CALENDAR

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 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 Edmonds – Every Writer’s Writing Group – 10:00am-Noon – at the Edmonds Library

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 Sunday (January thru May) – Portland, OR – The Voice of Empathy Sunday Salon Series – 4:00pm – at The Tiny Theater PDX

second Sunday – Bellingham – Second Sundays: Literary Open Mic – 2:30pm – at Make.Shift

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

second Monday – Seattle – African American Writers Alliance (see website for additional dates and locations) – 7:00pm – at Third Place Books, Seward Park

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

third Tuesday – Port Townsend – Poetry & Short-Shorts: An evening of 5-Minute Readings – signups 6:30pm – at Better Living Through Coffee

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 The Happy Place

second Wednesday – Portland, OR – Comma Reading Series, featured poets – 7:00pm – at Broadway Books

second Wednesday – Tillamook, OR – Monthly Writers Meet-up – 6:00pm – at Art Accelerated

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

fourth Wednesday – Chimacum – Finnriver Open Mic Spoken Word – signups 6:00pm – at Finnriver Farm & Cidery

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 – Olympia – Modern Poetry Book Club – 7:00pm – at Browsers Bookshop

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

first Friday – Portland, OR – Fridays on the Boulevard open mic – 7:00pm – at the Attic Institute

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 – at Los Pajaros Studio Gallery

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

second Saturday – Ocean Shores – The Lighthouse Poetry Society of Ocean Shores – 5:00pm – at The Lighthouse

third Saturday – Kirkland – Poetry workshop and reading – at BookTree

through December 23 – Poetry Society of American annual awards open

21-27 – Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Writers Fest – at various venues, Granville Island

22 – Portland, OR – Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford reads from his new collection of poems, Wild Honey, Tough Salt – 7:00pm – at Broadway Books

23 – Seattle – Seattle Arts & Lectures: Hanif Abdurraqib – 7:30 pm – at Town Hall Seattle

24 – Anchorage, AK – Cedar Sigo presents his lecture, “Shadows Crossing: Tones of Voice Continued” – 6:30pm – at the Anchorage Museum

24 – Seattle – Lit Crawl: Seattle – 5:00pm-Midnight – various venues

24 – Seattle – A Reading & Reception for Stealing Light, A Raven Chronicles Anthology, Selected Work, 1991-1996 – 7:00pm – at Jack Straw Cultural Center

24-27 – Seabeck – Seabeck Haiku Getaway with theme “attention” – at Seabeck Conference Center

25 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents TESS GALLAGHER & ALICE DERRY – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

25 – Seattle – Book Launch: The Grief of a Happy Life by Christopher Howell – 7:00pm – at Open Books

25-27 – Seaview – Airstream Poetry Festival

25-27 – Surrey, BC – Surrey International Writers’ Conference

26 – Bellingham – Stefania Heim and Keetje Kuipers offer poetry workshops to benefit the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – at Mindport Exhibits

26 – Bellingham – 7th Annual World Peace Poets Soup Supper and Read-In (musicians welcome) – doors 5:00pm – at St. James Presbyterian Church

26 – Port Townsend – Empty Bowl presents a book launch for The Blossoms Are Ghosts at the Wedding: Expanded Edition by Tom Jay – 7:00pm – at Pope Marine Building

26 – Seattle – Poets Rosalie Moffett, Bill Carty & Natalie Scenters-Zapico – 7:00pm – at The Elliott Bay Book Company

26 – Seattle – Call When You Have a Minute: A Reading and Celebration with Billie Swift and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha – 7:00pm – at Open Books

27 – Bellingham – Bruna Press + Archive presents MUTTER COURAGE #6, a reading and book launch by Stefania Heim – 4:00pm – at Bruna Press

31 – Nov 3 – Port Orchard – Northwest Writers’ Weekend

1-30 – everywhere – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

1 – everywhere – Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Competition open for submissions through March 15

1 – everywhere – Windfall: A Journal of Poetry of Place open for submissions through February 1

1 – Seattle – Reading with Scott Cairns – 7:00pm – at Open Books

2 – Lummi Island – TLC Writing Workshop

2 – Portland, OR – Reading with Portland poets Willa Schneberg and Marilyn Stablein – 2:00pm – at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop

