Highland Park Poetry is pleased to welcome Carol Alfus and Terry Loncaric as our featured poets. Carol Alfus' debut collection, "I Would Swim in Such a Sky," is published by Kelsay Books (2025). Terry Loncaric shares poems from her newest collection, "On the Other Side of a Heart Attack" (2025). Open-mic follows features. Poets may share up to 3 poems, though Highland Park Poetry may reduce that number in order to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to read. There is no cover and up to 3 hours free parking is available in the Renaissance Place Parking Garage directly below the venue.
Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.





