A selection of poetry (and occasionally other literary) events going on in the Cascadia region (primarily Washington state) 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. To 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 (venue change starting April 2018; check Facebook for latest information)
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 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 – the Old Growth Poetry Collective presents the Olympia People’s Mic with featured reader and open mic – at Ben Moore’s Restaurant
Thursdays in Salem, OR – The Salem Poetry Project presents a featured reader followed by open mic – 7:00pm – at Barrel & Keg
Fridays in Victoria, BC – Planet Earth Poetry featured poets plus open mic – 7:30pm – at Hillside Coffee and Tea
1-30 – National Poetry Month and NaPoWriMo
15-21 – everywhere
20 – Port Townsend – A Fierce Language: Falling in Love with Poetry – 7:00pm – at Port Townsend Library, Carnegie reading room
20 – Seattle – Reading with Eric Baus, Noah Eli Gordon & Andrea Rexilius – 7:00pm – at Open Books
21 – Bellingham
SpeakEasy 21 features poets Bruce Beasley, Ramona Elke, Jory Mickelson, Kevin Murphy, Nancy Pagh, Dayna Patterson, and Rena Priest – 7:00pm – at the Mount Baker Theatre
21 – Eugene, OR – Poetry for the People’s 3rd Saturday Reading Series featuring Kelly Terwilliger and Michael Schein plus open mic – 5:00pm – at Tsunami Books
21 – Port Townsend – An Evening with Carolyne Wright and Holly J. Hughes – 7:00pm – at The Writers’ Workshoppe and Imprint Books
21 – Portland, OR – The People’s Poets (Open Mic) – 6:00pm – at Woodlawn MIC
22 – Eugene, OR – River Road Reading Series presents Keli Osborn, Jeff Staiger, and Emmett Wheatfall – 4:30pm – at the River Road Park Annex
22 – Portland, OR – Poets Shayla Lawson, Dan Kaplan, and Stacey Tran read from new collections – 4:00pm – at Powell’s City of Books
22 – Seattle – Poetry y traducción: A Bilingual Reading with Eugenia Toledo & Francisco Aragón – 5:00pm – at Open Books
23 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Prompts – 4:00pm – at Village Books
23 – Seattle – Easy Speak Open Mike features Kelli Russell Agodon – 8:00pm – at Wedgwood Ale House & Cafe
24 – Bellingham – Reading by Julian Talamantez Brolaski – 6:00pm – at WWU, Viking Union 565
25 – Bellingham – The Write Riot Poetry Slam – 7:00pm – in the Colophon Café
25 – Corvallis, OR – Author Event with poet Julia Fehrenbacher – 7:00pm – at Grass Roots Books & Music
25 – Seattle – National Poetry Month at Seattle Children’s – Noon – at Seattle Children’s — Ocean Cafeteria
25 – Seattle – Shankar Narayan: Postcards from the New World Chapbook Launch – 7:00pm – at Hugo House
25 – Washington, DC – Poetry Out Loud National Finals – 7:00pm – aat the Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University
26 – Portland, OR – Poetry Night with Julene T Weaver, Penelope Scambly Schott, and Christopher Luna – 7:00pm – at Another Read Through
27 – Anacortes – Reading featuring Georgia Johnson and Maggie Wilder – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
27 – Seattle – SAL Poetry Series: Rachel McKibbens, Benjamin Alire Sáenz & Javier Zamora – 7:30pm – McCaw Hall, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall
28 – everywhere – Independent Bookstore Day; check local indie bookstores for author appearances, book signings, discounts, etc.
