The Conference was founded in 2015 by the poet and educator Kim Bridgford (1959-2020) as an antidote to a literary world that too often encourages isolation, competitiveness, and hierarchy. Kim’s vision was one of interconnectedness, enrichment, acceptance, and inspiration.
In addition to founding Poetry by the Sea, Kim was founding editor-in-chief and publisher of Mezzo Cammin, an online journal of metrical poetry by women. She also founded The Mezzo Cammin Women Poets Timeline Project, with the goal of creating the world’s largest database of women poets in all languages.
Kim held an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Conference and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. She was a beloved teacher and mentor to students at Fairfield University in Connecticut and West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Her books are available online at Amazon and Bookshop.com, and from her publishers—Contemporary Poetry Review Press, David Robert Books, Main Street Rag, and White Violet Press.