Cummings Trust and the Liveright Publishing Corporation.

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