A selection of poetry (and occasionally other literary) events going on in the Cascadia region (Washington state except as noted) with links for more information. Some events may involve fees or admission charges. Information is current to the best of our knowledge; please confirm with venues for updates and featured poets.
To make a correction or add your event to the calendar, send an email to thepoetrydepartment at gmail with the following information (required): date, city, brief description, time, venue, link for more information.
Mondays in Bellingham – poetrynight featured poet and open mic at the Bellingham Alternative Library
Mondays in Everett – Poetry Laboratory open mic at Black Lab Art Gallery
Mondays in Seattle – Easy Speak Seattle hosts a featured reader and open mic the 2nd and 4th Monday
Mondays in Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Poetry Slam (VanSlam) feature plus open mic at Café Deux Soleils; more on Facebook
Tuesdays in Seattle – Seattle Poetry Slam presents a featured poet plus open mic and slam at Re-bar
Wednesdays in Bellingham – Acoustic Wednesdays with host JD Falcon Grady featuring local artists and poets – 6:30pm at Greene’s Corner
Wednesdays in Seattle – Write Time Poetry, a weekly drop-in writing circle for teens at Hugo House (meets during the school year)
Wednesdays in Seattle – Rain City Slam: all-ages spoken word open mic, featured poet and poetry slam at Jai Thai on Broadway
Wednesdays in Seattle – Open Mic Night: music, poems, dance, comedy, stories – 7:00pm – at Couth Buzzard Books
Wednesdays in Spokane – Broken Mic featured poet plus open mic at Neato Burrito
Wednesdays in Vaughn – Watermark Writers’ Workshop – on the waterfront
Thursdays in Everett – Everett Poetry Night: poetry and acoustic music at Café Zippy
Thursdays in Olympia – Cascadia Poetry Group with featured reader and open mic – 6:00pm – at 3 Magnets
Thursdays in Salem, OR – The Salem Poetry Project presents a featured reader followed by open mic – 7:00pm – at IKE Box Coffee Shop
Fridays in Victoria, BC – Planet Earth Poetry featured poets plus open mic – 7:30pm – at Hillside Coffee and Tea
Confirm specific dates and featured poets with organization or venue; schedules may shift on short notice or be adjusted around holidays.
first Sunday – Eugene, OR – Poetry for the People – 4:00pm – at rye on 3rd
first Monday – Auburn – Striped Water Poets: featured poet(s) plus open mic – 7:00pm – at the Rainbow Café
first Monday – Portland, OR – Free Range Poetry Series – 6:00pm – at Northwest Library
second and fourth Mondays – Bellingham – VB Writes Prompts – 4:00pm – at Village Books, Fairhaven
third Monday – Tacoma – Creative Colloquy presents featured readers plus open mic – 7:00pm – at Honey at Alma Mater
fourth Monday – Tacoma – Commencement Bay Haiku – 5:00pm – at King’s Books
last Monday – Bellingham – Open mic night – 7:00pm – in the Readings Gallery at Village Books
third Tuesday – Eugene, OR – Windfall Reading Series – 6:00pm – at Downtown Eugene Public Library
last Tuesday – Vancouver – Last Tuesdays poetry group with feature plus open mic – 7:00pm – at Barnes and Noble bookstore
first and third Wednesdays – Bellingham – VB Writes Poetry II – 10:15am – at Village Books, Fairhaven
first Wednesday – Duvall – Duvall Poetry, open mic plus featured poet – open mic 7:00pm, feature 7:30pm – at Duvall Library
second Wednesday – Bellingham – Whatcom Writers and Publishers – 5:45pm – at Nicki’s Bella Marina
second Wednesday – Bellingham – Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater Open Mic – signups 6:30pm, readings 7:00pm – at NEW LOCATION: The Happy Place, 1215 Cornwall, across from the Leopold
second Wednesday – Portland, OR – Comma Reading Series, featured poets – 7:00pm – at Broadway Books
third Wednesday – Bellingham – Creekside Open Mic – signups 6:00pm, readings 6:30pm – at South Whatcom Library
third Wednesday – Olympia – The Olympia Poetry Network monthly reading with featured poet and open mic – 6:00pm – at Traditions Fair Trade
third Wednesday – West Seattle – WordsWest Literary Series – 7:00pm – at C & P Coffee Company
first and third Thursdays – Bellingham – VB Writes Poetry I – 5:30pm – at Village Books, Fairhaven
second Thursday – Seattle (Ballard) – It’s About Time Writers Reading Series, featured readers, open mic, presentation on the writer’s craft – 6:00pm – at Ballard Branch of The Seattle Public Library
second Thursday – Vancouver – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic with featured reader – signup 6:30pm – at Angst Gallery
third Thursday – Redmond – SoulFood Poetry Night, with featured reader and open mic – 7:00pm – at SoulFood Coffee House
fourth Thursday – Port Townsend – Northwind Reading Series presents readings by local and guest authors, featuring both poets and prose writers (check calendar for additional events) – 7:00pm – at Northwind Arts Center
second Friday – Tacoma – Puget Sound Poetry Connection (PSPC) Distinguished Writer Series with feature plus open mic – 7:00pm – at Immanual Presbyterian
last Friday – Redmond – RASP: Redmond Association of Spokenword, open mic plus feature – signup 6:30pm, reading 7:00pm – (venue changing; check website for latest info)
first Saturday – Bellingham – Red Wheelbarrow Writers: Writers’ Happy Hour – 4:00pm – at Brandywine Restaurant
first Saturday – Poulsbo – Armchair Poetry Reading – 7:00pm – at Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse
second and fourth Saturdays – Bellingham – VB Writes Nooksack River Writing Group – 10:00am – at Village Books, Lynden
third Saturday – Kirkland – Poetry workshop and reading – at BookTree
13 – Portland, OR – Slamlandia – 6:30pm – at Literary Arts
14 – Auburn – 25th Anniversary Celebration for Seattle Poetics LAB (SPLAB), including the release of American Prophets, as well as talks and poetry by special guests – 7:00pm – at White River Valley Museum in Auburn.
