After much anticipation, The Poetry Society of New York is absolutely elated to invite you to the entirely free-to-attend 12th Annual New York City Poetry Festival (#NYCPOFEST). On July 29th and 30th, join The Poetry Society of New York on Governors Island for an unparalleled weekend of words, wisdom, and wonder!
At its core, The New York City Poetry Festival comprises five mainstages: The Brinkley, The Algonquin, The White Horse, The Blackbird, and The Beckett. From the hours of 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, lovers of poetry can tune into 30-minute readings from over one hundred literary organizations such as Poets House, Ugly Duckling Presse, There’s A Lot to Unpack Here, and A Velvet Giant.
From 3:00-4:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, every stage besides The Brinkley will go dark, and all attention will be directed to our iconic, internationally-renowned headliners: Danez Smith (Homie, Don’t Call Us Dead), Franny Choi (The World Keeps Ending and the World Goes On, Soft Science), torrin a. greathouse (Wound from the Mouth of a Wound, There Is a Case That I Am), and Saeed Jones (How We Fight For Our Lives, Prelude to Bruise, Alive at the End of the World). Stephanie Pacheco, New York State and New York City Youth Poet Laureate, will open for these brilliant headliners.
As per its mission statement, the Poetry Festival is one of the most accessible, large-scale events New York has to offer. Not only is it completely free to attend (besides a ferry fee of $2.75), its programming is specifically designed to cater to audiences of all ages no matter their poetry background (or lack thereof). Our 18+ audiences can submerge themselves in The Poetry Society’s famed Poetry Brothel, a literary cabaret with the glitz and glamor of the 1920s and the bodily autonomy of the 2020s. Simultaneously, toddlers, teens, and everyone in between can flex their artistic muscles at The Youth Poetry Festival.
This year, The Poetry Society of New York is investing in its Youth Poetry Festival more than ever by partnering with the incredible Teachers and Writers Collaborative. The Youth Poetry Festival will open at 11:00 am for walk-in activities both days, and its free, educational, generative youth workshops will take place from 12:00pm-2:15pm. Attendees can also catch two free workshops: Morning Yoga and Meditation with Merrie Teitel-Greene, LCSW and Poetic Improv with Christian Perfas.
If being enveloped in poetry plants in you an intense longing to share your own work, have no fear—the First Draft Open Mic at The Ring of Daisies is here! Devised to bring together as many poets as possible to foster community and collaboration, this open mic is a welcoming, safe space for any artist—even those completely new to the poetry world—to perform inside a giant ring of daisies. PSNY is thrilled to be partnering with UrbanWord NYC as they bring their legendary First Draft Open Mic to NYC PoFest. Led by UrbanWord’s Youth Leadership Council, the open mic is first-come-first-serve and will run from 11:30am - 2:30pm and 4:30pm-5:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.
The Poetry Festival strives to create an immersive poetry wonderland with no restrictions. This would not be possible without the festival’s fifty-plus vendors and installation artists. At this year’s Poetry Festival, PSNY’s Milk Press Gallery and Homespun Merry-Go-Round are taking the lead in constructing this new universe on Governors Island. The Milk Press Gallery will be displaying art and interactive installations throughout the festival grounds. We can’t wait to see what these wonderful artists will dream up. As always, we are also incredibly grateful to our sponsors, including CavanKerry Press, NYSCA, and Brooklyn Brewery, for their continued support and dedication to keeping the arts accessible.
To learn more about the New York City Poetry Festival, you may visit Newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com or contact The Poetry Society of New York for more information about covering the event.