SALISH SEA POETRY FESTIVAL UPDATES
As you know, I am a committee member and volunteer for the SSPF. The annual poetry festival is happening November 13-15th this year.
The complete list of events, date/times and locations is available on the website HERE:
https://www.whatcompoetryseries.org/salish-sea-poetry-festival.
A sample of the “Poetry Minute” radio spots are below!
Take a look to figure out your day’s schedule! This is a FREE poetry-themed mega event happening around Bellingham. Performances, classes, merch, contests, social cross-pollination, and great vibes are offered.
There are some fun community collaborations occurring. Mallard Ice Cream has created a poet-inspired flavor of ice cream. The Horseshoe Cafe has a festival-inspired cocktail.
The Bellingham Qualifier Poetry Slam occurs on Saturday, November 7th, 3- 5 p.m. at Stones Throw in Fairhaven. I’ll be there as a volunteer, but it is hosted by Ryler Dustin and Jessica Lohafer.
Hope to see you all around the festival events. I’ll be helping Elizabeth Vignali out with the poetry crawl on Friday, November 13th. This year, the crawl is curated with two poets per stop, each representing towns from around the state. Not to miss! On Sunday, Ryler and I will host the community open mic. If you are feeling festivally-fiesty, you can pre-sign up with Ryler or me via email.
DETAILS: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Cafe Hazeltree, Community Open Mic, 1135 Railroad Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225.
Please come out and introduce yourself if we haven’t met in person. I LOVE meeting Corridor poets in the wild spaces of the real world.
Press release:
EVENT: Salish Sea Poetry Festival
DATES: November 13, 14, 15, 2026
LOCATION: Various locations in Bellingham, Washington
CONTACT: salishseapoetry@gmail.com
This November, poets and poetry enthusiasts are once again taking over downtown Bellingham for the annual Salish Sea Poetry Festival. Readings by local and invited poets, writing and poetry-inspired craft workshops, a no-holds-barred poetry slam, poetry church, and poetry nature walks will be on the schedule. Participants can come for a single event or immerse themselves in poetry throughout the weekend. Inspired by the idea that everyone could use a little poetry in their lives, festival organizers have partnered with many local cafes, bars, and restaurants as venues for the events on the schedule. Even folks not planning to attend the festival may find themselves suddenly surrounded by poets and poetry.
The main event is Saturday night! Join us at Old City Hall for multimedia poetry by Barcelona artist Yzaura Vanegas followed by a “best of the northwest,” audience-judged poetry slam with special guest Amber Flame
The Salish Sea Poetry Festival has partnered once again with the UpFront Theatre improv folks to provide Poetry Pandemonium on Friday and Saturday nights —these ticketed events feature local poets improvising poems to inspire the actors to new heights of comedy. On Sunday afternoon, in partnership with the Pickford Film Center, a special poetry-inspired film will be shown. While these partnership events require the purchase of tickets, all other events are offered free of charge, although donations are gladly accepted!
For up-to-date information on the schedule and locations for each event, check the website at
https://www.whatcompoetryseries.org/salish-sea-poetry-festival
Or, follow the festival on Instagram: @salishseapoetry or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2477946416064137
RADIO SPOTS ARE LIVE
These radio spots will run through October 2027. Thank you, poets, for contributing your words and voice to this exciting project.