14 – Tacoma – Puget Sound Poetry Connection presents the Distinguished Writer Series, with featured writer plus open mic – 7:00pm – at Immanual Presbyterian
15 – Seattle – Exiles Return: Maged Zaher and Jamaica Baldwin read poetry – 4:00pm – at Arundel Books
20 – Seattle – MarginShift Presents: Reyes Higdon Nelson Holtland – 6:30pm – at Common AREA Maintenance
28 – Anacortes – NEW VOICES: Young Poets from Anacortes – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
2 – BIRTHDAY – Jimmy Santiago Baca
6 – Bellingham – Feminist Poetry Reading featuring Rainbow Medicine-Walker, Dayna Patterson, Carla Shafer, Nancy Canyon, Jessica Lee, Kami Westhoff, Lois Holub, and Maria McLeod – 4:00pm – at Allied Arts
9 – BIRTHDAY – Kelli Russell Agodon
10-20 – Seaside, OR – Pacific University Residency Writers Conference
12 – Bellingham – Elizabeth Vignali and Kami Westhoff read from their co-authored book, Your Body a Bullet – 7:00pm – at Village Books
13 – BIRTHDAY – Megan Snyder-Camp
16 – Seattle – Carol Levin reads poems from An Undercurrent Of Jitters – 6:00pm – at University Book Store
16 – West Seattle – Words West Literary series – 7:00pm – at C & P Coffee Co
17 – BIRTHDAY – William Stafford
20 – BIRTHDAY – Bruce Beasley
20 – Bellingham – Douglas Cole reads poems from The Gold Tooth In the Crooked Smile of God – 4:00pm – at Village Books
22 – BIRTHDAY – Luther Allen
25 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Elizabeth Austen and Ed Harkness – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
27 – Seattle – African-American Writers’ Alliance Poetry Reading – 4:30pm – at Open Books
1-28 – everywhere – National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo)
1 – BIRTHDAY – Joannie Stangeland
3 – Bellingham – authors of the top Whatcom WRITES contest entries read their work – 2:00pm – at Village Books
3 – Seattle – Workshop: Haiku on Steroids with Michael Dylan Welch – 10:00am – at Open Books
3 – Seattle – Release Party: PageBoy Magazine, Issue 10 – 7:00pm – at Hugo House
4 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth Vignali
6 – BIRTHDAY – Rena Priest
6 – Seattle – A Celebration of Gwen Head & Dragon Gate Press with Sharon Bryan, Marlene Blessing & Laura Jensen – 7:00pm – at Open Books
8 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Clemens Starck – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
9 – Seattle – Reading with Sierra Golden & Laura Da’ – 7:00pm – at Open Books
10 – Lynden – authors of the top Whatcom WRITES contest entries read their work – 2:00pm – Village Books Lynden
17 – Seattle – Reading with Rusty Morrison & Martha Ronk – 7:00pm – at Open Books
19 – BIRTHDAY – Rick Barot
20 – West Seattle – Words West Literary series – 7:00pm – at C & P Coffee Co
22 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Michael Daley and Jeremy Voigt – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
22-24 – Astoria, OR – 22nd Annual FisherPoets Gathering – various venues
22-24 – Astoria, OR – FisherPoets Gathering
23 – Bellingham – Children’s Literature Conference – 9:00am – 3:30pm – at Western Washington University, Performing Arts Center
24 – Seattle – Reading with Michele Bombardier, Susan Landgraf, and Gary Copeland Lilley – 5:00pm – at Open Books
25 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth J. Colen
27 – BIRTHDAY – Oliver de la Paz
1-31 – Whatcom County – Submissions open for Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest
1-31 – everywhere – National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo)
1 – BIRTHDAY – Brenda Miller
2 – Bellingham – SpeakEasy 23: Poetry & Democracy, with special guest, poet laureate Claudia Castro Luna – 7:00pm – at the Mount Baker Theatre, Encore Room
3 – Seattle – Book Launch: Gravity Assist by Martha Silano, feat. Rick Barot & Molly Tenenbaum – 5:00pm – at Open Books
9 – Seattle – Reading with Kimberly Burwick, Kevin Goodan & Emily Holt – 7:00pm – at Open Books
10 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Tom Jay and Holly J. Hughes – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