28 – Bellingham – Naomi Shihab Nye delivers the Arbuthnot Honor Lecture – 7:00pm – at Western Washington University
28 – Lynden – VB Writes…Nooksack River Writing Group – 10:00am – Village Books Lynden
28-29 – Tacoma – Wayzgoose, a community letterpress and book arts extravaganza – 11:00am to 4:00pm
29 – Bellingham – Christine Kendall reads poetry from Resting in the Familiar – 4:00pm – at Village Books
29 – Portland, OR – Poetry Reading by Street Roots Vendors – 2:00pm – at U.S. Bank Room, Central Library
29 – Portland, OR – Poets Anis Mojgani, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, and Derrick C. Brown read from new collections – 7:30pm – at Powell’s City of Books
30 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
30 – Bellingham – Poets Anis Mojgani, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, and Derrick C. Brown read from new collections – 7:30pm – at the Sylvia Center
1 – Bellingham – Peggy Shumaker reads from Cairn and Maurya Simon reads from The Wilderness: New & Selected Poems, 1980-2016 – 7:00pm – at Village Books
2 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Poetry Writing Group II, 10:15am – at Village Books
3 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Poetry Writing Group, 5:30pm – at Village Books
4 – Seattle – Reading with Peggy Shumaker & Maurya Simon – 7:00pm – at Open Books
5 – Seattle – Reading with Lisa Dordal & Carolyne Wright – 7:00pm – at Open Books
6 – Seattle – Poetry in Conversation: Kate Greenstreet’s The End of Something moderated by Rae Armantrout – 10:00am – at Open Books
7 – Portland, OR – Free Range Poetry presents Devon Balwit, Margaret Chula, Pattie Palmer-Baker – 6:00pm – at Northwest Library
8 – Corvallis, OR – Poems of Transformation and Renewal with Janice Rubin and Leah Stenson – 7:00pm – at Grass Roots Books and Music
8 – Portland, OR – Portland Arts & Lectures presents Viet Thanh Nguyen – 7:30pm – at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
9 – BIRTHDAY – Charles Simic
9 – Bellingham – Whatcom Writers & Publishers dinner meeting – 5:30pm – at Nicki’s Bella Marina
9 – Bellingham – Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater – 7:00pm – at Lovitt’s Restaurant Atrium
9 – Milwaukie, OR – Milwaukie Poetry Series presents Lex Runciman – 7:00pm – at Pond House adjacent to the Milwaukie Ledding Library
10 – Vancouver – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic featuring Leah Stenson – 7:00pm – at Angst Gallery
12 – BIRTHDAY – Bernadette Mayer
12 – Lynden – VB Writes…Nooksack River Writing Group – 10:00am – Village Books Lynden
14 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Prompts – 4:00pm – at Village Books
14 – Portland, OR – Penelope Scambly Schott reads from her latest collection of poetry, House of the Cardamom Seed – 7:00pm – at Broadway Books
14 – Seattle – Easy Speak Open Mike features Holly Hughes – 8:00pm – at Wedgwood Ale House & Cafe
15 – Anacortes – Sam Hamill reads work for the last time with Shakuhachi Master Christopher Yohmei Blasdel – 7:00pm – at Depot Arts Center
15 – Tacoma – Commencement Bay Haiku Meeting – 6:00pm – at King’s Books
16 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Poetry Writing Group II, 10:15am – at Village Books
17 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Poetry Writing Group, 5:30pm – at Village Books
17 – Bellingham – Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony – Bellingham Cruise Terminal
17 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
17 – Redmond – SoulFood Poetry Night featuring the Olympia Poetry Network – 7:00pm – at SoulFood CoffeeHouse and Fair Trade Emporium
17 – Seattle – Copper Canyon Press presents a Poetry Reading with Ocean Vuong – 7:00pm – at Canvas Event Space
17-20 – La Conner
10th Biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival
19 – Eugene, OR – Poetry for the People’s 3rd Saturday Reading Series with featured poets plus open mic – 5:00pm – at Tsunami Books
20 – Bellevue – The 3rd Annual Erotic Poetry Slam – 7:00pm – at Parlor Billiards & Ultralounge Nightclub
20 – Oak Harbor – Oak Harbor Poetry Project presents The Incredible Poet Chris Jarmick – 3:00pm – at Oak Harbor Library
21 – Seattle – SAL Poetry Series: Aimee Nezhukumatathil – 7:30pm – at McCaw Hall, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall
24 – Bellingham – Kai Carlson-Wee and Kristiana Kahakauwila, Rail and This Is Paradise: Stories – 7:00pm – at Village Books
25 – Anacortes – Reading featuring Bob Rose and Rachel Rose – 7:00pm – at Pelican Bay Books
26 – Lynden – VB Writes…Nooksack River Writing Group – 10:00am – Village Books Lynden
28 – Bellingham – VB Writes…Prompts – 4:00pm – at Village Books
