CALENDAR

A selection of poetry (and occasionally other literary) events going on in the Cascadia region (Washington State and Pacific time 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 Seattle – Easy Speak Seattle hosts a featured reader and open mic the 2nd and 4th Monday

Mondays in Seattle – The Magic Hat – 7:00pm – the basement of The Rendezvous

Mondays in Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Poetry Slam (VanSlam) feature plus open mic at Café Deux Soleils; more on Facebook

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

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

Saturdays in Portland, OR – Wordlights poetry hosted by Igor Brezhnev and presented by NovaPDX – signups 5:30pm, show 6:00pm – at The Rocking Frog Cafe

Confirm specific dates and featured poets with organization or venue; schedules may shift on short notice or be adjusted around holidays.

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

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

first and third Mondays – Seattle – SH*T GOLD Open Mic Performance Night – 8:00pm – at Velocity Dance Studio

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

second Tuesday – Edmonds – free, public, EPIC Poetry Group meets monthly to express and improve poetry writing skills – 6:00-7:45pm – at the Edmonds Library

third Tuesday – Eugene, OR – Windfall Reading Series – 6:00pm – at Downtown Eugene Public Library

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

first Wednesday – Seattle – Assembly Literary Open Mic – 7:30pm – at Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar

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

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 – Seattle – Word Chaser – 7:00pm – at Cafe Racer

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

first Thursday – Pendleton Center for the Arts First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm

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 – online

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 – Lynden – VB Writes Nooksack River Writing Group – 10:00am – at Village Books, Lynden

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

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

4 – U.S. – National Grammar Day

5 – BIRTHDAY – Leslie Marmon Silko

6 – online – Village Books presents Susanne Paola Antonetta and Brenda Miller – 4:00pm

9 – online – Stubborn Praise, featuring Ellen Bass – 5:00pm

11 – online – Artsmith / Darvill’s Bookstore Salon Series – 5:00pm

11 – online – Kazim Ali and Danielle Geller – 6:00pm

11 – online – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic featuring Morgan Paige – 7:00pm

12 – BIRTHDAY – Naomi Shihab Nye

14 – online – AQR Benefit Reading Series featuring Jesse Lee Kercheval, Sara Eliza Johnson & Victoria Kelly – 3:00pm Alaska / 4:00pm Pacific

17 – online – Kim Addonizio and Martín Espada – 6:00pm

18 – BIRTHDAY – Wilfred Owen

18 – online – Spencer Reece and Kathleen Flenniken – 6:00pm

18 – online – Margin Shift: Friends in Poetry presents Sonora Jah, Jane Wong, Arlene Naganawa, and 1 more TBA – 6:30pm

18 – online – SoulFood Poetry Night featuring Raven Chronicles Press: Art Against Hate – 7:00pm

18 – online – Poetry Center San Jose presents Ellen Bass and Barbara Ras – 7:00pm

19-20 – online – Ravensun presents Power of Poetry 2021

21 – everywhere – World Poetry Day

22 – online – Terrain.org Reading Series: Arthur Sze + Contest Winners Susan Cohen, Kristina Moriconi + Cameron Walker – 5:00pm

23 – BIRTHDAY – Lana Hechtman Ayers

26 – online – RASP presents J.I. Kleinberg – 7:00pm

27 – online – WORKSHOP – Beyond the Mask: Possibilities and Pitfalls of Persona with Alexandra Teague – 2:00-4:00pm

28 – online – AQR Benefit Reading Series featuring Lee Conell, Debbie Urbanski & Jerome Charyn – 3:00pm Alaska / 4:00pm Pacific

NOTE NEW DATE: 28 – online – SpeakEasy 27: A Spiritual Thread, audience-response round – 7:00pm

31 – Seattle – Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry features Douglas Kearney – details TBA

 

1-30 – National Poetry Month and NaPoWriMo

4 – BIRTHDAY – Anita K. Boyle

7 – online – University of Virginia presents Brenda Hillman Poetry Reading – 4:00pm

11 – BIRTHDAY – Maria McLeod

11 – online – AQR Benefit Reading Series featuring Sophie Klahr, Victoria Chang & Kimiko Hahn – 3:00pm Alaska / 4:00pm Pacific

11 – online – readings from Solstice Light and the Dark of the Salish Sea – 7:00pm

14 – BIRTHDAY – Jericho Brown

15 – online – Artsmith / Darvill’s Bookstore Salon Series – 5:00pm

16 – BIRTHDAY – Tracy K. Smith

17 – online – Poetry Share for National Poetry Month – 3:00pm

18 – online – AQR Benefit Reading Series featuring Nicky Beer, Mary Peelen & Alexandra Teague – 3:00pm Alaska / 4:00pm Pacific

23 – BIRTHDAY – Coleman Barks

24 – online – SpeakEasy 28 presents a rousing welcome to the new Washington State Poet Laureate (details to follow) – 7:00pm

25 – BIRTHDAYS – Ted Kooser, James Fenton

25 – online – AQR Benefit Reading Series featuring Virginia Konchan, Heather Treseler, Alyse Knorr & Kate Partridge – 3:00pm Alaska / 4:00pm Pacific

26 – online – Terrain.org Reading Series: Alison Hawthorne Deming with Jane Hirshfield, J. Drew Lanham, and Derek Sheffield – 5:00pm

28 – BIRTHDAYS – Carolyn Forché, Roberto Bolaño

29 – BIRTHDAYS – C.P. Cavafy, Yusef Komunyakaa

30 – Everywhere – Poem in Your Pocket Day

30 – May 2 – San Juan Island – Cascadia Poetry Festival

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

12 – BIRTHDAY – Bernadette Mayer

14 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth Austen, Lea Galanter

24 – BIRTHDAY – Tom Phillips; Lorna Crozier

30 – BIRTHDAY – Countee Cullen

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

25-26 – Bellingham – Chuckanut Writers Conference 2021 – 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

2 – BIRTHDAY – James Baldwin

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, Michael Schmeltzer

24-26 – Tieton – LiTFUSE 2021

3 – BIRTHDAY – Bill Porter (Red Pine)

4 – BIRTHDAY – James Bertolino, Susan J. Erickson

14 – BIRTHDAY – Ocean Vuong

15 – BIRTHDAY – Kim Stafford

15-17 – online – Haiku North America 2021

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

2 – BIRTHDAY – Samuel Green

2 – BIRTHDAY – Jimmy Santiago Baca

9 – BIRTHDAY – Kelli Russell Agodon

13 – BIRTHDAY – Megan Snyder-Camp

17 – BIRTHDAY – William Stafford

20 – BIRTHDAY – Ernesto Cardenal, Edward Hirsch, Bruce Beasley

22 – BIRTHDAY – Luther Allen

31 – BIRTHDAY – Albert Goldbarth

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

1 – BIRTHDAY – Joannie Stangeland

4 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth Vignali

6 – BIRTHDAY – Rena Priest

19 – BIRTHDAY – Rick Barot

25 – BIRTHDAY – Elizabeth J. Colen

27 – BIRTHDAY – Oliver de la Paz

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

1 – BIRTHDAY – Brenda Miller