How do poets find their muses? A blank page can be daunting, as every poet knows. Enter the Tusten Historical Society, with its extensive collection of early picture postcards of Narrowsburg and the nearby Delaware Valley in the early 20th century.

The hamlet of Narrowsburg has changed remarkably in the intervening years, but the Ten Mile River appears much the same in the 100 years that have elapsed between that spring day when it was photographed and today. Some of the postcards were early enough to have black and white landscape photographs, and of course, 1¢ stamps.

The Tusten Historical Society announced a competition for the best poems inspired by these vintage postcards. The poets turned out in numbers with enthusiasm and submitted 15 poems. Then, it was up to the judges. Their work in deciding the winners was even more formidable than that of the poets. In the end, they decided it was a 15-way tie. All the poets were declared winners and awarded prizes: cold cash, divided among all of them.

At the fall meeting of the historical society, several of the poets came to read their poems. Jane Luchsinger, the vice president, had printed each poem along with the postcard that had inspired it, and framed them together for presentation. One poet’s work was inspired by two postcards and another by three. In the interests of full disclosure, the author of this article was one of the poets. His entry, “A Portfolio of Masters,” was the poem inspired by three of the post cards.

The framed poems with photos were put on exhibit at the Tusten-Cochecton Branch of the Western Sullivan Public Library in Narrowsburg, where they will remain on view throughout November in the Community Room. The line to see the exhibit forms to the right.

The exhibit was made possible by the Tusten Historical Society and partial funding from the 2016 Arts for Sullivan Decentralization program funded by the New York Council on the Arts and administered by the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.