28 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
4 – Portland, OR – Free Range Poetry: open mic followed by Oregon poets reading from their works – 6:00pm – at Multnomah County Library, Northwest Meeting Room
7 – Bellingham – Harvey Schwartz reads poems from his new collection, Hampden Road – 7:00pm – at Village Books
13 – Bellingham – Whatcom Writers & Publishers dinner meeting – 5:30pm – at Nicki’s Bella Marina
13 – Bellingham – Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater – 7:00pm – at Lovitt’s Restaurant Atrium
13 – Milwaukie, OR – Milwaukie Poetry Series presents Judith Arcana – 7:00pm – at Pond House adjacent to the Milwaukie Ledding Library
14 – Vancouver – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic – 7:00pm – at Angst Gallery
14-17 – Toronto, ON – Canadian Writers’ Summit
16 – Eugene, OR – Poetry for the People’s 3rd Saturday Reading Series with featured poets plus open mic – 5:00pm – at Tsunami Books
19 – Bellingham – Poet Shannon Laws hosts a Honeymoon poetry OPEN MIC followed by her “You Love Me, You Love Me Not” beat poetry program – 8:30pm – at Honey Moon
21 – BIRTHDAY – Sheila Sondik
21 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
22-23 – Bellingham – 8th Annual Chuckanut Writers Conference
22 – Seattle – Reading with Alexandra Mattraw & Amber Nelson – 7:00pm – at Open Books
25 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
26 – Seattle – Easy Speak Open Mike features Susan Landgraf – 8:00pm – at Wedgwood Ale House & Cafe
27 – Eugene, OR – River Road Reading Series – 4:30pm – at the River Road Park Annex
2 – BIRTHDAY – Wisława Szymborska
9 – BIRTHDAY – Susan Rich
11 – Bellingham – Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater – 7:00pm – at Lovitt’s Restaurant Atrium
12 – Seattle – A Reading & Reception for Raven Chronicles Journal Vol. 26: Last Call – 7:00pm – at the Elliott Bay Book Company
12 – Vancouver – Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic – 7:00pm – at Angst Gallery
16 – BIRTHDAY – Robert Lashley
19 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
21 – Eugene, OR – Poetry for the People’s 3rd Saturday Reading Series with featured poets plus open mic – 5:00pm – at Tsunami Books
30 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
1-31 – August Poetry Postcard Fest
5 – BIRTHDAY – Ron Silliman
9 – Seattle – Word Works: Ben Lerner – 7:00pm – at Hugo House
16 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
18 – Eugene, OR – Poetry for the People’s 3rd Saturday Reading Series with featured poets plus open mic – 5:00pm – at Tsunami Books
20 – BIRTHDAY – Heather McHugh
27 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
28 – BIRTHDAY – Rita Dove
5 – BIRTHDAY – Nicanor Parra
7-9 – La Conner – Poets on the Coast
10 – BIRTHDAY – Mary Oliver
11 – BIRTHDAY – Ryler Dustin
20 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
21-22 – Bellingham – Bellingham SeaFeast presents the 3rd Annual FisherPoets on Bellingham Bay
24 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
28-30 – Tieton – LiTFUSE
29-30 – Eugene, OR – The Oregon Poetry Association Annual Conference 2018 – at the Valley River Inn
3 – BIRTHDAY – Bill Porter (Red Pine)
4 – BIRTHDAY – James Bertolino
5-7 – Edmonds – Write on the Sound Writers’ Conference
5-7 – Oceanside, OR – PDX Writers Autumn Retreat
18 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
19-21 – Surrey, BC – 26th annual Surrey International Writers’ Conference
21 – Seattle – A Reading & Reception for Stealing Light: A Raven Chronicles Anthology – 2:00pm – at Seattle Central Library
26-28 – Bellevue – Emerald City Writers’ Conference – at Westin Hotel
29 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
1-30 – everywhere – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
15 – Pendleton, OR – First Draft Writers’ Series – 7:00pm – at Pendleton Center for the Arts, Pearson Auditorium
26 – Bellingham – Open Mic Night with Andrew McBride – 7:00pm – at Village Books
2 – BIRTHDAY – Samuel Green
9 – BIRTHDAY – Kelli Russell Agodon
13 – BIRTHDAY – Megan Snyder-Camp
17 – BIRTHDAY – William Stafford
20 – BIRTHDAY – Bruce Beasley
22 – BIRTHDAY – Luther Allen
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
1-31 – everywhere – National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo)
1 – BIRTHDAY – Brenda Miller
12 – BIRTHDAY – Naomi Shihab Nye
18 – BIRTHDAY – Wilfred Owen
23 – BIRTHDAY – Lana Hechtman Ayers
26 – BIRTHDAY – Patrick Lane
27 – BIRTHDAY – Dorothea Lasky
27–30, Portland, OR – AWP #19 – at the Oregon Convention Center
4 – BIRTHDAY – Anita K. Boyle
11 – BIRTHDAY – Maria McLeod
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!