2 – Seattle – Poetry Northwest 60th Anniversary Reading – 7:00pm – at Open Books

3 – Bellingham – Jack Straw Writers Anthology Group Reading – 4:00pm – at Village Books

3 – Seattle – Floating Bridge Press 25th Anniversary Release Reading! – 3:00pm – at Elliott Bay Book Company

4-10 – Kauai, HI – The Kauai Writers Conference

6 – Seattle – Dao Strom reads from her two new books – 7:00pm – at The Elliott Bay Book Company

7 – Bellingham – 2019 Literacy Breakfast featuring Nancy Pearl – 7:00am – at Bellingham Technical College

7 – Manzanita, OR – Manzanita Writers’ Series Presents Poet Floyd Skloot – 4:00pm – at Hoffman Center for the Arts

7 – Port Townsend – Northwind Reading Series presents A Collaborative Reading with Sheila Bender, Gayle Kaune, Sharon Carter, Linda Robertson & Holly Hughes – 7:00pm – at Northwind Arts Center

7 – Portland, OR – Reading from Windfall: Poetry of Place – 7:00pm – at Broadway Books

7 – Spokane – a live reading of Galway Kinnell’s magnum opus, The Book of Nightmares, in its entirety featuring local poets Jonathan Johnson, Laura Read, Taylor D. Waring, Sam Foley, and 1 more TBA – 7:00pm – at Lucky You Lounge

7 – Tacoma – Kay Mullen and Tim Sherry Poetry Reading – 7:00pm – at King’s Books

8 – Portland, OR – fourth annual Lit Crawl® Portland – 6:00-9:00pm – various downtown venues

8 – Seattle – Reading with Jeff Alessandrelli, Kary Wayson, Shelby Handler & Woogee Bae – 7:00pm – at Open Books

9 – Portland, OR – Portland Book Festival – at the Portland Art Museum

9 – Stanwood – The Poetic Apothecary: Poems for Healing and Comfort – 2:00pm – at the Stanwood Library

9 – Van Zandt – Annual Poetry Cafe – 7:00pm – at Van Zandt Hall

14 – Vancouver – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Rod Nelson – 7:00pm – at Angst Gallery

15 – Bellingham – Poetry reading featuring Jory Mickelson Wilderness//Kingdom (Floating Bridge Press), Dayna Patterson Titania in Yellow (Porkbelly Press), and Megan Spiegel Luminance (Dancing Girl Press) – 7:00pm – at Old Parish Hall

15 – Seattle – UW Bothell Reading Series – 7:00pm – at Open Books

16 – Bellingham – Tess Gallagher reads from her latest book, Is, Is Not – 7:00pm – at Village Books

17 – Portland, OR – Lilla Lit reading series – 4:00pm – at Leach Botanical Garden

17 – Seattle – Reading with José Olivarez & Michael Haeflinger – 5:00pm – at Open Books

19, Portland, OR – Oregon Jewish Voices 20th Anniversary: Readings by Oregon Jewish Writers and Poets – 7:30pm – at Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

20 – Seattle – Cedar Sigo presents his lecture, “Shadows Crossing: Tones of Voice Continued” – 6:30pm – at the Burke Museum

21 – Portland, OR – Alicia Jo Rabins + Martha Silano: A Poetry Reading – 7:00pm – at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop

21 – Seattle – Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series: Mary Ruefle 7:30pm – at Seattle Central Community College, Broadway Performance Hall

23 – Portland, OR – Joan Dobbie + Erica Goss: Poetry Reading – 7:00pm – at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop

23 – Seattle – Reading with Elizabeth Bradfield & John James – 7:00pm – at Open Books

29 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents Robert Sund Poets House – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

1 – everywhere – The Poeming Pigeon open for submissions for Issue 10, Pop Culture, through January 31

2 – BIRTHDAY – Samuel Green

7 – Bellingham – Claudia Castro Luna and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha offer poetry workshops to benefit the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest – at Mindport Exhibits

12 – Vancouver – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Featuring Darryl Foto – 7:00pm – at Angst Gallery

27 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents Young Skagit Poets – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