12 – BIRTHDAY – Naomi Shihab Nye
17 – Seattle – Reading with Geneve Chao, Wendy Chin-Tanner, Sarah Mangold & Jane Wong – 7:00pm – at Open Books
18 – BIRTHDAY – Wilfred Owen
20 – West Seattle – Words West Literary series – 7:00pm – at C & P Coffee Co
23 – BIRTHDAY – Lana Hechtman Ayers
25 – Seattle – Book Launch: All Its Charms by Keetje Kuipers, feat. Erika Meitner & Geffrey Davis – 7:00pm – at Open Books
26 – BIRTHDAY – Patrick Lane
27 – BIRTHDAY – Julia Álvarez, Dorothea Lasky
27–30, Portland, OR – AWP #19 – at the Oregon Convention Center
29 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Kevin Miller and Georgia Johnson – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
31 – Seattle – Equivox: Hedgebrook’s annual brunch and fundraiser – details TBA
31-April 2 – Vancouver – Travel and Words Northwest Travel and Lifestyle Writers Conference – at Heathman Lodge
1-30 – National Poetry Month and NaPoWriMo
4 – BIRTHDAY – Anita K. Boyle
6 – Ellensburg – Inland Poetry Prowl: “Sylvia’s Tulips”
5-7 – Orcas – Orcas Island Literary Festival
11 – BIRTHDAY – Maria McLeod
12-14 – Vashon – Vashon Literary Conference (info to come) – Vashon Center for the Arts
17 – West Seattle – Words West Literary series – 7:00pm – at C & P Coffee Co
23 – BIRTHDAY – Coleman Barks
25 – BIRTHDAY – Ted Kooser
26 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Larry Laurence and Jourdan Imani Keith – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
28 – BIRTHDAYS – Carolyn Forché, Roberto Bolaño
29 – BIRTHDAY – Yusef Komunyakaa
30 – May 1 – Washington, DC – Poetry Out Loud National Finals
9 – BIRTHDAY – Charles Simic, Dan Chiasson
9-12 – Anacortes – Cascadia Poetry Festival: A Tribute to Sam Hamill – at the Croatian Cultural Center
12 – BIRTHDAY – Bernadette Mayer
15 – West Seattle – Words West Literary series – 7:00pm – at C & P Coffee Co
16 – Bellingham – Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony – at Bellingham Cruise Terminal
24 – Anacortes – Poetry reading featuring Gary Thompson and Alicia Hokanson – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
31 – BIRTHDAY – Walt Whitman
7 – BIRTHDAY – Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni
13-23 – Forest Grove, OR – Pacific University Residency Writers Conference
16 – Ireland & elsewhere – Bloomsday
21 – BIRTHDAY – Sheila Sondik
2 – BIRTHDAY – Wisława Szymborska
4 – everywhere – Registration opens for the 2019 August Poetry Postcard Fest
9 – BIRTHDAY – Susan Rich
16 – BIRTHDAY – Robert Lashley
31 – BIRTHDAY – Kim Addonizio
1-31 – August Poetry Postcard Fest
2-4 – Portland, OR – Willamette Writers Conference – at the Airport Sheraton Hotel
3 – BIRTHDAY – Diane Wakoski
5 – BIRTHDAY – Wendell Berry, Ron Silliman
20 – BIRTHDAY – Heather McHugh
28 – BIRTHDAY – Rita Dove
5 – BIRTHDAY – Nicanor Parra
10 – BIRTHDAY – Mary Oliver
11 – BIRTHDAY – Ryler Dustin
12-15 – Seattle – Pacific Northwest Writers Association Conference – at DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport Hotel
27-29 – Tieton – LiTFUSE
3 – BIRTHDAY – Bill Porter (Red Pine)
4 – BIRTHDAY – James Bertolino, Susan J. Erickson
14 – BIRTHDAY – Ocean Vuong
15 – BIRTHDAY – Kim Stafford
1-30 – everywhere – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
2 – BIRTHDAY – Samuel Green
November 7, 2013 at 6:41 pm
Hi: I’m with the Skagit River Poetry Foundation. How do we submit events to your calendar? Thanks!
November 7, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Have replied to you directly, but feel free to leave information here as comments, too. Thank you!
March 9, 2016 at 9:39 pm
Hi, I would love to submit a few events on behalf of Creative Colloquy, a literary journal based out of Tacoma, WA. Is it possible to get our Creative Colloquy call for submissions and upcoming events added?
March 12, 2016 at 10:27 am
Be delighted to include Creative Colloquy — and have in the past when I’ve happened across your events. Please check your email. I’ve sent you a note with details. Thanks!