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
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!
March 25, 2019 at 3:03 pm
2nd Fridays every month in Tacoma…
Puget Sound Poetry Connection – Distinguished Writer Series.
New location, quieter, roomier, plenty of parking, easy to find.
We’re at http://www.pugetsoundpoetryconnection.org with links on the pages to Instagram, Twitter, FaceBook & driving directions. Plus we have monthly themed open mic contests with prizes!
April 12, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Thanks. This is listed on the Calendar page in the Every Month section. https://thepoetrydepartment.wordpress.com/nw-lit-events/