1-31 – everywhere – Psaltery & Lyre open for submissions

2 – BIRTHDAY – Jimmy Santiago Baca

9 – BIRTHDAY – Kelli Russell Agodon

9-19 – Seaside, OR – Pacific University Residency Writers Conference

13 – BIRTHDAY – Megan Snyder-Camp

17 – BIRTHDAY – William Stafford

20 – BIRTHDAY – Bruce Beasley

22 – BIRTHDAY – Luther Allen

31 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents ED HARKNESS & DONALD KRUSE – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

1-28 – everywhere – National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo)

1 – BIRTHDAY – Joannie Stangeland

4 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth Vignali

6 – BIRTHDAY – Rena Priest

6 – Seattle – Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series: Paisley Rekdal 7:30pm – at Seattle Central Community College, Broadway Performance Hall

19 – BIRTHDAY – Rick Barot

25 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth J. Colen

27 – BIRTHDAY – Oliver de la Paz

28 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents Luther Allen and Judy Kleinberg – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

28 – Mar 1 – Astoria, OR – FisherPoets Gathering

1-31 – Whatcom County – Submissions open for Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest

1 – BIRTHDAY – Brenda Miller

4 – U.S. – National Grammar Day

4-7 – San Antonio, TX – AWP Conference & Bookfair 2020 – at Henry B. González Convention Center

12 – BIRTHDAY – Naomi Shihab Nye

18 – BIRTHDAY – Wilfred Owen

19 – Seattle – Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series: Rick Barot 7:30pm – at Seattle Central Community College, Broadway Performance Hall

23 – BIRTHDAY – Lana Hechtman Ayers

27 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents JUDITH ROCHE & ART GOODTIMES – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

1-30 – National Poetry Month and NaPoWriMo

4 – BIRTHDAY – Anita K. Boyle

11 – BIRTHDAY – Maria McLeod

14 – BIRTHDAY – Jericho Brown

16 – BIRTHDAY – Tracy K. Smith

19 – Oak Harbor – J.I. (Judy) Kleinberg is the featured poet at Oak Harbor Poetry Project – 3:00pm – at Oak Harbor Library

23 – BIRTHDAY – Coleman Barks

24 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents JIM BODEEN & JOSEPH STROUD – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

25 – BIRTHDAY – Ted Kooser, James Fenton

28 – BIRTHDAYS – Carolyn Forché, Roberto Bolaño

29 – BIRTHDAY – Yusef Komunyakaa

1-30 – National Poetry Month and NaPoWriMo

1 – everywhere – Windfall: A Journal of Poetry of Place open for submissions through August 1

7 – Seattle – Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Series: Natalie Diaz 7:30pm – at Seattle Central Community College, Broadway Performance Hall

9 – BIRTHDAY – Charles Simic, Dan Chiasson, Joy Harjo

12 – BIRTHDAY – Bernadette Mayer

14 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth Austen, Lea Galanter

24 – BIRTHDAY – Tom Phillips

29 – Anacortes – Pelican Bay Poetry Reading Series presents JIM BERTOLINO & JOHN DELANEY – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books

30 – Seattle – Seattle Baroque Soloists present “For All Our Sisters” including poetry by Jennifer Bullis – 7:30pm – at Benaroya Hall

31 – BIRTHDAY – Walt Whitman

3 – BIRTHDAY – Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997)

5 – BIRTHDAY – Federico García Lorca (June 5, 1898 – August 18, 1936)

7 – BIRTHDAY – Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni

16 – Ireland & elsewhere – Bloomsday

21 – BIRTHDAY – Sheila Sondik

26-27 – Bellingham – Chuckanut Writers Conference – at Whatcom Community College

2 – BIRTHDAY – Wisława Szymborska

9 – BIRTHDAY – Susan Rich

16 – BIRTHDAY – Robert Lashley

31 – BIRTHDAY – Kim Addonizio

1-31 – August Poetry Postcard Fest

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

3 – BIRTHDAY – Bill Porter (Red Pine)

4 – BIRTHDAY – James Bertolino, Susan J. Erickson

14 – BIRTHDAY – Ocean Vuong

15 – BIRTHDAY – Kim Stafford

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