For the poet in all of us....especially if vacation travel to NYC is in your July future...info is verbatim

The 5th Annual New York City Poetry Festival



July 25th and 26th


11am-6pm


Governors Island’s Colonel’s Row


FREE ~ OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

“I spotted a disproportionate amount of urbanites meandering barefoot, grinning, straw fedoras tilted on their heads in a suspiciously jaunty manner.” - The Rumpus


Dearest darlings,

Festival season is upon us, and The Poetry Society of New York, having just returned from performing at Electric Forest with The Poetry Brothel, is all warmed up for what is sure to be the most memorable New York City Poetry Festival yet!

The New York City Poetry Festival, now heading into its 5th year, showcases all of the different formats, aesthetics, and personalities of New York City reading series, small presses, and collectives, in one place at one time. This free festival intends to create branches between disparate poetry communities, and other artists and artisans, by bringing poetry out of the dark bars and universities and by placing it in the sun. The 5th Annual New York City Poetry Festival will include over 75 poetry organizations and 250 poets on its three main stages; a Vendor’s Village where local booksellers, artists and craft makers will sell their wares; healthy and delicious food truck options (including Big D’s Grub Truck, Brooklyn Organic Coffee & Tea, and Ponti Rossi Food Truck); a beer & wine garden sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery and The Abbey, poetry-inspired installation art throughout; the Ring of Daisies open mic; and the 4th Annual Children’s Poetry Festival, this year sponsored by Writopia Lab, complete with writing games and its own fourth, all-kids stage.

This year’s headliners include acclaimed poet and memoirist Nick Flynn, award-winning poet, playwright and cultural activist Patricia Spears Jones, esteemed poetry scholar David Matlin, and Fran Quinn, whom Robert Bly called “one of the greatest poetry teachers in the country.” Other highlights of this year’s festival include readings curated by Brooklyn Poets, Coldfront Magazine, Great Weather for MEDIA, The Poetry Project, and VIDA: Women in the Literary Arts.

The Poetry Society of New York will also be featuring The Typewriter Project booth, fresh from its recent installation in Tompkins Square Park, as well as The Poetry Brothel, which will be taking over house 407 along the Colonel’s Row to create an intimate and immersive, candlelit experience.

For a complete lineup, event schedule, list of vendors, sponsors, installations, and other programing, as well as directions to the island and the festival grounds, please visit the New York City Poetry Festival’s website at newyorkcitypoetryfestival.com.

Register for the New York City Poetry Festival on Eventbrite and enter to win a New York City Poetry Festival tote bag filled with signed copies of books by Nick Flynn, Patricia Spears Jones, David Matlin, and Fran Quinn


To stay up to date about all things #nycpofest, follow the festival on Facebook and Twitter.


For all other inquiries, please refer to the festival FAQ or contact Stephanie Berger at sb@poetrysocietny.org.


The New York City Poetry Festival was funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc., with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.


Other #NYCPOFEST sponsors include The Abbey, Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Poets, C. Bravo Productions LLC, C.S. Literary Jewelry, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Graze, The Great American Poetry Show, Great Weather for Media, Literary Manhattan, Nespresso, Runa, Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Creative Writing, and Writopia Lab.


Don't forget your sunscreen or your picnic blankets, loves, and join us for yet another fabulous year of poetry, sunshine, art, food, and booze. It's a winning combination!



Yours 4ever,


The Poetry Society of New York