Great Lakes Commonwealth of Letters is a literary nonprofit in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a simple, but vital, mission: to encourage, promote, and celebrate the literary endeavors of writers in the Great Lakes region.

We host a variety of artistic events from visual art exhibits and theatre to spoken word and indie film events.

The Center for Poetic Thought’s mission is to cultivate, demonstrate, and curate the exhibition of creative work that displays the many ways that “poetry” occurs in American life and beyond. The space is also used as a site to demonstrate the many ways in which “poetry” crosses our paths in life and in art; this may take the form of music, dance, micro-theater, visual art, and architecture.

Avid Bookshop is a locally-owned, Athens, Georgia-based business. The original location opened on Prince Avenue in 2011, and their second location opened in Five Points in November 2016. The shops regularly hold events such as readings and book signings, kids’ story times, poetry nights, workshops with authors, and more. 

Founded in 1985 by the late U.S. poet laureate Stanley Kunitz and arts administrator Elizabeth Kray, Poets House is a national poetry library and literary center. Located in Battery Park City, the 11,000-square-foot space houses a 60,000-volume poetry library, a reading room, an exhibition room, and a children’s room, all free and open to the public. Poets House offers a wide range of literary programming, including readings, talks, panels, performances, poetry workshops, and the annual Poetry Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge.

The bookstore hosts a variety of book signings, discussions, readings, and literary events throughout the year.